HIST 112
The Asia-Pacific War Spring 2025
Division II W Writing Skills
Cross-listed ASIA 111

Class Details

The “Asia-Pacific War,” as it is known in Japan, raged from the full-scale Japanese invasion of China in 1937 until Japan’s total defeat in 1945. This war, though certainly tied to the Allied war against Germany and Italy, was viewed by many participants at the time as truly a war apart due to the immense distances involved, the gleeful, racism-fueled brutality on both sides of the conflict, and the resultant abuses of POWs, use of atomic weapons, and other atrocities. Students will explore the intersection of colonialism, racism and opportunism that fed the conflagration, and the remarkable rapprochement between American and Japanese former enemies immediately after the war. It will examine in depth the roles of China and the USSR in this conflict, which are often mentioned but functionally ignored in the West. It will cover the various warzones and home fronts, focusing as much as possible on conveying the experiences of participants through primary sources. It will likewise seek to bridge the analysis of the military and socio-political sides of this conflict, which are often treated as distinct, by drawing on key academic works in the field.
The Class: Format: tutorial
Limit: 10
Expected: 10
Class#: 3432
Grading: no pass/fail option, no fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: Weekly meetings with professor and one peer partner; 5-page papers (6 total); 2-page critiques of partner's papers (6 total)
Prerequisites: None
Enrollment Preferences: History majors and Asian Studies concentration students, then everyone else.
Distributions: Divison II Writing Skills
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
HIST 112 Division II ASIA 111 Division II
WS Notes: Students will alternate weekly between writing 5-page tutorial papers and 2-page critiques of their peers' writing. Formal writing assignments throughout the semester will total at least 40 pages. Students will receive regular written feedback on their writing from the professor, as well as oral critiques from the professor and tutorial partners.
Attributes: HIST Group B Electives - Asia

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