[IMPORTANT NOTICE]

This course is currently open for enrollment. Please register via the "Willingness Registration" function on NTU COOL (located on the menu bar on the left). Permission numbers will be distributed in the second week of the semester.

The main page of this course has moved to NTU COOL. Please visit: https://cool.ntu.edu.tw/courses/14427.


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This course is both an introductory survey of the history of East Asia since 1600 to the present day and an introduction to historical analysis. It aims to provide a foundational grounding in the histories of China, Korea, and Japan in the modern era since 1600. We will not only study the distinctive features of national histories in East Asia but examine the cross-regional qualities of traditions and contestations within the region. We will inquire, for example, how the Ming-Qing transition in 17th-century China affected political discourse in Korea and Japan, how Western imperialism was encountered and responded to in China, Korea, and Japan in the 19th century, and how the experiences and memories of the 20th century have defined the nature of political and cultural interactions in East Asia. As an introductory course in historical analysis, this course also emphasizes the importance of critically assessing historical evidence in both reading and writing. We will read selections from historical surveys and anthologies of primary materials in English translation, which will be supplemented by visual materials and film screenings. Readings will also include literary works, memoirs, and selected basic texts in socialism and communism, which have profoundly shaped the political landscape of 20th-century East Asia. The structure of this course combines lecture and discussion. Approximately two-thirds of class time will be devoted to lectures and discussion of historical context. We will use the remaining class time to discuss assigned primary source readings. This course is conducted in English and assumes no prior knowledge of the course material.