Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2019 - HIST 285 D100

Studies in History (3)

Japanese Empire

Class Number: 5999

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 3 – Apr 8, 2019: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Apr 16, 2019
    Tue, 8:30–11:30 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Janice Matsumura
    jmatsumu@sfu.ca
    1 778 782-5814
    Office: AQ 6008

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Special topics. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

The Japenese Empire

This course will chart how, between 1869 and 1945, Japan became one of the largest empires in modern world history, eventually controlling over 7,400,000 km2.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most countries had been incorporated into an imperialist world system as either colonizers or colonized, and, in the case of Japan, it had been both a victim and perpetrator of the “new imperialism.”  Operating under a perceived threat of colonization, the country’s leadership merged state- and empire-building to ensure Japan’s independence.  The nation adopted a Western-inspired political, economic, and social order to better mobilize the existing Japanese population behind state policies and successfully waged two wars that led to the acquisition of Taiwan and contributed to the takeover of Korea.

Moreover, although the First World War prompted in many of the belligerent nations an aversion to outright military expansionism, Japan further extended its regional power and prefigured the existence of post-1945 client-states through its establishment of a Manchurian “puppet-state” in Northeast China in the 1930s.

Grading

  • Take-home test (3 double-spaced pages) 10%
  • Essay (6 double-spaced pages): analysis of assigned source material 35%
  • Tutorial participation (presentation 5%/attendance 2%/participation 18%) 25%
  • Final examination 30%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Andrew Gordon, A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present.  New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.

James L. Huffman, Japanese Imperialism, 1853-1945.  Ann Arbor: Association for Asian Studies, Inc., 2010.

Michele Mason and Helen Lee, eds., Reading Colonial Japan: Text, Context, and Critique.  Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2012.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS