Politics of East Asia

[Turian27]

I want to study the political dynamics of East Asia (China, Japan, and the Koreas) so I'm looking to apply for appropriate programs. I intend to be a diplomat but do further studies in the future (PhD, JD, MDiv...)

I have a BA in International Studies, fluency in Japanese, 3 years working in Japan through the JET programme, a 3.6 GPA (GRE/LSAT have yet to be taken). I have limited academic study of economics. I'm debating whether or not some study in Korea/China would be helpful or if its better to get an MA in the states and then go live in Korea/China. I want to be more knowledgeable of the entire area (as opposed to just Japan OR Korea OR China), so its been difficult to narrow down. I wrote to professors at SIPA and they recommended the MARSEA program as a better fit. I'm curious about whether or not I am a very good candidate (particularly for a PhD program) but here are the schools I've been considering for application. The programs at Georgetown and John Hopkins are terminal MAs good for going into diplomacy. What do you think?

Columbia's GSAS - MA in Regional Studies: East Asia

UC San Diego's IR/PS - Duel Ph.D in Political Science and International Affairs

Harvard's GSAS - Regional Studies East Asia

Yale's GSAS - MA in East Asian Studies

Columbia's SIPA - MIA with an East Asian regional concentration

John Hopkins' SAIS - MA in the International Relations of Asia

Georgetown's SFS - Ms in Foreign Service

Seoul National University's GSIS - MA in Korean Studies

Yonsei University's GSIS - MA in Korean Studies

Fudan University

University of Hong Kong

University of Washington - Seattle

University of Denver - Korbel School

Stanford

Berkeley

Harvard's Kennedy School of Government

Princeton's SPIA - MA in Public Affairs

Tufts' Fletcher School - MA in Law and Diplomacy

I'm leaning more toward the first four listed, but would like to hear some thoughts about the best place to study Japan, Korea, and China. And maybe get some funding for it. My interests are broad but I definitely what to have a much more solid understanding of each country/state in the region. I have also considered an MA in Poli Sci, but feel a regional focus may be better for an MA. Looking at the Fall 2011 application spot.

Any advice? Cheers!

[adaptations]

It seems to me that a big question is whether you want to do an MA or a PhD. If you want to go the diplomatic rout, I don't really see how spending the next 5-6 years of your life working toward a PhD is going to help. Instead a well suited masters and passing the foreign service exam will get you there much quicker. So I guess my point is, if you narrow down your goals the school choices should fall into place. It looks like you are considering the right places, you just need to figure out what track you want to pursue. Good luck.

[Liberal Artist]

University of Hong Kong is really good and so is National University of Singapore if you want to be in the region. Back in the States - have you looked at Duke's MA in East Asian Studies?

[Turian27]

I've narrowed my list down to the following:

Tufts University's the Fletcher School - MALD

UC San Diego's IR/PS - MPIA

U of Denver's Korbel School - MA in International Studies

Stanford - MA in East Asian Studies

Columbia's MARSEA

Seoul National U - MA in Korean Studies

Yonsei - MA in Korean Studies

I'm not ready to jump into a PhD program, so I've decided to stick with these for now. I spent a good amount of time whittling down the list to this (with the last three having the latest deadlines).

I really like the look of Fletcher's MALD with its Maritime Studies program and Conflict Resolution, and I think it would be a great fit for a thesis on international disputes in the waters in and around East Asia (as well as cross-registration with some classes at Harvard).

UCSD's MPIA seems like an excellent solid footing on Japanese politics in the region (although had I wanted to focus more narrowly on Japan than the region of East Asia, I think the Jackson School at the U of Washington would have been a better pick).

Denver has an excellent human rights program and great resources for my studies regarding human trafficking circles in East Asia.

Stanford doesn't require me to speak the language of the country I study when I start, and I have a wide spread of classes covering China, Japan, and the Koreas.

Columbia's MARSEA has some of the best faculty relating to politics in East Asia.

SNU and Yonsei would give me a good edge fleshing out my Korean studies as well as my Korean language ability.

I'll see where I get accepted, and how much money I get funding I can get. The first five schools are all excellent programs, each with a bit of a different angle. The two schools in Seoul may offer me the best money, as my fellow scholars there have said they're very willing to provide funding to attract foreign students.

I looked into schools in Japan, and they're programs for IR are pretty stark in comparison with schools stateside. Even with a 1-kyuu level Japanese ability, the programs aren't nearly as robust in their studies of politics in the region.

I checked out Duke's MA in East Asian Studies, and its surely not mediocre but from what I've read and researched, and won't have similiar levels of faculty AND resources like Columbia and Stanford.

I checked out the University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore, too. Looks like a good place to do a professorship or post-graduate study to brush up my Chinese knowledge.

Anyone have any comments on applications for the schools above?

Anyone else looking to study the regional politics of East Asia?