ASIA 217
Premodern Japan Fall 2023
Division II
Cross-listed HIST 217

Class Details

This course is intended to familiarize students with the premodern history of Japan, roughly defined as before the Meiji Restoration of 1868 and the modernizing reforms it unleashed. We will examine the archipelago’s natural environment and the human impact thereon. We will explore the creation of “Japan” as a coherent political and cultural unit, key figures and works of Japanese culture and the shift in cultural production from elite patronage to the market. We will examine the Imperial institution and gendered aspects of Japanese private and public life, tracing the changing role Japanese women played in both spheres. We will also pay close attention to the rise of the samurai, both as warriors and political elites, and Japan’s relationship with foreign lands and peoples. Students will become familiar with several significant shifts in interpretation of key aspects of Japanese history, such as the growing appreciation of the roles of non-elites in history, and the shift away from the “national seclusion” understanding of Japanese foreign relations.
The Class: Format: lecture; discussion
Limit: 40
Expected: 20
Class#: 1892
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: Class participation; Semester-long immersive simulation, where groups of students produce bi-weekly, 2-page collective response papers (6 total); 5-6 page assigned reading-based and research papers (2 total); Final research presentation or self-scheduled final exam (1 total)
Prerequisites: None
Enrollment Preferences: History majors, Asian Studies concentration students, then everyone else
Distributions: Division II
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
HIST 217 Division II ASIA 217 Division II

Class Grid

Updated 5:26 pm

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