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Title: History 2402, History of East Asia in the Modern Era, 1600+

Instructor: Christopher Reed

Days: Wed/Fri (synchronous online)

Time: 2:20-3:40 pm

Description: History 2402 (synchronous online) will introduce the histories of the societies of East Asia (China, Korea, and Japan) starting in about 1600. To a higher degree than History 2401, which is a useful but certainly not required preparation, History 2402 is organized on a 3-way comparative model (“how do China, Japan, or Korea compare to each other in our historical period?”); one of our goals is to learn to think comparatively about history and these societies. We will survey key historical phenomena (covering political, military, social, and intellectual themes) that have distinguished each country in the long modern era. For most of the semester, the course will be organized chronologically and thematically. In addition to providing a basic narrative of East Asian civilization since 1600, the course will introduce students to important written and cinematic sources and to historical writing.

Assigned Readings: a textbook, primary sources, selections from feature films

Assignments: TBA, similar to other courses at this level

Prerequisites and Special Comments: No prerequisites; History 2401 is NOT a prerequisite for History 2402.