East Asia I

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course provides a regional survey of the histories of East Asian states and peoples from ancient through early modern times (roughly through the 18th century). It examines the regions of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, as well as adjacent areas of maritime and continental East Asia. East Asian polities and societies shared broad cultural similarities rooted in the classical Chinese textual tradition, but each developed in distinct ways and maintained links outside the Confucian zone. East Asia I is followed in sequence by East Asia II, taught in Spring semester, which will cover from approximately the 18th century through the present.