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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
ASAMD042B
Course Title (CB02)
History of Asian Civilization: China and Japan (19th - 21st Centuries)
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
This is an introductory history course exploring modern China and Japan from the 19th to the 21st centuries.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course meets a general education requirement for °®¶¹´«Ã½ College, CSU, and IGETC. It belongs on the Liberal Arts A.A. Degree. This course is UC and CSU transferable. This course provides students with an opportunity to take a non-western history class that introduces them to 19th-21st century Chinese and Japanese historical issues as they influence culture in these societies.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Formerly Statement
(ASAM D042B was formerly INTL D019B.)

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
°®¶¹´«Ã½ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GDX°®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area D - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGDYCSU GE Area D - Social SciencesApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG4XIGETC Area 4 - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

(Not open to students with credit in the cross-listed course(s).)

(Also listed as HIST D019B.)

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

In-class essays

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Field observation and field trips

Guest speakers

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Collaborative projects

Assignments

  1. Text and other readings to evaluate student ability to attain critical understanding.
  2. Written essays to evaluate student ability to analyze historical issues and synthesize facts.
  3. Book review to evaluate student ability to analyze perspectives, assumptions, and values of the author in relation to the book's contribution to the discipline.
  4. Student formulated questions for in-class discussions to evaluate student ability to identify and characterize major historical periods.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. In-class exams to evaluate student ability to identify key historical periods and characteristics.
  2. Class discussion, in small and large groups, to evaluate student ability to critically evaluate historical issues.
  3. Analytical essays to evaluate ability to discuss significant issues related to history and historiography.
  4. A final exam with essay questions discussing content from lectures and readings to evaluate the student's ability to analyze major historical events and issues.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • None.

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, Anne Walthall, and James Palais. 3rd ed. "Modern East Asia: From 1600: A Cultural, Social, and Political History." Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2014.
Lipman, Jonathan, Barbara Molony, and Michael Robinson. Modern East Asia: An Integrated History. Pearson, 2011.
Holcombe, Charles. A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century, 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Chang, June. "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China." Touchstone, 2003.
De Bary, Wm. Theodore, and Richard Lufrano. "Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 2: From 1600 Through the Twentieth Century." 2nd ed. Columbia U. Press, 2001.
Fogel, Joshua A. "The Nanjing Massacre in History and Historiography." U. of California Press, 2000.
Frank, Andre Gunder. "ReOrient: Global Economy in the Asian Age." U. of California Press, 1998.
Mungello, D.E. "The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800." 3rd ed. Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.
Pomeranz, Kenneth. "The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy." Princeton U. Press, 2001.
Shirk, Susan L. "China: Fragile Superpower." Oxford U. Press, 2008.
Spence, Jonathan D. "The Gate of Heavenly Peace." Penguin, 1982.
Spence, Jonathan D. "The Search for Modern China: A Documentary History." W.W. Norton, 1999.
Wang, James C.F. "Contemporary Chinese Politics: An Introduction." 7th ed. Prentice Hall, 2001.
Cook, Haruko Taya and Theodore F. Cook. "Japan at War: An Oral History." New Press, 1995.
De Bary, Wm. Theodore, Carol Gluck, and Arthur E. Tiedmann. "Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 2 (Part 1: 1600 to 1868 and Part 2: 1868 to 2000)." 2nd ed. Columbia U. Press, 2006.
Duus, Peter. "Modern Japan." 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
Hane, Mikiso. "Peasants, Rebels, and Outcastes: The Underside of Modern Japan." 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.
Katsu, Kokichi. "Musui's Story: The Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai." U. of Arizona Press, 1991.
Pyle, Kenneth. "Japan Rising: The Resurgence of Japanese Power and Purpose." Century Foundation Books, PublicAffairs, 2008.
Ravina, Mark. "The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori." Wiley, 2005.
Ch'oe, Yongho, Peter H. Lee, and Wm. Theodore de Bary. "Sources of Korean Tradition, Vol. 2: From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Centuries." Columbia U. Press, 2000.
Cumings, Bruce. "Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History."(Updated version.) W.W. Norton, 2005.
Halberstam, David. "The Coldest War: America and the Korean War." Hyperion, 2007.
Jamieson, Neil L. "Understanding Vietnam." U. of California Press, 1995.
Reid, Anthony. "A History of Southeast Asia: Critical Crossroads." Blackwell History of the World, 2015.
Wang, David Der-wei. "A New Literary History of Modern China" Harvard University Press, 2017
Columbia University. 2009. "Asia for Educators." An Initiative of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/
De Bary, Wm. Theodore. "Sources of East Asian Tradition, Vol. 2: The Modern Period." Columbia U. Press, 2008.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Appraise the nature of historiography and Western historical scholarship on China and Japan and evaluate different underlying perspectives and assumptions.
  • Identify internal and external forces in the downfall of the traditional Chinese and Japanese political and social order and assess the relative roles of these forces.
  • Compare and contrast the different experiences of China and Japan in modern development and analyze the reasons for the difference, relating the modern development of China and Japan to the context of forces in Chinese and Japanese society.
  • Evaluate the political and social emergence of traditional non-elites such as women and peasants.
  • Relate contemporary issues in China and Japan to the historical context from which such issues emerge.

CSLOs

  • Analyze key historical issues in Modern East Asian History from the 19th to the 21st century.

  • Examine and critique a sample of scholarly writing on Modern East Asian History from the 19th to the 21st century.

  • Identify and characterize major periods, classifications, and genre of traditional pre-modern East Asian fine arts and material arts, as they have shaped Modern East Asian aesthetics and artistic sensibilities.

Outline

  1. Appraise the nature of historiography and Western historical scholarship on China and Japan and evaluate different underlying perspectives and assumptions.
    1. Nature of historiography
      1. Written reconstruction of past
      2. Primary sources as basis
      3. Reflects interests and perspectives of historian
    2. Western historical study of China and Japan
      1. Development of Western historiography
      2. Major approaches to the study of China and Japan
      3. Asian-centered history
  2. Identify internal and external forces in the downfall of the traditional Chinese and Japanese political and social order and assess the relative roles of these forces.
    1. Main characteristics of traditional order
      1. Political system
        1. Chinese imperial system
        2. Japanese feudalism
      2. Economic system
        1. Labor-intensive agriculture
        2. Commercialization
      3. Traditional social order
        1. Neo-Confucian orthodoxy
        2. Chinese gentry elite
        3. Japanese samurai elite
    2. Western intrusion
      1. Opium War
      2. Perry's demands
      3. Unequal treaty system
      4. Scramble for concessions in China
    3. Role of internal and external factors in downfall of traditional order
      1. China
        1. Population pressures
        2. Rebellions
        3. Rise of nationalism in response to Western imperialism
      2. Japan
        1. Socio-economic tensions in 19th century
        2. Rise of nationalism in response to Western imperialism
  3. Compare and contrast the different experiences of China and Japan in modern development and analyze the reasons for the difference, relating the modern development of China and Japan to the context of forces in Chinese and Japanese society.
    1. China
      1. Western Contact and Intervention
        1. Phase I 1839- 1842
        2. Phase II 1858- 1888
        3. Phase III 1898 -1901
        4. Mid- 19th Century Rebellions 1852-1868
      2. Failure of Qing Reforms
        1. Self-Strengthening Movement, 1860-1895
        2. Radical "Hundred Day" reform, 1898
        3. Post-Boxer reforms, 1900-1910
      3. The Chinese revolution, 1911-present
        1. The republican revolution, 1911 - 1916
        2. The nationalist revolution, 1927-36
        3. The communist revolution, 1949 - : Coming to power; Establishing a new order
        4. Socialist Transformation: 1951-1959, 1965-1978
      4. Post-Mao China: 1976 - present
        1. Phase I: Era of Deng Xiaoping, 1978-1997
        2. Phase II: Post-Deng Era
    2. Japan
      1. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 and the modernization of Japan
        1. Non-economic reforms
        2. Economic reforms
        3. Constitutionalism and the people's rights movement, 1875-1889
        4. End of the unequal treaties in Japan 1894
        5. The genesis of Japanese imperialism, 1894-1905
      2. Taisho Japan: 1912-1926
        1. Taisho Democracy
        2. Taisho Society and Culture
        3. Roots of World War Two
      3. Early Showa Japan: 1926-1945
        1. World War Two China, Phase I: Manchukuo 1931; Phase II: China 1936-45
        2. World War Two Asia and Pacific Theater
        3. Japanese Colonial empire, 1894-1945
        4. Defeat in WWII and American occupation: 1945- 1952
        5. Post-WWII Japan, Later Showa Era: 1945-1989
    3. Context within which modernization efforts occurred
      1. Attitude toward cultural borrowing
      2. Chinese gentry elite vs. Japanese samurai elite
      3. Emerging new social elites, 1900s-1920s
  4. Evaluate the political and social emergence of traditional non-elites such as women and peasants.
    1. Traditional roles
      1. Confucian social hierarchy
      2. Legal status
    2. Emergence under Communist revolution
  5. Relate contemporary issues in China and Japan to the historical context from which such issues emerge.
    1. Reform and modernization in China
    2. Democratic movements in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
    3. U.S.- Japan strategic relations
    4. China - Japan in the New Global Economy
    5. China, Japan, and U.S. relations
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