Schedule of Readings and Discussions
Week 1
September 2: Introductions and overview of course topics and expectations
September 4: India’s Democracy
Ashutosh Varshney. 1998. “Why Democracy Survives.” Journal of Democracy Vol.9,
No.3, pp. 36-50.
Week 2
September 9: Economic Growth and Democracy
Aseema Sinha, 2007. “Economic growth and political accommodation”, Journal Of
Democracy
September 11: Why the Poor Vote in India?
Amit Ahuja and Pradeep Chibber, 2012. “Why the Poor Vote in India: If I Don’t Vote, I
am Dead to the State”, Studies in Comparative International Development, Vol. 47, No.
4, 389-410.
Week 3
September 16: Kashimir
Film: “Kashmir: A Valley in Despair”
September 18: Maoist-Era Cultural Revolution
Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro, 1984. Son of the Revolution, New York: Vintage.
Week 4
September 23: Conceptualizing the Chinese State
Andew Nathan, 2003. “Authoritarian Resilience,” Journal of Democracy 14, no.1, pp.617.
Almost a Revolution in 1989?: A clip from a documentary film “ Gate of Heavenly
Peace” http://www.tsquare.tv/film/gateExcerpts.php#8
September 25: China’s Political Economy After Mao
China Fragile Superpower, Chapter 2, pp.13-34.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTSQozWP-rM
Week 5
September 30: China-India Comparison
Huang,Yasheng and Tarun Khanna. “Can India Overtake China?” Foreign
Policy, (137) (2003):74-81
October 2: China’s Village Elections
O'Brien, Kevin J. and Han, Rongbin, Path to Democracy? Assessing Village Elections in
China (July 13, 2009). Journal of Contemporary China, Vol. 18, No. 60, pp. 359-78, June
2009.
Discussion Question: Would China democratize? What do you think about the prospects
for democracy in China? Or is it the wrong question to ask?
*** All students are required to come and see me regarding their paper topics***
Week 6
October 7: China’s Overseas Investment
Denise Tull, 2006. “China’s Engagement in Africa: Scope, Significance, and
Consequences”, The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 44, No. 3, pp.459-479.
October 9: Review
Week 7
October 14: The Mid-Term Exam
October 16: Library Instruction Class
Week 8
October 21: Two Koreas
Don Oberdorfer. 2002. The Two Koreas: Contemporary History (Revised and Updated
Edition). Basic Books, Chapter 1 pp.1-26.
October 23: South Korea’s Democratization
Chaibong Hahm. 2008. “South Korea’s Miraculous Democracy”, Journal of Democracy,
Vol.19, No. 3, pp.128-142.
*****Outline and Bibliography due on October 23******
Week 9
October 28:
Yong Chool Ha. 2007. “Late Industrialization, the State, and Social Change”.
Comparative Political Studies, Vol.40, No.4, pp.363-382.
October 30: Secret State of North Korea
Secret State of North Korea (2014), Frontline
Week 10
November 5: “Everyday Politics” in North Korea
Changyong Choi. 2013. “Everyday Politics” in North Korea, Journal of Asian Studies,
No. 72, No. 03, pp. 655-673.
November 7: Indonesia’s Democracy
William Liddle and Saiful Mujani, 2009. “Muslim Indonesia’s Secular Democracy”
Asian Survey, July/August.
Week 11
November 12: Islamism and Party Politics
Sunny Tanuwidjaja. 2010. “Political Islam and Islamic Parties in Indonesia: Critically
Assessing the Evidence of Islam’s Political Decline”. Contemporary Southeast Asia
32(1), 29-49.
November 14: Islamic Parties
Julie Chernov Hwang. “Patterns of Normalization: Islamist Parties in Indonesia”, Islamist
Parties and Political Normalization in the Muslim World, pp. 58-83.
Week 12
November 19: Indonesia and Turkey in Comparison
Hadiz, Vedi. 2011 “No Turkish Delight: The Impasse of Islamic Party Politics in
Indonesia”. Indonesia. Number 92, October 2011, pp. 1-18.
November 21: Review
Week 13
November 26: The Second Mid-Term Exam
November 28: Thanksgiving
Week 14
December 2: Asia in Comparison I
Dan Slater (2013) “Democratic Careening” World Politics, Vol 65, No.4, 729-763.
December 4: Asia in Comparison II
Dan Slater and Joseph Wong “The Strength to Concede: Ruling Parties &
Democratization in Developmental Asia” Perspectives on Politics, Vol.11, No.3, pp.717733.
Week 15
December 9: Research Paper Presentation
December 11: Research Paper Presentation and Wrap Up