Modern History of Japan II
Spring 2009
Syllabus
2009/05/26
Ryoichi Imai
International Student Center, Kyushu University
imryoichi@isc.kyushu-u.ac.jp
http://homepage3.nifty.com/ronten/JTWhome.htm
Contents
The course is designed to provide some introductory knowledge of Japanese history. This is a continuation of the history course I taught in the previous semester. The course will cover the history of Japan's political and economic system since World War II to the present..
Organization, Attendance, and Other Requirements
Students are expected to buy the text book.
Gordon, Andrew (2008), A Modern History of Japan. Oxford University Press.
Some lecture notes will be uploaded on this website. The course consists mainly of a series of lecture given by the instructor. Later the students present some selected reading materials. Each course attendant is required to do at least ONE oral presentations of the articles to be handed out in advance of each class. The presenter must make a set of PowerPoint slides. If too many students take this course, individual presentations will be replaced by group ones. There is one midterm or final examination.
None.
Class Attendance and Discussion 20%
Presentation 40%
Midterm or Final Examination 40%
You will get 2 credits by satisfying the course requirements specified above.
For the students who need 3 credits in order to transfer credits to your home universities, some special arrangement will be made.
Schedule and Readings (subject to Change)
Lecture
(4/7, 4/14) Introduction (Review of the Previous Materials)
Part 3. Imperial Japan from Ascendance to Ashes (continuing)
(4/21) Democracy and Empire between the World Wars
(4/28) The Depression Crisis and Responses
(5/19) Japan in Wartime
(5/26) Occupied Japan: New Departures and Durable Structures
Part 4. Postwar and Contemporary Japan, 1952-2000
(6/2) Economic and Social Transformations
(6/9) Political Struggles and the High-Growth Era
(6/16) Global Power in a Polarized World: Japan in the 1980s
(6/23) Beyond the Postwar Era
Students' Presentations
(6/30) (Students' Presentation 1) The Emperor in the Postwar Japan
The Status of the Emperor
Letter from Douglas MacArthur to Prime Minister dated 25 February 1947
Tabloids turn against the Crown Princess Masako
Japanese Succession Controversy
Japanese Monarchy: Past and Present (Read the first half only)
(7/7) (Students' Presentation 2) Debate on Japan's War Responsibility
The Debate over Japanfs War Responsibility
Japan's History Textbook Debate
The Korean "Comfort Women": Movement for Redress
Performing Social Reparation: gComfort Womenh And The Path To Political Forgiveness
Channel Sakura
Channel Sakura on YouTube
THE FACTS
Focusing in on Contemporary Japanfs eYouthf Nationalism
(7/14) (Students' Presentation 3) Toward the Two-Party System?
Noble, Gregory (2006) Koizumi and Neo-liberal Economic Reform, Social Science Japan Newsletter March 2006, 6-9.
Maeda Yukio (2006), The 2005 General Election and Public Opinion, Social Science Japan Newsletter October 2006, 19-22.
Govella, K., and S. Vogel (2008), Japan in 2007: A Divided Government, Asian Survey 48(1), 97-106.
Imai (not Me) and Kabashima (2008) The LDPfs Defeat in Crucial Single-seat: Constituencies of the 2007 Upper House Election, Social Science Japan Journal, 11(2), pp.277-293.
Arase, David (2008), Japan in 2008: A Prelude to Change?
Charles Weathers (2009), Nonregular Workers and Inequality in Japan
Submission Deadline: Monday July 20
Other Readings
Nagai, Akiko (2005), Marriage for Social Recognition and Subsequent Married Life.
Miwa Satoshi (2005), Educational Homogamy in Contemporary Japan.
Mayumi Nakamura (2005), University Education for Marital Status Attainment for Japanese Women.
Social Science Japan Newsletter December 2005, 6-14, Genda, Yuji (2007), Jobless Youths and the NEET Problem in Japan, Social Science Japan Journal, 10(1), 23-40.The Politics of Economic Nationalism in Japan
Morishima, Michio (2000), The Japanese Financial System: Its Solidarity and Vulnerability, in Japan at a Deadlock, Macmillan UK.
Baumol, Litan, and Schramm (2007), Capitalism: The Different Types and Their Impacts on Growth, in Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, and the Economics of Growth and Prosperity., Yale University Press.
Baumol, Litan, and Schramm (2007), Capitalism: The Big-Firm Wealthy Economies: Preventing Retreat and Stagnation, in Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, and the Economics of Growth and Prosperity., Yale University Press.
