International Relations Concentration (MP2)

 

Concentration leader: Associate Professor Chey Hyoung-kyu

 

1. Goals

 

The IR Concentration aims to foster the development of future policy leaders through systematic and comprehensive training in the methods and approaches necessary for understanding and solving major contemporary challenges in the world. We welcome students with interests in international affairs, covering a variety of issues from security to political economy, as well as those who wish to analyze domestic politics and/or political economy in an individual country context or from a comparative perspective. 

 

2. Main subjects and methods

 

The major subjects that the IR Concentration covers include (but are not limited to) the following:

- Global governance in various issue areas, including security, economy and development

- International cooperation in various issue areas including security, economy and

  development.

- Regional cooperation and/or integration in various issue areas including security,

  economy and development.

- Politics of international trade, international finance, foreign investment, development,

  etc.

- Foreign policies of diverse individual countries, including Japan, in various issue areas

  embracing security, economy and foreign aid.

- Issues related to non-traditional security such as sea piracy, human trafficking and drug

  smuggling.

- Cross-country comparison of domestic politics and political institutions

- Cross-country comparison of various economic and/or development models

- Domestic politics and/or political economy of diverse individual countries, including

  Japan

 

Both qualitative and quantitative methods can be adopted for analyses.  

 

3. Requirements

 

To graduate, students must fulfill all requirements for the MP2 program, including successful completion of the Required Courses and Master’s theses. In addition, in order to cultivate an IR specialty students are strongly advised to take: 

 

(1) International Relations (Brummer, Iwama);

 

(2) at least one from the following two core courses:

- International Political Economy (Chey)

- International Security Studies (Michishita);

 

(3) at least three courses from the following courses:

- International Relations in East Asia (Takagi)

- Comparative Development Studies of Asia (Lim)

- Government and Politics in Japan (Masuyama)

- Japanese Foreign Policy (Kitaoka, Presselo)

- Comparative Politics (Takenaka)

- State and Politics in Southeast Asia (Lim)

- Structure and Process of Government (Horie)

- Politics of Global Money and Finance (Chey)

- Comparative Political Economy (Kanchoochat)

- International Relations in Europe (Iwama)

 

 

4. Research supervision

 

In writing a Master’s thesis, each student will be assigned an adviser who will offer individual supervision. Professors who can advise an IR Concentration student include:

 

Full-time Lecturer： Matthew BRUMMER

Associate Professor： CHEY Hyoung-kyu

Professor： IWAMA Yoko

Associate Professor： Veerayooth KANCHOOCHAT

Assistant Professor： LIM Guanie

Professor： MASUYAMA Mikitaka

Professor：MICHISHITA Narushige

Associate： Professor Andrea PRESSELLO

Assistant： Professor TAKAGI Yusuke

Professor： TAKENAKA Harukata

 

5. Examples of past Master’s Theses

 

- The Political Economy of Uganda’s Refugee Self-reliance Strategy

- Islamic Fundamentalism and the Emergence of ISIS: The Potential Influence of the U.S. Military Intervention in the ME

- Unintended Consequences of Peace Keeping Operations

- The Mekong River Commission and Dialogue Partners Cooperation in the Context of the Mekong River Basin