Historiography of Modern Japan: Proseminar

JAPNHIST 251 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Our purpose in this course is to develop a bibliographic and historiographic command of modern Japanese history as a teaching and research field. We will pay particularly close attention to the master narratives and political concerns that have underwritten English-language histories of Japan in the decades since the close of the Pacific War, beginning with the intense debates of the Cold War and continuing through the emergence of gender studies, colonial studies, critical theory, environmental history, and border studies. Japanese language ability is not required for this course. There are no prerequisites for the course.

The course is based on discussion, and we will all read the all of the required readings before class. A designated commentator will lead discussion each week and present to the class on the state of the field in that week’s subsection (e.g. gender). All students will post a short reading response to the website the day before each meeting in order to support the commentator’s efforts. These postings should include two questions or specific topics that you would like to see addressed as a way to help the discussion leader. We will also use these web postings to explore different styles of writing, addressing postings to area specialists, comparativists, general readers, undergraduates, and other potential audiences from one week to the next.