75722 - History of Eastern Asia (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student acquires advanced knowledge of East Asian history, mainly, though not exclusively, regarding Japan and Korea. They understand historical research methodology and can approach historiographical topics originally and independently. They can evaluate sources and navigate specialized bibliographies critically. They possess the ability to articulate and communicate the learned content and formulate valid judgments in history.

Course contents

The course covers the main events in the modern and contemporary history of East Asia. It focuses on Japanese and Korean political and social history from a global perspective.

 

It is structured into the following sections:

1. The Tokugawa period
2. The Meiji Restoration
3. The Taishō Period
4. The Years of Japanese "Fascism"
5. Korea and the "Koreas": Colonial Past, North-South Division, and Divergent Trajectories
6. Japan in the Years of the U.S. Occupation
   
7. From the Economic Boom to the Burst of the Bubble
   
8. Presentations

Readings/Bibliography

The bibliography is valid for "attending" and "non-attending" students; however, different assessment methods are provided, as specified in the dedicated section.

 

Required Readings:

• Tipton, Elise K. Il Giappone moderno. Una storia politica e sociale, Torino: Einaudi, 2011.
• Seth, Michael J. Storia della Corea moderna e contemporanea, Torino: Einaudi, 2023. [introduction and chapters 3-5, p. 1-13 and 128-275]

 

Further Readings:

• Ravina, Mark. To Stand with the Nations of the World: Japan’s Meiji Restoration in World History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.
• Cooney, Kevin. Japan's Foreign Policy Since 1945, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2006 (o altre edizioni).
• Fogel, Joshua A. (ed.), The Teleology of the Modern Nation-State (Japan and China), Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005.
• Totman, Conrad D. Japan: An Environmental History. New paperback edition. London New York: I.B. Tauris, 2016.
  
• Dower, John W. Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Aftermath of World War II. London: Penguin, 2000.
  
• Makito, Saya. The Sino-Japanese war and the birth of japanese nationalism. Tokyo: LTCB international library selection, 2011.
• Myers, Ramon Hawley, Ching-chih Chen, Mark R. Peattie, eds. The Japanese Colonial Empire: 1895 - 1945; Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.
• Revelant, Andrea. Sviluppo economico e disuguaglianza: la questione fiscale nel Giappone moderno, 1873-1940. Venezia: Cafoscarina, 2016.
• Hofmann, Reto. The Fascist Effect: Japan and Italy, 1915 - 1952. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2015.
• Koikari, Mire. Cold War Encounters in US-Occupied Okinawa: Women, Militarized Domesticity, and Transnationalism in East Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.
• Bernstein, Gail L. Recreating Japanese Women, 1600-1945. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.
• Kelsky, Karen. Women on the Verge: Japanese Women, Western Dreams. Durham: Duke University Press, 2001.
• Colombo, Giorgio Fabio, Justice and International Law in Meiji Japan:The María Luz Incident and the Dawn of Modernity, Routledge, 2023.
• Zappa, Marco, Il Giappone nel sistema internazionale. Asia orientale e sudorientale nella politica estera giapponese dal 1945 all'era Abe, Cafoscarina, 2020.
• Fedman, David, Eleana J. Kim, and Albert L. Park. Forces of Nature: New Perspectives on Korean Environments. Cornell University Press, 2023. [OPEN ACCESS]
• Kim, Suzy. Among Women across Worlds: North Korea in the Global Cold War. Cornell University Press, 2023. [OPEN ACCESS]
• Masuda, Hajimu. Cold War Crucible: The Korean Conflict and the Postwar World. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2015.
• Kim, Eunjung. Curative Violence: Rehabilitating Disability, Gender, and Sexuality in Modern Korea. Durham London: Duke University Press, 2017.
• Seth, Michael J. Korea at War: Conflicts That Shaped the World. Tokyo ; Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing, 2023.

 

[Additional readings or thematic materials can be agreed upon with the instructor sufficiently in advance of the exam date.]

 

Class materials will be uploaded to Virtuale throughout the course.

 

 

Teaching methods

Lectures

 

 

Assessment methods

The methods of assessment for attending (1) and non-attending (2) students are different. Students are considered attending if they participate in at least 75% of the lessons.

In general, for both attending and non-attending students:

If the course is part of an Integrated Course (C.I.) in the student’s study plan, the oral exam for the two components of the C.I. must be taken on a single date, and the final grade will be the arithmetic average of the grades obtained in the two components.

During the academic year, exam sessions are usually scheduled in the following months/periods:

• January and February
• June and July
• September and October

For a total of at least six exam sessions per year.

1) Attending students: Individual oral interview with the possibility of completing part of the exam through an in-class presentation.

In any case, the exam consists of an individual oral interview with open-ended questions on:

• The two "required texts" (as indicated in the relevant texts/bibliography section), which must be studied alongside the lecture materials, including visual elements available on Virtuale.

• One text of choice from the "Further readings." The assessment of the chosen text may be conducted through an in-class presentation. Further details will be provided during the lectures. If the presentation is not given or is evaluated negatively, students must refer to the program for NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS.

The interview assesses the critical skills developed by the student, particularly about crucial historical transitions.

The following will be evaluated: Mastery of the content, ability to synthesize and analyze key concepts and historical figures, expressive skills, and appropriate language for the subject matter.
Achieving an in-depth and critical understanding of the topics covered in the lessons, good expressive skills, and using specific language will be evaluated with excellent grades. A mainly mnemonic knowledge of the subject and the ability to synthesize and analyze expressed in correct but only sometimes precise language will lead to good evaluations. Gaps in preparation and/or inappropriate language – even in the context of a minimal understanding of the exam material – will result in grades that will not exceed a passing mark. Severe gaps in preparation, inappropriate language, and an inability to navigate the materials provided during the course will be evaluated negatively.


2) Non-attending students: Individual oral interview.

The exam consists of an individual oral interview with open-ended questions on:

• The two "required texts" (as indicated in the relevant texts/bibliography section), which must be studied alongside the lecture materials, including visual elements available on Virtuale.

• One text of choice from the "Further readings."

The interview assesses the critical skills developed by the student, particularly about crucial transitions and historical figures.

The following will be evaluated: Mastery of the content, ability to synthesize and analyze key themes and concepts, expressive skills, and appropriate language for the subject matter.
Achieving an in-depth and critical understanding of the course topics, good expressive skills, and using specific language will result in excellent grades. A mainly mnemonic knowledge of the subject and the ability to synthesize and analyze expressed in correct but not always precise language will lead to good evaluations. Gaps in preparation and/or inappropriate language – even in the context of a minimal understanding of the exam material – will result in grades that will not exceed a passing mark. Severe gaps in preparation, inappropriate language, and an inability to navigate the materials provided during the course will be evaluated negatively.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint Presentations.

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students.

Office hours

See the website of Rossella Roncati