Unit information: Japan and East Asia: Socio-Economic Development in 2022/23

Unit name	Japan and East Asia: Socio-Economic Development
Unit code	POLIM0027
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Yamashita
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one
School/department	School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Unit Information

An understanding of Japanese economy and society is critical for students who are keen to explore the Japan's role in and the development of East Asian countries. The aim of this unit is to explore the socio-economic structures of Japan in comparative perspective. The first part of the unit will explore the Japanese economic 'success' since World War II and its serious recession after the burst of economic 'bubble' in the early 1990s. It also looks at Japanese fast-transforming social structures and demographic trends which offer the background of current growing inequality in Japanese society. The second part of the unit will locate and examine such Japanese socio-economic structures in the wider East Asian regional context. This unit concludes with highlighting similarities and differences among socio-economic structures of the East Asian countries, and the discussion regarding the impact of globalisation on Japan and the region.

Aims:

• Develop a well-rounded understanding of contemporary Japanese socio-economic development in comparison with other East Asian countries

• Understand the interdisciplinary approach to the subject

• Explore Japan's and East Asian countries' social, economic and demographic changes with reference to European countries

• Examine the impacts of globalisation on Japanese and East Asian economy and society.

Your learning on this unit

On successful completion of the unit students will have:

• Critically analysed contemporary issues related to Japanese and East Asian socio-economic development

• An understanding of how Japan 'works' as a society in comparison with other East Asian countries

• Collected, analysed and interpreted secondary data and literature on Japanese and East Asian economy and society

• Developed writing and presentation skills for examining socio-economic structure of East Asian countries.

How you will learn

Lectures, seminars, presentation, small and large group activities.

How you will be assessed

1 x 4,000 word assignment reflecting the learning outcomes listed above.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLIM0027).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.