East Asian Civilizations

Catalog description

An introduction to the geographies, cultures and historical experiences of East Asian, particularly China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. In addition to overviews of each of these countries, the course will focus on topics illustrating both the unity and diversity of East Asia: perceptions of each other, of the West and by the West; the religious/ philosophical traditions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism; the modern histories of the four countries since 1600; the growth of interconnections between East Asia and the rest of the world; the role of imperialism in East Asia; the roles of nationalism, revolution, and socialism, and the future of East Asia in the twenty-first century.