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  HIST * 2910, (January, 2000):  History of Modern Asia  
     
 

COURSE  OVERVIEW:

 

Dates:  January 10 – April 3,

Time:  Monday evenings, 7:00 – 10:00 pm

Room: Chemistry and Microbiology Building, Room 160

 

Office: MacKinnon 332

Office Hours:  5:30-6:30 pm, Monday evenings before class

 

e-mail:  djakobsh@ionline.net

phone number:   (519) 883-4065

 

 

Instructor:  Dr. Doris Jakobsh

 

Overview:

HIST*2910 will cover modern Asian history commencing with contemporary or near-contemporary events and ideologies within various regions and countries of Asia; these events will then contextualized within a wider historical perspective.   Texts of varied genres have been chosen for a diverse coverage of modern Asian history.

 

The course will begin with a focus on the modern Indian historical process – the 50-year anniversary of India’s independence and Partition.   The recent overthrow of the Pakistan government and the Kashmir controversy will be addressed.  Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong’s return to China, and Mao Tse Tung’s vision for China will be also be addressed. The Tibetan situation, with a focus on the Dalai Lama’s exile will be examined from an historical perspective.  The next focus will be an extensive overview of Japan, colonialism, war and the ‘Japanese miracle’.    The Vietnam War, including neighbouring Cambodia and Laos will also be examined.   The APEC summit in Vancouver, with a special focus on the ‘pepper-spraying incident’ and Canadian students’ protest of Indonesian politics will be addressed.   The course will conclude with the topic ‘Asia and the future’, examining recent political and economic trends.

 

Ideologies such as Communism, the expansion of capitalism, colonialism, the role of religion and global contexts such as the Cold War and its ramifications are pivotal in the historical processes outlined above, and will be given significant attention throughout the course.

 

[Note:  Each week at the beginning of class, an overview of important dates, names or events covered by the lecture will be handed to students.   Time will be allotted for class discussions of the week’s readings, or questions about the readings.  A number of documentary films will also be included in class time.]

 

[Note:  While the magnitude of the Asian context makes an in-depth examination of modern Asian history impossible, a significant portion of Asian history will be covered in the class.]    

Student Responsibilities:

  • Mid-term exam (20%)

  • An extensive interview with an Asian immigrant addressing historical and political events within their country of origin, including student research of the background of the events outlined by the person being interviewed – an outline of questions to be asked by the interviewer will be expected in advance - OR - an 8-10 page research paper on a topic of the student’s choice – an outline of the student’s research methodology and issues to be addressed will be expected well in advance of the paper’s due date (25%)

  • A group class presentation focusing on a feature film, its historical context and its bias – these groups will be established early on in the course, allowing for students to plan a suitable date to watch a movie of their choice together – a list of possible films will be handed out (20%)

  • Final exam (25%)

  • Class participation (10%)

    [Note: Examinations will cover readings, lectures, as well as the film content of the class; they will include essay and short answer questions. For the most part, emphasis will be on class lectures.]

    Required Texts:

    Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking. The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, New York, Penguin Books, 1998.

    Bapsi Sidhwa, Cracking India. A Novel, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Milkweed Editions, 1991.

    Milton W. Meyer, Asia. A Concise History, Lanham, Maryland, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997.

    Reserved Readings – These will be held at the Reserve Section of the Library:
    • Rhoads Murphy, A History of Asia, Third Edition, New York, Longman, 2000
    • Burton Stein, A History of India, Oxford, Blackwell Publishers, 1998.
    • Edwin E. Moise, Modern China. A History, London and New York, Longman, 1986.
    • Chris Mullen and Phuntsog Wangyal, The Tibetans: two perspectives on Tibetan-Chinese relations, London, The Minority Rights Group, 1983


    [Note: Students will be expected to have read the portions assigned before the class. There will be discussions and time for comments and questions in the class, which will largely constitute the ‘class participation’ segment of the final mark.]


Weekly Overview:
 

 

 

Jan. 10:	Lecture:		“India at Fifty”
		Readings:  		Meyer, pp. 142-154, 217-231, 315-322
					Begin reading Sidhwa
					***Rhoads Murphy, “Asian Religions and Their Cultures,
					” A History of Asia, pp. 21-25, 36-40 – On Reserve. 


Jan. 17:	Lecture:		“Cracking India – Partition: Reason and Rhetoric”
		Class Presentation: 	15 minutes
		Film:			“India: Turmoils of the Century”
		Readings:		Meyer, pp. 322-332, 351-353
		Finish Sidhwa
					***Burton Stein, A History of India, pp. 378-387 – On Reserve
					***Rhoads Murphy, A History of Asia, pp.  419-427 – On Reserve
			
Jan. 24: 	Lecture:		“Mao’s Vision: Origin and Process”
		Class Presentation:	15 minutes
		Readings:		Meyer, pp. 185-194, 253-274	  
		 :		 
Jan. 31:	Lecture:		“The Cultural Revolution.”
		Class Presentation:	15 minutes
		Readings:		Meyer, pp. 453-466
					***Edwin E. Moise, Modern China.  A History, pp.169-194 – On Reserve


Feb. 7: 	Lecture:		“The Dalai Lama in Exile”
		Class Presentation:	15 minutes
		Readings:		***Chris Mullin and Phuntsog Wangyal,
					The Tibetans: two perspectives on Tibetan-Chinese relations,
					pp. 5-13 – On Reserve
 
 
			*** MID-TERM EXAM – LAST HALF OF CLASS *** 
 
	
 
Feb. 14: 	Lecture:		“Tiananmen Square: An Overview” and 
					“Hong Kong’s return to China”
		Film:			“China after Tiananmen”
					Class Presentation:	15 minutes
		Readings:		Meyer, 466-488
			 		Start Chang		
 
Feb. 21:	Winter Break – No Class


Feb. 28:	Lecture:		“Japan, colony and modernity”  
		Class Presentation:	15 minutes
		Readings:		Meyer, pp. 278-291


Mar. 6:	Lecture:			“Japan and War” 
		Class Presentation:	15 minutes
		Film:			“1951 Asia Rising”
		Readings:		Meyer, pp. 275-305, 505-523
					Finish Chang
					***Rhoads Murphy, A History of Asia, pp. 393-401 – On Reserve


Mar. 13:	Lecture:		“Carving Southeast Asia: 
					Colonialism and Independence”
		Class Presentation:	15 minutes
		Readings:		Meyer, pp. 233-252, 359-370, 401-419


Mar. 20:	Lecture:		“Of Pepper Spray and Protest: Vancouver,
					Indonesia and East Timor”
		Class Presentation:	15 minutes
		Film:			“Bitter Paradise, The Sell out of East Timor”
		Readings:		Meyer, 419-430
					***Rhoads Murphy, A History of Asia, pp. 412-415 – On Reserve


Mar. 27:	Lecture:		“The Vietnam War: The Context and the
					Aftermath”
		Class Presentation:	15 minutes
		Readings:		Meyer, 370-398


Apr. 3:	Lecture:			“Asia and the Future” – Guest Lecture
		Film:			 “Racing the Rising Sun” 
		Readings:		Meyer, pp. 433-449, 473-503
					***Rhoads Murphy, A History of Asia, pp.
					444-460 – On Reserve