A History of Modern Japan, S1

Class Description

The military and economic rise of China has caused deep concerns about the future balance of power in Asia, as well as whether the US will be able to influence that balance. The US has come to rely heavily on Japan as a counterweight to China. However, Japan has a very troubled history with its Asian neighbors, especially with China and South Korea. It also has a security alliance with the US that could draw us into a conflict with China we might wish to avoid. Past history does not determine a nation’s future actions. But we need to be aware of Japan’s history as we consider the question as to whether, or to what extent, we can or should rely on it as an ally in the region. This course is designed to provide you with the basics of that history. This will be a nine-week course*. There is a course packet that will be about 250 pages long –about 30 typed pages of reading for each class. The cost of the packet will be around $20, but it might be more. I will sell it at cost from my trunk in the LLC parking lot on Friday, January 3 from 10:30-noon. Please register early so I don’t order too many course packets that I end up having to pay for. Mondays, 9:30 - 10:45 Instructor Zoom Class Limit: 35 *The last class will be 3/3 at the center. I will provide more details to students.