WWII in East Asia

(4 Credits)

This research seminar invites students to think through WWII in East Asia in three stages: its causes; the course of conflict, and finally its consequences into our day. Our perspective is on the ideological dimension of the war as it was not simply about territory, but about conflicting ideas on how states should organize lives of their citizens. We will explore how the war tested communism, fascism, socialism, and liberal democracy, and with what consequences. Our focus will be the research and writing process, beginning with the feasibility of research topics, developing a sound argument with good evidence, and continuing to work together on historiography, methodology, analysis, and writing. Research topics could include issues of imperialism, planned economies, total mobilization, massive destruction, the coming of the atomic age, the end of European and Japanese colonialism, and the advent of the Cold War.