History of Japan

Catalog description

This course focuses on Japanese history from the early development of a state in the seventh century to the present. The course emphasizes major changes and turning points such as the rise of warriors and the establishment of military governments, the early-modern bakuhan state, the modern Meiji state, the wartime state, and the postwar state and society. The course also examines exchanges and relations between Japan and other states and regions of East Asia over time. The course may also investigate topics such as the rise of premodern warrior culture, cultural interactions with China and Korea, the rise of commercial culture, urbanization, imperialism and empire-making, conflicts with the West, and its role in the modern world. Students will examine the role of gender in Japanese society, the relationship of humans to the environment, and the construction of modern national identities. Students will explore the multiple approaches historians of Japan have taken to reading and presenting historical work, including economic, political, social, and cultural history, and will consider how such approaches shape the production and reception of historical scholarship.