International Political Economy of East Asia Debate

 Description Midterm Prompts and Logistics, Fall 2019 International Political Economy of East Asia I. The Prompts Q1. “Scholars who study the economic success of Japan and Korea in the post-WWII period focus too much on their state-led industrialization strategies, in particular the impact of their industrial policies. But industrial policy does not explain their developmental success. Rather, the high-speed growth of both countries can be explained entirely by other factors, including the sound general economic policies both governments followed, the dynamism of their respective private sectors, and the favorable external context that both enjoyed.” [For the debate, Team A will AGREE with the statement and Team B will DISAGREE] Q2. “Some scholars argue that postwar Japan and Korea followed the same basic developmental model. But these similarities were only on the surface. Rather, their domestic political and economic situations were very different, and their external circumstances were dissimilar as well. More importantly, the strategies and policies they followed were not at all similar. Given all of these differences, it is simply intellectual laziness to treat them as the same model of development.” [For the debate, Team C will AGREE with the statement and Team D will DISAGREE] ** Remember that your team has been assigned to DEBATE only one side of these one-sided statements. For the WRITTEN part of the midterm, you must show that you understand BOTH sides of the two questions. Note: I recognize that both of these questions are large and difficult, and that you may not feel that you have enough information to do the debate and papers. The readings are important in this respect. Do your best, and we will grade accordingly. Don’t sweat it (TOO much). II. Debate Guidelines The in-class debates are scheduled for Tuesday, November 5. In order to have everyone participate in the midterm debate we will be dividing each team in half. One set of debates will be held in our regular room and the other set will be in another room, TBA. Each speaker will be responsible for a 1½-minute presentation for the debate. For each of the debates we will have the “AGREE” team go first in summarizing its argument. Your first speaker should present the team’s overall position, followed by four speakers elaborating on specific arguments. Then the “DISAGREE” team will do the same (five speakers). After that the remaining four speakers on each team will act as attackers or rebutters, challenging points made by the other side, or defending against criticisms. The final speaker might also act as a “closer,” responsible for summing up and reinforcing your team’s argument. We will alternate between teams for this part of the debate. We will then open the floor to any member of the two participating teams for the remainder of the 40 minutes. Note: As I have mentioned, I will be giving an extra debate point to all members of the teams that I judge to be the most prepared, organized, and effective in the debate. (I will take into account the team’s effort and participation in preparing for our outside meeting, the team’s performance in the formal debate, and the quality of participation in the open debates.) III. The Take-Home Midterm and Detailed Outline The written portion of the exam is also due on Tuesday, November 5, right after the debates. You will be writing on BOTH of the two questions in your midterm exam. Answer one of the questions in a five-page, double-spaced essay (20% of your total grade). Answer the other in a separate one-page, single-spaced detailed outline format (10% of your total grade). It is up to you to decide which of the questions to answer in which format. Use reasonable fonts and margins. The five-page paper should be in standard essay format. You must present the main arguments and counter-arguments from BOTH sides of these one-sided statements in a fair manner and roughly equally. You of course can/should have your own position, but you must at the minimum demonstrate your understanding of the other side of the argument. Think hard about the arguments, counter-arguments, critiques, and comebacks; include in your essay only what is most crucial and relevant. This means analysis, not mere description. Remember to stay focused on the question. For the single-spaced, one-page detailed outline, you will also need to cover both sides of the debate in roughly equal form. But because you are limited in space, you need to focus on the most crucial information and analysis. Consider leading off with a summary statement of one position, followed by the main substantive arguments to support that position. You should consider using “bullets” or short headings combined with prose. You should then do the same (summary statement, bullets and prose) for the other side of the debate. You should include a short, integrative conclusion. There is a lot of information to cram in, so you must economize on space. Make sure the detailed outline is organized and that the information is presented in a clear and logical manner. For both papers, you are responsible for all materials covered in the readings, lectures, and class discussions. You need to demonstrate that you have mastered the readings for the course. For the essay, cite relevant authors when appropriate, either in footnotes, parenthetically, or in the text of your analysis. You do not need footnotes for the one-pager, but put everything into your own words. One reminder: each of you should write your own, original papers (of course). That said, I encourage you to work with your teammates in terms of the substance and even the structure of the paper. I think you will find that you can learn a lot from each other. Also, this course is not graded on a strict curve, so you should think in non-zero-sum terms (i.e., it is OK to help each other!!). IV. Team Preparation and Meetings Alisson and I will be meeting with each of the teams for about one hour, in order to give you feedback on your debate preparations. We will let you know via email when we will be available to meet.