As the first industrialized and modernized Asian nation, Japan emerged as the sole modern imperialist country in the region. This course examines Japan’s astonishing modernization and westernization through the Meiji restoration, the impact of the Great Depression, the rise of Japanese imperialism and the Second World War, its transformation under American occupation, and postwar recovery. It will consider how individual groups negotiated the meaning of citizenry in the process of Japan’s nation building and modernization. Lect: 3 hrs. Course Weight: 1.00 Billing Units: 1
