HIST 277 - The Rise of Modern Japan

Cross-Listed as

Japan’s rapid industrialization in the latter part of the nineteenth century, and its phenomenal rise as the number two economic power in the world after the devastation wrought by World War II, have led many scholars to declare Japan a model worthy of emulation by all “developing” nations. After an examination of feudal Japan, this course probes the nature and course of Japan’s “amazing transformation” and analyzes the consequences of its strengths as a nation-state. Considerable study of Japanese art, literature, and religion will be undertaken and American attitudes toward the Japanese and their history will also be examined. Meets the post-1800 requirement, and can count towards “Colonization and Empire,” or “Race and Indigeneity,” or “Law and Social Justice,” or “Asia” fields. Every year. (4 Credits)