HIST 348 - The Western Impact on Modern Japan

Credit Hours: 3

Explores the three ways Japan has become an empire during the past two centuries: through the restoration of imperial rule in the nineteenth century, through its imperialist expansion in Asia during the early twentieth century, and through its emergence as a global economic power in the post-War order. To understand these developments, one must examine the interplay between the internal dynamics of change in Japanese society, culture, and politics, on the one hand, and the impact of the West on Japan during these formative events. This course addresses how indigenous changes in Tokugawa Japan interacted with pressure from Western Imperialism to cause the imperial restoration and reforms as well as addressing the relationship between Japan’s imperial expansion and rule at home.