Modern East Asia

Catalog description

This course is a survey of developments in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam during the 19th and 20th centuries with emphasis on the impact of the West in the 19th century and modernization in the 20th. It considers the impact of domestic and global conditions on East Asian history as a means of understanding regional and national events in an international context. This course will examine in detail the growth and effects of nationalism in East Asia and specific emphasis will be placed on comparing the efforts by China and Japan to modernize in response to ongoing Western encroachment, and then consider the challenges faced by these countries in the post-war world. Prerequisites: Non-Majors may enroll with consent of department.