Japan in War and Peace.

Catalog description

In this course, you gain a broad overview of the processes, events and individuals in Japan’s history since 1800, a period of terrible war and uncertain peace. The historical vulnerabilities of its Pacific Rim location – including both natural disasters and international political rivalries – have been a constant throughout its history. Although life got better for most as the country raced from its feudal past to become an industrial and military giant, the nation could not escape the geopolitical rivalries that brought total war and foreign occupation to its lands for the first time in history. Its 1946 “Peace Constitution” helped lay the foundation for Japan’s global economic clout but did not extend Japan’s political interests in the same way. In 2011, its natural vulnerabilities were brought into focus again by the tsunami and nuclear accident that shook the nation’s confidence. The course concludes with a survey of contemporary East Asian international relations in which South Korea and China have become partners and rivals to Japan. As a seminar for History majors, the course is designed to focus especially on conceptual and theoretical consideration of the facts of Japanese history. This course satisfies the Asia requirement for History majors. This course also counts towards the Asian Studies major.