INTRODUCTION: HIS 371 / 571, History of Japan, undertakes a chronological survey of political, economic, social, cultural, religious and intellectual life in Japan from the third century to the present day. 

Emphasis is placed on both the origin and development of traditional Japanese civilization before the arrival of the modernizing West and the subsequent Japanese quest for international acceptance thereafter. The course has been purposefully designed to provide a background against which contemporary Japan might be better understood and appreciated.

Course content stresses the origin and development of various systems and institutions (social, political, economic and religious) within both the traditional and modern Japanese cultural milieu. The modernization process, the Westernization process and the fate of traditional institutions, systems and customs also will be explored in depth. Strong consideration will be given Japan's quest for acceptance as a major power on the modern international scene and the impact of change on both individuals and groups within Japanese society.   
  
MAJOR COURSE OBJECTIVES: at the end of fifteen weeks of instruction, students enrolled in HIS 371 / 571, History of Japan, should be able to --  

• identify basic terms, personalities and concepts associated with the study of Japanese history and explain their historical significance; 
• identify and locate important items of geographical information and both evaluate and explain the environmental impact on the historical development of traditional Japanese culture; 
• given an interpretive question regarding a specific period in Japanese history, demonstrate a firm grasp of the era's historical significance;  
• discuss with insight and the use of supporting evidence the developmental process behind and the basic characteristics of social, political, economic, cultural and religious life in traditional Japan before the arrival of the modernizing West in 1853; 
• assess insights into traditional Japanese culture gained from reading various selections of traditional literature, poetry and drama, including specifically The Confessions of Lady Nijo and Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu; 
• distinguish and discuss internally generated aspects of the modernization process present in Japanese life before 1868 and predict the Japanese reaction to the impact of Western-induced modernization in Japan after 1854; 
• account for the collapse of the Tokugawa-controlled Military - Bureaucratic state in 1868; 
• discuss with illustrative detail the patterns of economic, political, social and cultural modernization emerging in Japan after 1868, accounting in the process for the impact on these patterns of both past Japanese traditions and the process of Westernization; 
• assess insights into life in modern Japan gained from reading Natsume Soseki's Kokoro and Nagatsuka Takashi's The Soil: A Portrait of Rural Life in Meiji Japan; 
• describe and discuss the historical process leading to Japanese involvement in World War II; 
• describe the effects of both war and its aftermath, the occupation, and Japan's "economic miracle" on present day Japanese life and institutions; 
• discuss aspects of Japanese life today in historical perspective, pointing out and evaluating continuing traditional influences and the impact of the past on modern day Japan; 
• utilize and evaluate visual resources to advance comprehension and understanding of the process of Japanese cultural development; 
• assess attitude shifts in personal images associated with Japan taking place as a result of enrolling in this course. 

The major content in HIS 371 / 571 will be delivered by means of a series of lectures, assigned readings and Internet presentations (see assignments page) plus discussions following the list of topics found in the course schedule. Class discussion of any topic under consideration is both welcomed and encouraged at any time.  
  
REGULAR ATTENDANCE AT LECTURE AND DISCUSSION MEETINGS IS A BASIC COURSE REQUIREMENT.  
  
No examinations will be given in the course. Students will be asked to complete a series of five Journal Assignments and a series of five quiz questions scheduled at regular intervals through-out the semester (see assignments page).  
  
Three brief (4 - 6 pages) essays are also required, the first on either The Confessions of Lady Nijo (translated by Karen Brazell) or Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu (translated by Donald Keene); the second, an anaylisis of the modernization process at work internally during the Tokugawa era;and the third to be based on either of two novels, Natsume Soseki's Kokoro or Nagatsuka Takashi's The Soil: A Portrait of Rural Life in Meiji Japan (see assignments page).  
  
Additional reading for the course -- as noted in the course schedule -- is from the Conrad Totman text, Japan before Perry: A Short History and Andrew Gordan's The Modern History of Japan. All course texts are available for purchase in the bookstore. All text and essay assignments are noted in the course schedule on the date each is due.