IS 200: The Politics and Cultures of Modernization
Fall 2018 Good 202 TTH 1:00 – 2:50
Emil NagengastPeter Rothstein
316 Good Hall, 641-3650WLC 207, 641-3728
Several questions will guide our work this semester:
What is modernization? Is modernization a “step forward”? How/why do different parts of the world understand modernization differently? When did Europe, Africa and Asia modernize? Why did some regions of the world modernize more rapidly than others? What factors help us to explain how/why societies modernize?
Over the course of the semester students in IS 200 should:
develop an appreciation for the complexities of modernization and viewpoints about its positive and negative benefits;
acquire an historical understanding of the modernization process;
examine how the creation of knowledge underlies the organization and classification of our modern world;
examine the dynamic nature of knowledge and the relationships between power and knowledge;
gain basic knowledge of key events, stages, and institutions of political economy; and
strengthen writing and reading skills, especially in relation to reading, analyzing, and understanding a variety of primary and secondary sources, understanding arguments and themes in those sources and making connections between the sources and themes in the course.
Office Hours Please use these times to speak with your instructors. Other times may be arranged. Nagengast MWF 11:00-12:00 and T 12:00-1:00 Rothstein:
ReadingsWe require three books for the course plus a variety of shorter readings.Mostother readings and updates to the syllabus will be posted to the Moodle page for this course. All students are required to enroll in this course on Moodle. Readings might be added during the semester, so be sure to check the course Moodle page frequently.
Required Texts:
The River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiong’oNaomibyJun’ichirō TanizakiA Discourse by Three Drunkards on Government by Nakae Chōmin
EvaluationsValues
Quizzes and assignments 30%
Midterm Exam20%
Final Exam20%
First Paper15%
Second Paper15%
In addition, we reserve the right to adjust your grade by up to one letter for strong or weak participation. Participation includes attendance at all class functions; the level and quality of effort in various class activities, including un-graded assignments; the quality and quantity of analytical comments in class; class presentations; and evidence of having read and understood the assigned materials.
Attendance and participation are essential for success in this course. Attendance is mandatory.
Withdrawal Policy The Juniata policy on withdrawals is that you must have an instructor’s signature in order to withdraw from a course after the end of the drop/add period. We will not permit a withdrawal after October 19.
Writing Good writing requires careful attention to content, organization, and clarity of expression. It is difficult to imagine a good paper that has not gone through at least three edits. Please keep the need for multiple drafts in mind as you plan your researching and writing timetable. As in all writing projects, accurate citation of the sources of your information is critical. Failure to cite is a violation of the College’s Academic Integrity policy. Failure to cite correctly is sloppiness. Please use internet sources with extreme caution. We accept as valid peer-reviewed material. We look skeptically upon the usage of materials posted by individuals not subjected to critical peer review. We look with disdain upon sources such as Wikipedia or political action groups that tend to have huge possible margins of error. Your professors will be quite happy to look at early drafts for content, organization, and writing. You should use the writing center for any questions.
Grading Policy We award grades based upon the notion that a “C” represents average work, a “B” is conspicuously above average, an “A” is earned by superior performance, and that a “D” represents sub-standard performance. “Fs” represent the failure to do assignments and poor performance. We will use pluses or minuses very rarely in evaluating assignments. Most students will receive a letter grade (A=95, B=85, C=75, D=65, or F=40) on individual assignments.
ADA Statement:Juniata College is committed to providing equitable access for learning opportunities to students with documented disabilities (e.g. mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical) under the American Disabilities Act. To ensure access to this class, please contact Patty Klug, Coordinator of Disability Services, at or at 814-641-5840 to engage in a confidential conversation about the process for requesting reasonable accommodations in the classroom. Accommodations are not provided retroactively, so students are encouraged to register with the Disability Services preferably by the start of the semester and before the Drop/Add period; however, requests can be made at any time. Note that students must obtain a new letter of reasonable accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of reasonable accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Juniata College encourages students to access all resources available through Academic Support in the office of QUEST for consistent support and access to their classes. More information can be found online at Juniata.edu under Academic Support Services and “Disability Services,” or by contacting the office at 814-641-3160.
Academic Dishonesty
Improper use of information found on the internet or elsewhere for your research papers will result in AT LEAST an F on your paper, and most likely an F in the course. If you are not sure about what constitutes plagiarism it is your responsibility to find out (i.e. ask us or refer to the Pathfinder). Plagiarism entails either: illegal collaboration with a classmate (e.g. using someone else’s work as your own); using someone else's words or ideas without providing a citation; OR providing a citation, but "cutting and pasting" from a source without using quotation marks to indicate that you are using someone else's exact words. To avoid plagiarism you must either properly quote or fully paraphrase the cited information (i.e., put it into your own words). Unless we give explicit permission, you are not allowed to use any notes or any other material during any quiz or exam.
COURSE SCHEDULE
August 23Introduction: What is Modernization?
Aug 28, 30 European Exceptionalism
Readings: 1) Landes Chapt.14 “Why Europe?” 2)Ferguson, “Micrographia” 3) Ferguson Chapt. 15 “WhyBritain?” 4) Ferguson, “Property”
Sept 4, 6Why is the Truth dangerous?
Reading: Isaiah Berlin
Sept11European Ascendancy and Exploitation
Readings: Blaut
Sept 13, 18European Colonization of Africa
Readings: Rhodes, Dual Mandate, Rodney, Mau Mau
Sept 20, 25Modernization and Tradition in Africa
Reading: Ngugi Wa Thiong’o The River Between
Sept 27Tokugawa Japan-Establishing a New Order
Readings: Gordon, Record of the Musket (Tanegashima), Hayashi (pp. 243-47), Edict of 1635 (read from "Closing of the Country" through the end of p. 223)
Oct 2Tokugawa Japan-Keeping the World at Bay
Readings: “Prohibition of Heterodox Studies,” Honda, Shiba, Sugita
Oct 4The Meiji Transformation-Internal and External Pressure for Change
Readings: Aizawa, Fukuzawa, Mori
Oct 9Civilization, Enlightenment, and the Race to Modernize
Reading: Nakae, Fukuzawa “Goodbye Asia”
Oct 16Creating A Modern Constitutional Order, Joining the Race for Empire
Readings: Finish Nakae
Oct 18Mid-term Exam
Oct 23Urbanization, the Middle Class, Becoming World Citizens
Readings: Yano, begin reading Naomi
Oct 25Taishō Cosmopolitanism, “Culture” and a Sense of Displacement
Reading: Naomi continued (read to at least p. 171)
Oct 30Questioning “Progress”
Readings: Finish Naomi, In Praise of Shadows excerpt
Nov 1Creating a “New Order” in East Asia
Readings: SJT excerpt (Konoe, Ishihara, Hashimoto, Arita), Dankichi excerpt, Nogi
Nov 6Overcoming Modernity in the Pacific War
Readings: Kokutai no Hongi, Nishitani, Overcoming Modernity Roundtable
Nov 8Was the Pacific War a failure of or a Logical outcome of Modernization?
Readings: Dower and Funato, Tomizawa, Kobayashi
Nov 13The Occupation of Japan as a Semi-Colonial Moment (or fixing a modernization gone awry)
Readings: Caprio and Sugita, Gordon
Nov 15, 20The Bretton Woods System
Readings: Hoover, Rostow, Benefits of Free Trade
Nov 27, 29The Washington Consensus and its opponents
Readings: Pettinger, Bamako
Dec 4Backlash of Globalization- Japan’s “Hollowing Out”
Reading: Selections from Ishinomori
Dec 6Backlash of Globalization
Readings: “Grim Bargain,” “Chicagonomics”
Dec 13Final Exam Due Date, 1:00 PM