4.0

credits

Average Course Rating

Public diplomacy is one of the most poorly understood instruments of foreign policy. This course aims to fill that knowledge gap by examining this important “soft-power” tool as a concept and how it is being put into practice, focusing on Japan, its successes and challenges. The course covers such informational outreach and cultural exchange programs as “Cool Japan,” such cultural exports as manga, anime and traditional arts, the use of the media and the Internet, people-to-people diplomacy, language programs, and educational exchanges. In evaluating the efficacy of such programs, particularly in the U.S.-Japan context, the course examines recent government campaigns to enhance Japan’s image and identity abroad. References also will be made to the public diplomacy programs of the United States, China, and South Korea.