THE HISTORY OF JAPAN

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HIS 371 / 571, THE HISTORY OF JAPAN

Lee A. Makela

Associate Professor

Department of History

OFFICE HOURS: MWF 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM

and by appointment

OFFICE: RT 1908

PHONE: 687-3927 (OFFICE)

email: l.makela@csuohio.edu

SYLLABUS

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 will be explored in depth. Strong consideration will also 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.

The following is a list of major course objectives for HIS 373 / 573: 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 in a brief analytical essay 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 plus discussions following the appended list of topics. 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 six Journal Assignments and a series of five quiz questions scheduled at regular intervals through-out the semester. Three brief (4 - 6 pages) essays are also required, the first on eitherThe Confessions of Lady Nijo (translated by Karen Brazell) or Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu (translated by Donald Keene); the second, an analysis 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. Additional reading for the course -- as noted in the lecture schedule -- is from the Conrad Totman text, Japan before Perry: A Short History and Andrew Gordan's A History of Modern 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.

SYNOPSIS OF COURSE REQUIRMENTS:

Completion of a series of five quiz questions on the content of the course (10% each, 40% of course grade -- the lowest quiz grade will be dropped in calculating this percentage);
Three essays, one on either The Confessions of Lady Nijo or Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu; the second, an anaylisis of the modernization process at work internally during the Tokugawa era; and the third on either Natsume Soseki's Kokoro or Nagatsuka Takashi's The Soil: A Portrait of Rural Life in Meiji Japan. (20% each, 60% of course grade)

The grades earned on the above assignments will be multiplied by the total number of points generated from the following table of possibilities [141 points available]:

Regular attendance at lectures. (10 points with one point deducted for each absence);
On-time submission of required assignments: (2 points for each Journal Assignment [12 points total]); 2 points for each other assignment as noted in the course schedule [14 points total]; 5 points for each quiz [25 points total]; 10 points for each essay [30 points total]);
Completion of the entire five part Journal Assignment series (5 points each for an evaluation of "check" or better for a total of 25 points);
Submission of an initial draft (5 points each [15 points total]) earning an evaluation of "check" or better for each assigned essay submitted a minimum of two class periods prior to the essay due date;
Completion of an evaluative essay (see the assignment guidelines) earning an evaluation of "check" or better on a Japanese film chosen from the list of titles supplied for this project. (10 points).

LECTURE SCHEDULE:

The course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons between 1:30 p.m. and 2:35 p.m. in Rhodes Tower / West (RW) 312 from Monday, August 29, 2005 through Friday, December 9, 2005 following the schedule listed below. All assignments are noted under the dates on which they are due; assigned readings and quizzes listed in the schedule under a particular date should be completed BEFORE coming to class on that day.

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2005

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
ATTITUDE SURVEY
OVERVIEW OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2005

AMERICAN ATTITUDES TOWARD JAPAN IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

ATTITUDE SURVEY DUE
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT ONE DUE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2005

THE PHYSICAL AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF JAPAN

WEB ASSIGNMENT ONE DUE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2005

HOLIDAY (LABOR DAY)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2005

TOUCHSTONES FOR UNDERSTANDING I

WEB ASSIGNMENT TWO DUE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2005

TOUCHSTONES FOR UNDERSTANDING II

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2005

FAMILIAL JAPAN: THE ARCHEOLOGICAL RECORD

READING: TOTMAN, PREFACE, PP 1-17
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT TWO DUE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2005

FAMILIAL JAPAN: THE NATIVE TRADITION OF THE YAMATO STATE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2005

DISCUSSION: FAMILIAL JAPAN

WEB ASSIGNMENT THREE DUE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2005

ARISTOCRATIC JAPAN: THE CHINESE CONNECTION

READING: TOTMAN, PP 18-31
QUIZ ONE DUE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2005

EVIDENCE OF ADAPTATION: "THE RULE OF TASTE"

READING: TOTMAN, PP 31-63
WRITING SKILLS ASSESSMENT PROJECT DUE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2005

DISCUSSION: ARISTOCRATIC JAPAN AND "THE RULE OF TASTE"

WEB ASSIGNMENT FOUR DUE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2005

THE TRANSITION TO FEUDALISM

READING: TOTMAN, PP 63-80
QUIZ TWO DUE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

DISCUSSION:
THE CONFESSIONS OF LADY NIJO

FIRST ESSAY DUE (if written on Nijo's Confessions)
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT THREE (if writing on Chikamatsu's plays)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2005

CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT IN MILITARY-ARISTOCRATIC JAPAN

READING: TOTMAN, PP 80-132

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2005

MILITARY - ARISTOCRATIC CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2005

DISCUSSION: MILITARY-ARISTOCRATIC JAPAN

WEB ASSIGNMENT FIVE DUE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2005

REUNIFICATION: TRANSITION TO THE MILITARY-BUREAUCRATIC PERIOD

QUIZ THREE DUE
READING: TOTMAN, PP 133-164; Andrew Gordon, A Modern History of Japan, [Hereafter "GORDON"]PP 9- 11

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2005

HOLIDAY (COLUMBUS DAY)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2005

TOKUGAWA JAPAN: THE POLITICAL STATE

READING: TOTMAN, PP 188-199; GORDON, PP 11 - 34

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2005

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE IN TOKUGAWA JAPAN

READING: JANSEN, PP 96 - 158

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2005

THE GENROKU CULTURAL STYLE

READING: TOTMAN, PP 164-188; GORDON, PP 34 - 46
SECOND ESSAY TOPIC CHOICE AND WORKING BIBLIORAPHY DUE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2005

DISCUSSION:
FOUR MAJOR PLAYS OF CHIKAMATSU

FIRST ESSAY DUE (if written on Chikamatsu's plays)
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT THREE (if you wrote on Nijo's Confessions)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2005

DISCUSSION: MILITARY-BUREAUCRATIC JAPAN

READING: TOTMAN, PP 199-230

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2005
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2005
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2005
MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2005
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2005
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2005

NO SCHEDULED CLASSES
-- DR. MAKELA TRAVELING IN JAPAN

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2005

MODERNIZATION AND WESTERNIZATION IN JAPAN
THE MODERN JAPANESE QUEST FOR INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE

READING: TOTMAN, PP 230-232
WEB ASSIGNMENT SIX DUE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2005

THE OPENING OF JAPAN

SECOND ESSAY DUE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2005

HOLIDAY (VETERAN'S DAY)

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2005

THE JAPANESE RESPONSE TO THE COMING OF THE WEST

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2005

THE MEIJI RESTORATION (1868) AND THE IMPACT OF THE WEST

READING: GORDON, PP 46 - 115

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2005

ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL LIFE IN MEIJI JAPAN
MEIJI FOREIGN POLICY AND THE END OF THE UNEQUAL TREATIES

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2005

DISCUSSION: NATSUME SOSEKI'S KOKORO

READING: NATSUME SOSEKI'S KOKORO (ENTIRE)
THIRD ESSAY DUE (FOR STUDENTS WRITING ON KOKORO)
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT FOUR DUE (FOR STUDENTS WRITING ON THE MAKIOKA SISTERS)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2005

DISCUSSION: NAGATSUKA TAKASHI'S THE SOIL: A PORTRAIT OF RURAL LIFE IN MEIJI JAPAN

READING: NAGATSUKA TAKASHI'S THE SOIL: A PORTRAIT OF RURAL LIFE IN MEIJI JAPAN
THIRD ESSAY DUE (FOR STUDENTS WRITING ON THE SOIL)
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT FOUR DUE (FOR STUDENTS WRITING ON KOKORO)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2005

HOLIDAY (THANKSGIVING VACATION)

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2005

TAISHO PERIOD JAPAN: THE HOPEFUL DECADE (1919-1930)

READING: GORDON, PP 115 - 139

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2005

THE GROWTH OF MILITARISM AND THE EXPANSIONIST IMPULSE
THE ROAD TO PEARL HARBOR

READING: GORDON, PP 139 - 204

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2005

WORLD WAR II: THE JAPANESE EXPERIENCE

READING: GORDON, PP 204 - 245
QUIZ FOUR DUE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2005

VIDEO: "THE OCCUPATION"

READING: JANSEN, PP 675 - 701

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2005

JAPAN SINCE 1952: THE ECONOMIC MIRACLE AND ITS CONTEMPORARY CONSEQUENCES

READING: GORDON, PP 245 - 310

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2005

DISCUSSION: INTERACTIONS -- MODERNIZATION, WESTERNIZATION AND TRADITION IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN

READING: GORDON, PP 310 - 333
QUIZ FIVE DUE

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2005 (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)

COURSE EVALUATION SESSION

COURSE EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE DUE
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT FIVE DUE