Web Syllabus(講義概要)

　The broad topic of this class will be “A History of Japan: Japan and the World”. During this semester, we will talk about the history of Japan during the twentieth century. More precisely, the period chosen will start with the Russo-Japanese War (1905) and end with the end of Shōwa era (1989). This class will be intended for students who have no prior knowledge of Japanese history. We will try to help the foreign students to understand the historical background of today’s Japanese society.
　Every week, after having read together a passage of a book, we will talk about the main historical facts of the weekly topic. This class being the continuation of the first semester’s class students who attended it to continue their attendance during the second semester. However, students who would not have attended the class during the first semester will be welcome.

　①Grasping the flow of Japanese history through the basic knowledge of the main historical facts.
　②Understanding Japanese history as a dynamic process through the study of the relations between Japan and the world.
　③Being able to understand the influence of the past on today’s Japanese society.

　Participation 40％, final paper: 60％

　The following books will be used during the class:
　　Eric Hobsbawm, Terence Ranger (ed.), The Invention of Tradition, Cambridge University Press, 2012.
　　Marius B. Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan, Belknap Press, 2002.
　　R Taggart Murphy, Japan and the Shackles of the Past, Oxford University Press, 2014.
　　Saburō Ienaga, The Pacific War: World War II and the Japanese, 1931-1945, Pantheon Books, 1978.
　　John W. Dower, Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.
　　Michael Schaller, The American Occupation of Japan: The Origins of the Cold War in Asia, Oxford University Press, 1987.
　　Paul J. Bailey, Postwar Japan: 1945 to the Present, Blackwell, 1996.

　The passage used the class will have to be read by the students before attending the class. The students will also have to know the basic dates and facts concerning the weekly topic by reading one of the books prescribed, or any other valuable support. Studying in the library will be strongly recommended.

　The past being linked to the present, it is necessary for the students to be aware of the main news in Japan, Asia, and the world. Then, reading the newspaper of any other valuable information media will be recommended. The students are encouraged to take “Japanese History I” during the spring semester.