HIST 418 Modern East Asia

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The modern transformation of East Asian societies over the last several centuries, with a focus on China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. The course will cover the features of traditional civilization, the impact of Western imperialism, attempts to modernize and create industrial economies, the formation of commercial and professional classes, and the rise of nationalism. Comparative characteristics of East Asian and Western societies will be discussed. May be taken to fulfill program requirements for the history track, including the capstone thesis requirement. Students taking this course for the capstone must be a junior or senior, must have completed at least two upper level courses in history, and must inform the instructor of their decision at the beginning of the course.