World War II in Asia (286-0-22)
Instructors
Laura E Hein
847/491-3408
Harris Hall - Room 325
Meeting Info
Shepard Hall B25: Mon, Wed, Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
The Second World War reshaped Asia: Japan, attempting to consolidate the region under its own power, forced the transformation of China, leading to Communist revolution there. Japan then suffered a massive defeat, forcing further transformation of its own society in planned and unanticipated directions, as well as of Korea and Taiwan. The war also destroyed the British, Dutch, and Japanese empires and vastly strengthened colonial resistance to other imperial powers, transforming South and Southeast Asia, and allowing the United States to play a larger role in Asian affairs, leading to U.S. military involvement in Korea and Vietnam. The conflict wrought unprecedented destruction: entire cities were leveled, whole populations decimated. Civilians were often victims, but also participated in other ways. They experienced a "total war" for which governments mobilized societies to a degree never before seen. This course will concentrate on the dilemmas that faced the war leaders and ordinary individuals, occupiers and the occupied alike.
Learning Objectives
** Students appreciate the sheer scale of the event, the ways that the war restructured the participants' societies, and its significance to the world today. ** Students think about why people in the USA (typically) have so much more information about the war in Europe than in Asia. ** Enumerate the aims, means, and conditions that shaped Chinese and Japanese war-making and explain how these factors shaped the war's origins, course, and outcome. ** Wars always have both intended and unintended consequences. They typically also happen both because of genuine conflicts of interests and also missed opportunities to head off violence. Students should be able to separate out these strands, articulate them clearly, and understand that they require different kinds of solutions. ** WWII in Asia was characterized by atrocious behavior by all major participants—but not to the same degree--at the levels of individuals, organized groups, and government policy. Students should be able to separate out these strands, develop tools for evaluating the differences and similarities, and articulate clear arguments about responsibility for the war's violence. ** Students think about the fact that all wars, including ones being conducted today, involve these issues.
Evaluation Method
There are no prerequisites for this course. Evaluation is based on: three written assignments on a selection of topics provided to you (25% each), four short reading responses (10% total), and informed participation in discussion (15%). Students should expect to do a compensatory written assignment for any missed discussion sections.
Class Notes
Concentration: Asia/Middle East
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Associated Classes
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-440: Thurs 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - Annenberg Hall G28: Thurs 3:00PM - 3:50PM
DIS - University Hall 312: Thurs 10:00AM - 10:50AM