HISTORY 166 HISTORY OF MODERN
Instructor: Dr. Yi Sun
Class Hours: W
2:20 -5:05 p.m.
Office: Peace
and
Office Hours: W 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; TTH
4:00-5:00 p.m. and by appointment
Telephone:
260-6811
Email:
Course Description
This course
covers Japanese history from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. It focuses on the changes in the political,
economic, social and cultural fabric of the Japanese society, made possible by
the historical and cultural heritage of
Required
W. G. Beasley, The Rise of Modern
Yukichi Fukuzawa, The
Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa
Arthur Colden, Memoirs of a Geisha
Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore F. Cook, Japan at War: An Oral
History
Mary Lynn
Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing
History
Additional
selected articles will be placed on reserve in Copley Library or handed out in
class
Course Requirements
A. Class Attendance and Participation (10
points)
Attendance and active involvement in the
learning process are crucial for this class. Absences due to illness or
university-related activities need to be documented, and this policy is
strictly enforced without exception.
Perfect attendance (no unexcused absence) and active participation
(raising pertinent questions, responding to the instructor’s inquiries and
taking part in regular group discussions) will be rewarded with 10 points at
the end of the semester. Each unexcused absence will result in the deduction of
5 points from your total course grade.
Of course, attendance itself does not necessarily equate
participation. Those who are not fully
participatory in the classroom learning process will not receive the full 10
points.
B. Discussion (30 points)
There are three
scheduled in-class discussions on the assigned readings. A list of ten “thinking questions” based on
those readings and a solid, one-paragraph answer to each question is to be
submitted at the beginning of each discussion session. Please make two copies of each list, one to
be collected by the instructor and the other for group discussion. You should
be able to summarize the important themes, identify the main issues in the books,
and engage in active exchange of ideas with your classmates. Your contribution
to these group discussions and the quality of your questions/answers will
determine the number of points that you will receive in this category. You will
also be required to incorporate certain information from these books into your
exam essay(s).
C. Map Quizzes
(20 points)
There are two
map quizzes, each constituting 10 points of the course grade. A list of map items will be handed out in
advance for you to study.
D. Examinations (110 points)
There are three exams during the
semester. The first and second ones will
each constitute 35 points, while the final will be worth 40 points. They will cover both lecture and reading
materials. You may also need to draw
information from the other readings in addition to the textbook. They will
generally include several identifications and one or two essays. All three exams will be the same in format,
and the final is not comprehensive. A
study guide will be provided before each exam.
E. Paper (10-12 pages; 30 points)
The paper should be a critical discussion
of a major issue in modern Japanese history.
You may choose to write on a certain topic after consulting with the
instructor. A one-page proposal should
be submitted no later than October 23.
It should include the topic chosen, an outline of argument, and a
preliminary bibliography (a list of eight to ten sources; books used for our
class can be cited, but they do not count as the required sources). The final paper is due in class on December
11. No late paper will be accepted. If you will hand in your finished paper (not
a rough draft) at least a week ahead of the due date, I will offer my critique
so that you may be able to submit an improved final paper. You are expected to
use the proper format for writing history papers. More specific requirements
will be explained in class. During the
last two weeks of the semester, you will be asked to give a brief presentation
in class about your research findings.
Final grades will be determined according
to this scale: 180-200 points (A); 160-179 points (B); 140-159 points (C);
120-139 points (D). “Plus” and “minus”
grades will be given to the top and
bottom three percentage points in each
category. For example, if B's range from
80-89%, B+ will be 87-89% and B- will be 80-82%.
Please note that no make-up quizzes or
exams will be given except in cases of documented absences. While plagiarism is not expected to happen
in our class, it is nevertheless necessary to keep in mind that any form of
plagiarism will result in an “F” for the course.
Week 1 (9/4):
Hand-outs
Course
Introduction
Week 2 (9/11):
Hand-outs
Traditional
Cultural
Learning and Adaptation
The
Feudal Legacy and the Warrior Ethics
Map Quiz I
Week 3 (9/18):
Chapter 1
Centralized
Feudalism: The Tokugawa Shogunate
Changes
and Crises during late Tokugawa
Week 4 (9/25):
Chapters 2-4
Entry
of the West and Japanese Response
The
Meiji Transformation
Unification
and Consolidation of Power
Discussion I: The
Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa
Week 5 (10/2):
Chapters 5-7
The
Meiji Constitution
Family-State
Nationalism
Economic
Development
Week 6 (10/9)
Week 7
(10/16): Chapters 8-9
The
First Phase of Japanese Imperialism
"Taisho
Democracy"
The
Rise and Fall of Political Parties
Week 8 (10/23):
Chapters 10-11
Dilemma
of Growth:
Rise
of Japanese Militarism
Paper proposal due
Week 9 (10/30):
Chapter 12
Foreign
Entanglements
Japanese-American
Relations during WWII
Week 10 (11/6):
Chapters 13-15
The
Allied Occupation: Construction of a New Order
Political
Changes in Postwar
"The
Economic Miracle"
Week 11
(11/13):
Week 12 (11/20):
Chapter 16
The
Changing Society
"The
Quiet Revolution": Women in
Week 13 (11/27)
Chapters 17; Hand-outs
Current
Japanese-American relations
Week 14 (12/4)
Economic
Recession and
Student
Presentations on Research Findings
Map
Quiz II
Week 15 (12/11)
Student
Presentation on Research Findings (continued)
Final
Thoughts and Reflections on the “Rise of Modern
Final Exam: December 18 (Wednesday):
5:00-7:00 p.m.