Is Modern East Asia really “modern”?  What do we mean by this term?  Can we understand the modern history of the region, if we focus exclusively on the Asian response to the arrival of Western powers in the region?  This course will examine political change, specifically the emergence of anti-colonial nationalist and communist movements, as well as related intellectual and social developments in East Asia since ca. 1800.

Students taking this course should reach the following goals by the end of the semester:

• Construct persuasive written arguments concerned with historical topics.
• Utilize the latest methods of Web-based technology to communicate with fellow students.
• Study the historical development of China, Japan, Korea, and Viet Nam from ca. 1800 to the present day.
• Understand better the effect the recent past has had on the modern world.
• Exhibit self-motivation and self-expression by exploring and asking questions regarding historical topics beyond personal life experiences.

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