Dilemmas of Development in Asia

Jin Sato is a professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies on Asia, the University of Tokyo. Sato majors in development studies with a specific focus on the politics of natural resources and foreign aid in the context of Southeast Asia. He served as a visiting professor at the School of Public Policy at Princeton University from 2016-2020 where he taught classes on environmental policy and development in Asia. He is the current president of the Japan Society for International Development (JASID). Sato has publications in international journals such as World Development, Journal of Development Studies, Sustainability Science, etc. along with 6 single authored books in Japanese. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Asian Studies with Cambridge University Press. He was the winner of Japan Academy Medal in the field of humanities and social sciences in 2013. Sato holds an MPP from the Kennedy School at Harvard University and a PhD in International Relations from the University of Tokyo.

Prof. Jin Sato

1	Subject	Dilemmas of Development in Asia
2	Field	Politics
3	Key words	foreign aid, development, environment and climate change, Southeast Asia, democracy
4	Global Unit	1
5	Lecturer	Jin Sato
6	Period	July 3 - 14, 2023
7	Time	10:30am-12:00noon (Japan Standard Time)
8	Lecture style	In-person (on Hongo Campus)
9	Evaluation Criteria	Excellent (S) 90 –100％; Very good (A) 80–89％; Good (B) 70–79%; Pass (C) 60–69%; Fail (D) 0–59％
10	Evaluation methods	Class participation 40%, Group Presentation 20%, Final paper 40%
11	Prerequisites	No prior knowledge is required but students need to commit their time for the reading for each session.
12	Contents	Purpose Students will be able to ask different, more nuanced questions about development and be able to engage more critically with the mainstream discourse such as SDGs. Description This in-person course aims to deepen students’ understanding of theories and practice of development in Asia. Based on the instructor’s field experience in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, the course offers a vivid and grounded understanding of the various types of dilemmas in the process of development and aid.  Schedule Framing Development Division of Labor: Individual and Collective Wellbeing Literacy as a Basic Need? Freedom and State Identity Japan’s Modernization Dilemmas: Growth, Inequality and Pollution Development Projects: Intentions and Unintended Consequences Reflection and Discussion Environmental Justice: Climate and Development Democracy and Development in Asia (Guest Lecture) Foreign Aid: Ownership and Dependence Learning and Unlearning in Development Assignments 1) Each day (aside from the first and last), there will be an article (or a book chapter) assigned to which selected students are asked to summarize and comment. 2) On the “reflection day” at the middle of the course, students are asked to present in groups for 10 minutes. 3) A 5 page (double-space) final reflection paper will be assigned at the end of this course.
13	Required readings	Readings will be available on the class website prior to the class.
14	Reference readings	-
15	Notes on Taking the Course	-

UTokyo Global Unit Courses
International Exchange Group, Education and Student Support Department,
The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8652 JAPAN

Please send all inquiries regarding the courses to the following email address:

utokyo-guc.adm(at)gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp *Please change (at) to @