2023 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences26:International Relations
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Shinji Kawana
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Wed (S2-203(S222))
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.S426
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2023
- Offered quarter
- 1Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 8, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course is a graduate-level introduction to the diplomatic history of postwar Japan.
This course focuses on US-Japan alliance, military bases, SDF, right of collective self-defense, transfer of defense equipment and technology, territorial issues.
We will consider not only lectures but also discussions on issues such as "what is the problem", "what is the conflict over what", "what is the solution?"
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will understand the points of Japanese diplomacy after World War II and have the ability to think critically.
Keywords
diplomatic history, Japan's security policy, US-Japan security relations
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The course will consist in a series of seminar sessions with pre‐assigned readings. Students are expected to do all the readings prior to each session, as well as attend and participate in all sessions.
The weekly sessions will focus on laying out the main arguments of the assigned readings and critically discussing them.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction | What is diplomacy? What is "postwar" in Japan? |
| Class 2 | US-Japan alliance | Understand the history and problems of the US-Japan alliance. |
| Class 3 | US military bases in Japan. | Understand the history and problems of the US military bases in Japan. |
| Class 4 | SDF | Understand the history and problems of the SDF. |
| Class 5 | right of collective self-defense | Understand the history and problems of the right of collective self-defense. |
| Class 6 | transfer of defense equipment and technology | Understand the history and problems of the transfer of defense equipment and technology. |
| Class 7 | final exam |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
See Japanese
Reference books, course materials, etc.
See Japanese information
Evaluation methods and criteria
Commitment: 40%
Final report: 60%
Related courses
- LAH.S104 ： International Relations A
- LAH.S204 ： International Relations B
- LAH.S305 ： International Relations C
Prerequisites
There are no pre‐requisites for the course.
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
shinji.kawana[at]ila.titech.ac.jp
Office hours
Contact by e-mail in advance to schedule an appointment.
Other
No classes will be given on April 12 (Wed).
Seven total classes will be held for this course: April 19 (Wed), April 26 (Wed), May 10 (Wed), May 17 (Wed), May 24 (Wed), May 31 (Wed), June 7 (Wed).