On soft power, debates and discussion clubs: fourth-year student Sofya Cherkasova shares her experience of studying international relations in Asia

We continue to talk about our tracks, and today we will discuss the field of international relations. The most common questions we receive from students considering this track are: ‘Theory is useful, of course, but where can I find lively discussions and a community? What real-world skills can I develop?’ This track addresses these questions through a comprehensive approach. Here, you can delve into political theories and concepts, write a term paper that will form the basis for publication, and discuss current world events in a discussion club. Fourth-year student Sofya Cherkasova shared how she managed to structure her studies in a way that was both interesting and useful for developing her professional skills.

© From the personal archive of Sofia Cherkasova

- Sofia, please tell us how you chose the topic for your term paper. What influenced your choice?

 

- This year, I am writing a term paper on the characteristics of Japan's soft power strategy in Vietnam. For three years now, I have been consistently studying Japan's relations with Southeast Asian countries, so choosing this topic was a logical continuation of my academic interests.

I am a member of the Vietnamese club, and I am particularly interested in looking at Vietnam through the prism of Japanese foreign policy and Tokyo's global decisions. Working on these topics has allowed me to delve deeper into theoretical concepts: last year I studied historical memory and memory politics, and this year I focused on the concept of soft power. I want to explore this topic as fully as possible and draw as many meaningful conclusions from it as I can.

- Which theoretical courses in your track did you find most interesting and why?

- I really liked the courses ‘Fundamentals of Political Science’ and ‘Conflict Theory.’ In ‘Political Science,’ we had a small group, so everyone could express their opinions. The lecturer, Elena Soboleva, was very involved in the discussion, and the literature was accessible and really interesting. Once we had a debate, and I found it very exciting to work with the given topic in this format.

‘Conflict Theory’ is interesting because of its specificity: we analyse international conflicts, their causes and characteristics in detail. There are regular lively discussions in class, and the atmosphere remains open and respectful. I find it really interesting to discuss current topics — I want to prepare for these classes, read additional literature and develop a well-argued position.

- This is your second year participating in the East Asian International Relations Discussion Club project. Please tell us about your experience. What do you value most?

- Perhaps my favourite aspect of participating in the club is the opportunity to openly express my opinion and engage in discussions on interesting topics. I like the involvement of the club members, as well as the fact that everyone prepares reports on truly relevant events. The club leader, Maria Chizhevskaya, is very loyal to the choice of topics for reports and the process of working on them: I am free to choose the topic and methods of presentation. It is always interesting to listen because everyone brings something of their own to the table. In addition, participating in the club has greatly increased my erudition and awareness. The meetings have a very relaxed atmosphere, so evenings at the club are very pleasant and productive.

You can read about the "Economics of Asia and Africa" track here.

The Discussion club meeting

© From the personal archive of Maria Chizhevskaya