HIEA

Introduces the study of history intended for first- or second-year students. Seminars involve reading, discussing, and writing about different historical topics and periods, and emphasize the enhancement of critical and communication skills. Several seminars are offered each term. Not more than two Introductory Seminars may be counted toward the major in history.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Environment, Space, and Society
• Global and Transnational History
• Race, Ethnicity, and Empire
• War, Violence, and Society

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of East Asian History.

An intro to the study of Chinese civilization. We shall begin with the earliest human remains found in China & conclude in the present. The goal of this coure is not merely to tell the story of Chinese history, rich and compelling though the story is. Rather, our aim will be to explore what makes Chinese civilization specifically Chinese, & how the set of values, practices, & institutions we associate with Chinese society came to exist.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History
• War, Violence, and Society

Studies the transformation of Chinese politics, society, institutions, culture and foreign relations from the Opium War. through the post-Mao Reform Era. Emphasizes the fluid relationship between tradition and transformation and the ways in which this relationship continues to shape the lives of the Chinese people.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History
• Race, Ethnicity, and Empire
• War, Violence, and Society

An introduction to the politics, culture, and ideologies of modern Japan from roughly 1800 to the present. We will pay special attention to the interplay between Japan's simultaneous participation in global modernity and its assertion of a unique culture as a way to explore the rise of the nation-state as a historically specific form.

This lecture class surveys the history of Japanese civilization from prehistory to the end of the nineteenth century. Through an assortment of historical, literary, religious and visual materials, it offers an introduction to the political, social, religious, intellectual, artistic, and cultural life of Japan in its various epochs.

The development of Korean culture from the Three Kingdoms Period through the Silla (675-918) and Early Koryo (936-1200) dynasties.

Second of a three part sequence on the history of Korea from earliest times into the 21st century. This course covers the period bracketed by the Mongols in the 13th and 14th centuries and the opening of the Yi Dynasty in the late 19th century.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History

This course traces Korea's history from its unified rule under the Choson dynasty (1392-1910) to Japanese colonization (1910-1945) and subsequent division into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Republic of Korea (South Korea). It examines how processes of reform, empire, civil war, revolution, and industrialization shaped both Koreas' development and how ordinary people experienced this tumultuous history.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History
• Race, Ethnicity, and Empire
• War, Violence, and Society

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of East Asian History.

Surveys the social, political and economic organization of traditional Chinese society, traditional Chinese foreign policy, and major literary, artistic, and intellectual movements.

Survey of the social, political, and cultural history of China from 10th to the early 20th centuries. Topics include the philosophic basis of state and society, the formation of social elites, the influence of nomadic peoples, and patterns of popular dissent and rebellion, among others.

Studies political and social thought from the early 20th century to the present, as reflected in written sources (including fiction), art, and films.

The course traces China's external relations from antiquity to our own times, identifying conceptions, practices, and institutions that characterized the ancient inter-state relations of East Asia and examining the interactions between "Eastern" and "Western," and "revolutionary" and "conventional" modes of international behavior in modern times. The student's grade is based on participation, midterm test, final exam, and a short essay.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History
• Race, Ethnicity, and Empire

This course will examine the rise of the nation-state form in Japan as a new form of historical subjectivity. It will explore in depth the political, economic, social, and cultural changes in the wake of the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868 to the start of the Tasiho period in 1912.

This course is an exploration of Japan's imperial project from roughly 1890-1945. We will start by developing a critical theoretical vocabulary with which we will then focus on three recent and important books on Japanese imperialism in East Asia. At the end of the semester we will also look briefly at anti-imperial and decolonization movements as well as the status of the category of 'empire' for analyzing the postwar period.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Race, Ethnicity, and Empire

Examines the history of Japan since the early 19th century by exploring the causes and consequences of the economic and social changes that have made Japan one of the most important advanced industrial countries in the contemporary world.

Examines Japanese history since the early 19th century, exploring changes in political ideas, institutions, and behavior among both governing elites and the mass of Japanese citizenry.

Studies rural revolution, student movements, women's liberation, and the transformation of the social order since the late 19th century.

The class examines China's entanglement with the Cold War from 1945 to the early 1990s. The course raises China-centered questions because it is curious in retrospect that China, a quintessential Eastern state, became so deeply involved in the Cold War, a confrontation rooted in Western history. In exploring such questions, this course does not treat China as part of the Cold War but the Cold War as a period of Chinese history.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History
• War, Violence and Society

The course explores Chinese-American relations since the late 18th century. Starting as an encounter between a young trading state and an ageless empire on the two sides of the Pacific Ocean, the relationship has gone through stages characterized by the two countries' changing identities. The course understands the relationship broadly and seeks insights at various levels.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History

This course examines the history of territorial disputes in East Asia by examining the demarcation, mapping, & policing of borders from the 1600s - present. With case studies including Xinjiang, the Korean peninsula, & current territorial disputes in the South & East China Seas, we will interrogate the social, political, cultural, & environmental factors that defined boundaries in East Asia historically & contribute to ongoing border tensions.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Environment, Space, and Society

An examination of the history of Japan from 1945 to the present, as it transforms from an empire to a modern industrial capital state.  We will explore the key contradictions, debates, and fault lines that run through the period, many of which persist to today.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of East Asian History.

A small class (not more than 15 students) intended primarily but not exclusively for history majors who have completed two or more courses relevant to the topic of the seminar. The work of the seminar results primarily in the preparation of a substantial (ca. 25 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History
• War, Violence and Society

A small class (not more than 15 students) intended primarily but not exclusively for history majors who have completed two or more courses relevant to the topic of the colloquium. Most frequently offered in areas of history where access to source materials or linguistic demands make seminars especially difficult. Students prepare about 25 pages of written work. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of East Asian History.

Topics courses are small, discussion-oriented classes available to any student with sufficient background and interest in a particular field of historical study. Offered irregularly, they are open to majors or non-majors on an equal basis.

In exceptional circumstances and with the permission of a faculty member any student may undertake a rigorous program of independent study designed to explore a subject not currently being taught or to expand upon regular offerings. Independent Study projects may not be used to replace regularly scheduled classes. Open to majors or non-majors.

This seminar familiarizes graduate students with scholarships about relations among states, societies, and peoples of the Asia-Pacific region during the 20th century, and helps students refine their ongoing research projects or initiate new ones. In applying rigorously methods of historical research to their projects, students produce scholarly works or research proposals that can meet expectations in actual scholarly fields.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Global and Transnational History
• Race, Ethnicity, and Empire
• War, Violence and Society

This reading seminar is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates. It examines Chinese perspectives, practices, and interactions with other states in the international scene from antiquity to the People's Republic of China. Students read about and discuss recurring issues in China's historical external relations. Evaluation of student performance is based on participation, weekly written responses, and a historiographical essay.

Possible Concentrations: 

• Environment, Space, and Society
• Global and Transnational History
• Race, Ethnicity, and Empire
• War, Violence, and Society

This course, an advanced reading seminar, provids an in-depth investigation of one of the most magnificent, yet destructive, revolutions in human history--the Chinese Communist revolution, as well as the person who led the revoilution--Mao Zedong.

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of East Asian History.

Offered to graduate students with no previous background in modern East Asian history. Consists of attendance at the lecture sessions of undergraduate courses on modern East Asian history and directed readings at an advanced level on the development of the social, political and cultural institutions of East Asia.

Offered to graduate students with no previous background in modern East Asian history. Consists of attendance at the lecture sessions of undergraduate courses on modern East Asian history and directed readings at an advanced level on the development of the social, political and cultural institutions of East Asia.

North Korea's brutal resiliency on the international stage makes it increasingly important to understand its unique historical trajectory. Together we will discuss obstacles as well as opportunities related to finding primary sources on North Korean history while completing original research papers that help us better understand the inner workings and outward-facing aspirations of this authoritarian "democratic people's republic."

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of East Asian History.

Directed readings, discussions, and research papers on selected topics in Chinese and Japanese history.

Studies documents related to social and political philosophy. Emphasizes translated texts, but some attention will be paid to Chinese texts and the problems of translation.

Discusses selected issues in the social, political, and economic development of Japan from the Tokugawa period to the present.

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of East Asian History.

This tutorial explores three types of conflicts in China modern experiences: civil wars, international conflicts, and Cold War confrontations. Reading materials include major scholarships on these topics. The class meets biweekly, and the students are evaluated on the basis of participation, short book reviews, and a final paper.

This tutorial is about conceptual and political constructions of the "Chinese Nation" in the 20th century. Readings include relevant writings by important intellectual and political figures of 20th-century China and major scholarships on the subject from multiethnic perspectives. The class meets biweekly, and the students are evaluated on the basis of participation, short book reviews, and a final paper.

Introduction the history and historiography of modern Japanese Thought, Culture, and Politics. Topics include modernity, empire, the nation-state, war, fascism, and capitalist development.

This tutorial provides students an overview of representative scholarly works and major historiographical debates in the English language on the study of modern Korean history. Specific topics covered include Korea's colonization, decolonization, division, economic development, the birth of modern Korean nationalism, and the growth of Korea's overseas diaspora.

This course introduces students to the major types/genres of materials for the study of Imperial Chinese history, including both official documents and unofficial/literary and artistic works. Its two primary goals are to (1) familiarize students with the large variety of available sources and (2) provide abundant hands-on opportunities for critical reading and textual analysis.

This course introduces students to the major types of source materials (official documents, treatises, biographies, anecdotal writing, ji accounts, letters, etc.) for the study of Song Dynasty history.

This course introduces students to the most influential English-language scholarship on imperial China, especially the Tang (618-907), Song (960-1279), and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, in the last century. In addition to familiarizing students with the historiography of this important period, it aims to explore the key issues and developments in political and intellectual life as well as the formation and evolution of social and cultural ideals and practices.