East Asia Tradition Modernity

Much of what we see in current day East Asia finds its roots in centuries past. This course introduces students to the history of modern East Asia through the main themes of tradition and transformation. Tracing from the 1500s to the present day, this course examines how China, Japan and Korea emerged as modern nation states. A thematic approach is combined with a chronological one, giving both the historical context of events but at the same time a wider appreciation of phenomena such as the rise of nationalism, modernisation, and the idea of reform versus revolution. One over-arching theme we?ll also consider is that of the Western efforts over the past two centuries to open and integrate Asian nations into a global diplomatic and economic system.