Learning outcomes
The course aims at explaining the formation and development of modern Japanese society and culture in historical perspective. Why was Japan the only Asian nation which was able to modernize itself already in the 19th century, however, without losing its own identity (that is, without westernization)?
Contents
- The formation of Japanese society and culture during the Tokugawa-period (1600-1853).
- From the opening of Japan to the Meiji-revolution (1853-1869).
- The birth of Modern Japan (1869-1905).
- The rise and fall of the ”Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” (1905-1945).
- Rebirth of modern Japan (1945-1989).
- The ”lost decade” and challenges of the future (from 1990).
Modes of study
Lectures (compulsory participation; 8 x 3h), reading material distributed by the lecturer, essay 8-12 pages
Evaluation
Numeric 1-5.Study materials
Study materials will be distributed during lectures.
Compensatory literature: Marius B. Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan (Harvard University Press 2002), chapters 2-4, 7, 10-11,14,16-17,19-20.
Belongs to following study modules
2008–2009
