This course is an introduction to modern China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam from 1600 to the present, with emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It covers the following topics: China’s progressive decline and rejuvenation, the impact of imperialism, the rise and development of the PRC; the struggles of Korea, its colonization by Japan; liberation and division into the two Koreas, and the rising economic status of the South; Vietnam's last dynasty and its colonization by France, the World War and the Vietnam War; and the end of feudalism in Japan, the building of a modern state and economy, Japanese imperialism, postwar recovery, and the rise to super-power status.

Taking a broad comparative perspective on East Asia, the course explores the inter-relations between political economy, society, and culture in each country within an emerging modern world system. This is a continuation of History 204; however that course is not a prerequisite and no previous background on the subject is required.

Course Requirements:

In-class quizzes and two blue book exams

Intended Audience:

Any student with an interest in East Asia

Class Format:

Two lectures and one discussion section each week.