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SIS research paper.doc

Spring 2016: SIS-212-002 China, Japan & US

Midterm Research paper

Your research paper (10 pages, double-spaced) can be based on a topic drawn from the list of questions below. You should submit a hard copy of your research outline to me by March 15 to get my feedback. The outline should include your research questions, a tentative thesis statement, a summary of your argument in bullet point, and a preliminary bibliography. I will meet with you to give you my feedback and suggest additional readings. The paper is due by April 5.

You will not receive a grade for this paper if it does not include citations and a bibliography of readings consulted. Sources from the Internet should be of a scholarly/authoritative nature. The proper style for citations and bibliography is indicated in Kate L.Turabian, Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, and the Chicago Manual of Style, both of which are available in the Bender Library Reference Room, and at www.library.american.edu/e_ref/citation.html .

Your answer should show your ability to:

- integrate and synthesize materials and readings covered to date

- reason logically with conclusions supported by evidence

- express ideas clearly

1. Iris Chang has labeled the war crimes committed by the Japanese in Nanjing (Nanking) in 1937 as the “Forgotten Holocaust of World War II.” At the same time, the Japanese government has persisted in denying that its military carried out a massacre there. Explain the reasons for the vastly different Chinese and Japanese perspectives on the killings and how this event continues to negatively affect contemporary Sino-Japanese relations. Why did the U.S. decide not to convict the Japanese Emperor and the majority of the Japanese leadership for war crimes? Explain how that decision has facilitated the on-going Japanese “white washing” of its wartime record, as reflected in the textbook revision controversy, “comfort women” debate, and Yasukuni Shrine visits. Explain also why it was not until after the 1990s that China allowed these issues to negatively affect its relations with Japan.

2. At the start of the American Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), two major objectives were the democratization and demilitarization of Japan. Discuss the reforms - political, military, economic, land, labor, women rights and education - introduced by General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP), to achieve these goals. Were all of these goals attained when the Occupation ended? If so, or if not, explain why (with specific reference to the “reverse course”). In your opinion, which reforms have had the most significant impact on present day Japan?

3. Identify at least three key tenets of Mao Zedong Thought and examine either Mao’s objectives in launching the Great Leap Forward (1958-1960) or the Cultural Revolution (1965-1975). Discuss how Mao put into action those three tenets throughout the campaign you have chosen and evaluate its political, social, economic and environmental impact on China at that time and today.

4. Kenneth Lieberthal listed a number of possible outcomes - depending on specific domestic and external developments - in the system of governance in China over the coming two decades. Which of the following do you believe is the most likely outcome within the next two decades: continued monopoly of power by the CCP or political liberalization and multi-party democracy? Illustrate your argument with supporting evidence.

5. Environmental degradation and HIV/AIDS are widely regarded as two critical issues that China must address immediately. Write an essay on one of these issues. Examine the nature of the problem and how it threatens China’s future – including economic progress, social stability and quality of life – and assess the effectiveness of the government’s response. What is the impact of that issue on China-US relations?

6. Compare the status and roles of Chinese women during the Confucian, Maoist and post-Maoist eras. Do you think Chinese women are better off today than they were during the Confucian and Maoist eras? Why or why not? Illustrate your answers with supporting evidence.

7. Japan is one of the strongest democracies and most progressive societies in the non-Western world. However, many observers argue that Japanese women do not enjoy equal rights with Japanese men, both in the private sphere of family life and the public sphere of the workplace. Do you agree with this statement? If so, or if not, why? Back up your argument with supporting evidence.

8. What in your opinion are the most striking similarities and differences between the American and Japanese education systems? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each system? To what extent can the differences be explained by societal characteristics such as “groupism” in Japan and “individualism” in the United States? Why did such values emerge in Japan and the United States respectively?

9. Until its defeat in the 2009 parliamentary elections, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan had dominated Japanese politics since its formation in 1955 (except for a brief 11-month period in 1993-1994). What were the major factors that contributed to its longevity in power? What were the factors that account for the apparent sea change in Japanese politics that resulted in its defeat by the Democratic Party of Japan? Why was the LDP returned to power again in December 2012? Back up your arguments with supporting evidence.