Great Recessions-Lessons Learned from Japan

Economist Richard C. Koo thinks he has seen the future of the American economy, and it looks a lot like Japan’s “lost decade” of the 1990s.
That’s what he argues in a recent lecture, Great Recessions-Lessons Learned from Japan (website), at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington DC think tank.
In 1990 Japan experienced [...]

More East Asian political thought from UCSD

If you missed Professor Victor Magagna’s great summer class on East Asian Political Thought (see East Asian Thought from UCSD), you now have another chance. Magagna is teaching the class again for the fall 2008 term, and you can download the podcasts. This is the website, and this is the feed.

The role of ritual in Confucianism

Our modern, informal American culture greatly de-emphasizes the role of ritual.  Beyond handshakes or hugs, we have no greeting rituals, and we have few ceremonies in our daily lives.
In lecture 10 of Introduction to Political Theory, (website), Prof. Brian Walker discusses the role of ritual in Confucianism,  and he cites the following benefits of [...]

The return of Confucianism

Not too long ago, anyone suspected of promoting Confucian ideas in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) would be at great risk of arrest, public humiliation and being sentenced to a long period in the countryside at hard labor.
But in today’s PRC, Confucianism is making a comeback.  It was on display in the opening [...]

Lectures to raise your China IQ

Just in time for the Beijing Olympics, here are some web resources to help you better understand China’s history and its place in the modern world.
Landscapes of China (iTunes) These 15 short lectures sponsored by the Asia Society are a great introduction to China’s past glories and current challenges.
Asia Society (iTunes, website)  There’s a [...]