Spring 2000 Class Room: Niccol 208
Time: MWF 9:30-10:20

Instructor: Dr. Pingchao Zhu
Office: 315 AD (Administration Building)
Office Phone: 885-7166
Office Hour: MWF 8:30-9:00am, 13:30-14:00pm or by appointment
E-mail: PZHU@UIDAHO.EDU

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The term the Pacific Rim is a rather new and contemporary concept to many. The Pacific Rim
is a region where the East meets the West at best. The rise of Japan since after post World War
Two period and the economic take off of several small but important countries in the region
have raised serious questions over the once dominant role of the West including the United
States in the area. The objectives of this course are three-fold. First, we will review general
historical development of the countries and regions in the Pacific Rim. The time frame is set to
be between the 17th Century and the contemporary period. Second, different arguments over the
issue of developments in the Pacific Rim will be introduced in the course of discuss. Third,
emphases will be placed on interrelations between different peoples within and without the
Pacific region. Conflicts reflected in culture, ideology, politics, economy, and societies became
the major forces that have constructed today's Pacific Rim. It is the intention of this course to
apply a comparative approach to analyze the past, present, and the future of the Pacific Rim
from a historical perspective.

TEXTBOOKS
1. Collinwood, Dean W., Japan and the Pacific Rim, 5th ed. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGrew-
Hill, 1999.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. One mid-term exam 100 points
2. Final exam 100
3. Group presentation & final project 200
4. Biweekly journals (7 in total) 50
5. Attendance & participation 50

Examinations consist of short essays and identifications.

Group Presentation and Term Paper
There are two parts in this assignment: the group presentation and a term paper as a result of this
presentation.
1) Group presentation
--Two or three students form a group to do the in-class presentation on one or more
countries in the Pacific region. A list of country groups, all included in the textbook, will be
provided to the class.
--The presentation should focus on the following aspects:
**Brief history as early as the 17th century and as later as the early 20th century;
**Historical changes (such as colonialism or decolonization, industrialization,
reforms, revolutions, economic changes, etc.) during this time period;
**Contacts, influence, conflicts, or even wars between the local peoples and the
outsiders;
**Importance or unique position of the presented country/countries in the Pacific
region.
--The presenters should prepare an outline for the class and be ready for question from
the rest of the class toward the end of the presentation. Format of the presentation can be
flexible and the process should be around 30 minutes and beyond. The instructor will meet with
each group to finalize the topic and focus before the presentation.
The presentation will be graded by peers in the class using a general evaluation sheet.
The instructor will summarize the class evaluation and give a grade (100 points maximum for
the presentation part).

2) Term Paper
--After the in-class presentation, students should continue to work the same project into a
term paper, which should focus more on the interrelations between the East and the West,
in addition to a brief history and importance of these countries' position in the Pacific
Rim now and then.
--If a group presents on more than one countries, students can choose one or two from the
countries they present on to write their term paper.
--Same students in the presentation group can submit one term paper as their project. In
this case, the content in the term paper should be in a coherent fashion. A job description of
each student's contribution to the final paper should be attached to the paper. Or, you may write
an individual term paper, if you choose to do it that way.
--The term paper should be typed, double spaced in 12 font, and between 6-8 pages in
length.

Biweekly Journals will be due on Friday every the other week on the even number weeks (the
weeks with ** marks indicate that you need to turn in your journal on Friday of that week). The
journals are designed to give students opportunities to write-to-learn and to write-to-
communicate by following the developments of Current Affairs. Throughout the semester,
students should be aware of important/interesting developments/events relating to China (now
and then) from the media or other sources. Write your responses to these developments in the
journal on the biweekly basis and attach your sources to your journals. If you turn in the journal
without attending the class, you can only claim half of the total points for the assignment.

GRADES SCALE
A=500-450 B=449-400 C=399-350 D=349-300 F=299 and below
 

COURSE SCHEDULE
Part I, Western Influence in the Pacific Rim, 1700-1900

Week 1: Jan. 10-14
Introduction
a. What is a Rim?
b. Group presentations organized
Reading: Collinwood, pp.3-13

**Week 2: Jan. 19-21
NO CLASS ON MONDAY, JAN. 17
East Asia
a. General information
b. Culture, traditions, & ideologies
Reading: Articles . 1 & 4

Week 3: Jan. 24-28
China: The Opium War
a. Tribute system and Canton trade
b. Conflicts with the West
c. Theories
Reading: pp. 49-54

**Week 4: Jan. 31-Feb. 4
The 1st & 2nd World Nations
a. Presentation on Mon. on U.S. & Canada
b. Presentation in Wednesday on Australia & New Zealand
b. American expansion
Reading: pp. x-xi,39-43, 74-77, & Article 16

Week 5: Feb. 7-11
Modernizing Japan
a. Presentation on Mon. on Japan
b. Tokugawa period
c. Meiji Reform
Reading: pp. 21-24, Article 8

**Week 6: Feb. 14-18
Southeast Asia
a. Presentation on Mon. on Indochina
b. Presentation on Wed. on Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, & Myanmar
c. The 1st Indochinese War
Reading: pp. 46-48, 62-64, 67-73, 89-91, & 100-109

Week 7: Feb. 23-25
NO CLASS ON MONDAY, FEB. 21
Asian Colonization: North Korea & South Korea
a. Presentation on Wed. on Korea
b. Victims of Asia militarism
Reading: pp. 96-99, 78-81

**Week 8: Feb. 28-Mar. 3
America's Asia Policy
a. Presentation on Mon. on Philippines
b. Spanish-American War
c. U.S. Pacific strategy
Reading: 85-88

Week 9: Mar. 6-10
Mid-term Exam on Wednesday
a. Presentation on Mon. on Brunei, Indonesia, & Papua New Guinea
Reading: pp. 44-45. 59-61, & 82-84

Week 10: Mar. 13-17
SPRING RECESS, NO CLASS

Week 11: Mar. 20-24
International Treaties & Disputes
a. Presentation on Mon. on Hong Kong & Macau
b. Presentation on Wed. on Taiwan
Reading: pp. 55-58, 65-66, & 96-99

Part II, The Pacific Rim in Revolution, 1900-2000

**Week 12: Mar. 27-31
The Pacific at War
a. Japan's militarism
b. U.S.-China wartime relations
c. How did the war change the region?
Reading: handouts

Week 13: Apr. 3-7
Post WWII Asia
a. Japan revival
b. America's Asia?
Reading: Articles 9-15

**Week 14: Apr. 10-14
Four Little Dragons
a. North & South Koreas
b. Hong Kong & Singapore
c. Taiwan
Reading: Articles 19, 23-24

Week 15: Apr. 17-21
Communism vs. Capitalism
a. Communist China
b. Deng Xiaoping's Reforms
c. Does China Matter?
Reading: Articles 18 & 20
Term Paper Due on Friday

**Week 16: Apr. 26-30
Southeast Asia toward Democracy & Capitalism
a. Vietnam after the war
b. Southeast Asian Economic Crisis
Reading: Articles 5-7, 21-22, 25-29

Week 17: May 3-7
The Pacific Century?
a. Economic Cooperation
b. Political reforms
c. WTO
Reading: Articles 2 & 3

May 12, Friday, 10:00-12:00noon, Final Examination

The instructor reserves the rights to change this schedule when necessary.