There are a substantial number of courses taught at Columbia Business School (CBS), Columbia Law School (CLS), and the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) that cover topics relevant to APEC goals and the region. In addition to courses in history and political science, the following graduate courses, offered during the 2025-26 academic year, were particularly relevant for students interested in APEC.
ASIAN ENERGY SECURITY
This course is offered by SIPA in the spring and is taught by Zongyuan Liu, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at SIPA. This course surveys the distinctive character of Asian energy security requirements, how they change over time, what political-economic forces drive their transformation, and what those requirements imply for broader economic and political-military relationships between Asia and the world. The course gives special attention to Asia’s energy dependence on the Middle East and the extent to which Russia and alternative sources, including nuclear power, provide a feasible and acceptable alternative. Cross-national comparisons among the 12 energy security policies of China, India, Japan, Korea, and Western paradigms explore distinctive features of Asian approaches to energy security.
EAST ASIAN SECURITY
This course is offered by the School of Professional Studies over the summer and is taught by Fumiko Sasaki, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at SIPA. The course empowers students to develop a deep understanding of the major issues of East Asian security. They examine the various challenges to stability in East Asia in the context of power, institutions, and ideas (the three primary factors that impact international relations), including: China’s increasing assertiveness; the North Korean nuclear crisis; historical stigma amongst Japan, South Korea, and China; lingering Cold War confrontations on the Korean Peninsula and across the Taiwan Strait; and an unstable relationship between the U.S. and China. Through comparison with the West, students will inquire whether a unique approach is required when considering appropriate responses to security issues in East Asia.
GLOBAL IMMERSIONS: FOUNDATIONS OF VC IN JAPAN
This course is offered at CBS in the spring and is taught by Angela Lee, Franklin Pitcher Johnson Jr. Professor of Professional Practice of Finance and Economics in the Finance Division at CBS. The course bridges classroom lessons and business practices in Japan. Students meet for half a term in New York prior to a one-week visit to Japan, where they meet with business executives and government officials and work on team projects. The learning objectives of the course are: (1) To understand and experience the process of investing in early stage startups and how that differs between the U.S. and Japan (a) Sourcing deals from the startup ecosystem (b) Conducting diligence (c) Valuing startups (d) Negotiating term sheets (financial and governance terms) (e) Managing a portfolio post investment (2) To understand the investing landscape: players and resources (3) To understand the structural differences between venture capital and angel investing.
JAPANESE FOREIGN POLICY
This course is offered by SIPA in the fall and is taught by Ben Self, Lecturer at SIPA. This graduate seminar course provides an overview of modern and contemporary Japanese foreign policy and the strategy behind its engagement with the world. It examines the following questions: What are the key determinants of Japanese foreign policy, and how have they evolved over time? How should Japan approach, navigate, and shape the increasingly uncertain strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific in the years ahead, including China’s growing power, the shifting role of the U.S.-Japan alliance, and the intensifying great power rivalry? In the first few weeks, the course covers the making of modern Japan and the enduring themes that have long animated Japan’s strategic thinking. In the following weeks, it surveys Japan’s foreign policies toward key countries and regions while discussing topics relevant to the respective relationships, such as security, trade, identity, historical memory, and values and norms. Each week, students identify Japan’s ends, ways, and means in its approach to a particular region or issue and end class by discussing current policy questions Japan faces.
NATIONAL SECURITY, INDUSTRIAL POLICY, & INTERNATIONAL TRADE
This course is offered by SIPA in the fall and is taught by Merit E. Janow, co-director of the ASC. Industrial policy is returning, and this is not just a U.S. phenomenon. China, the European Union (EU), Japan, and Korea have each increased subsidies in support of key industries, while a number of countries, such as Australia and the United Kingdom (UK), have been updating their national lists of sensitive sectors that are required to remain in the hands of domestic firms and individuals. New export control measures have been introduced by the United States and other nations, and a combination of legal and policy tools is being utilized to support priority sectors, limit and direct foreign investment and collaboration, and alter trade and investment flows. Most of these measures have been introduced in the name of national security or some combination of national security, supply chain resilience, and climate change. The significant U.S. measures have introduced tension between the U.S. and some of its allies, and of course, geopolitical tensions with China are a significant feature of the background to the measures—even as the world community finds it hard to get together and address the global challenges that it is now facing (climate change, etc.). Against this background, this year’s international trade regulation seminar will examine the root causes of this phenomenon, the legal and policy instruments that are being utilized by the U.S. and other jurisdictions, and more generally, the consequences for the world trading system and multilateral cooperation.
NAVIGATING CHINA
This course is offered at CBS in the fall and is taught by Shang-Jin Wei, N.T. Wang Professor of Chinese Business and Economy at CBS and SIPA. No business and no government can ignore China. The People's Republic of China is the second largest economy in the world and is on course to overtake the U.S. economy sometime in the future. China represents huge opportunities for businesses and public policies, but it also presents a set of tough challenges. This course is designed to provide a framework for understanding these issues. As several other emerging market economies hope to follow China's footsteps, the conceptual framework in the course should help one to better appreciate risks and rewards in these economies as well. In this course, participants will discuss what motivates the Chinese as savers, consumers, workers, and entrepreneurs. They will explore both the people factor and the government factor underlying China's growth story. They will not be satisfied with simply repeating the conventional wisdom but will probe deeper than what is often read or heard. The class also combines conceptual knowledge with practical insight by inviting distinguished speakers with rich business or government experience to share their perspectives on China’s business environment and other related topics.
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