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HIST 4570 Japanese History

MTWR 12:00-1:50 BLB 090
Instructor: Dr. Tanner. WH 241
Phone: 891-6789. E-mail: htanner@unt.edu
Office hours: MTWR 2:00-3:00 PM
Teaching Assistant: Ms. Kristin Bocchine WH 267B
e-mail: KristinBocchine@my.unt.edu
Office hours: M-R Monday through Thursday: 11:00-11:45 AM; also available in
History Help Center and Library (hours to be announced in class)

GOALS AND METHODOLOGY

The goal of this course is to give you a general introduction to the history of Japan from
earliest times through the post-war period. The course is constructed around W. G.
Beasley’s textbook The Japanese Experience: A Short History of Japan. Lectures will
address specific topics in somewhat greater depth than the textbook. Your understanding
of the lectures will be greatly enhanced if you have read the assigned reading in the
textbook before class each day. In addition to the textbook, you will also be reading four
other books in order to gain a deeper understanding of some specific aspects of Japanese
culture: two books on elite culture (one in the Heian period, the other in the Kamakura-
Ashikaga periods) and two books representing different perspectives on Japan’s military
culture (one from the Tokugawa period, the other from WWII).

COMMUNICATIONS

There is a Blackboard site for the course. This is where I will post any Powerpoint
presentations, additional recommended readings and web links. If I have announcements
to make about the course, these will be posted on Blackboard and e-mailed to whichever
of your e-mail addresses is in the Blackboard system (probably your official UNT e-mail
address).

If you want to get in touch with me, e-mail me at htanner@unt.edu. Do not send
messages within Blackboard—I may not see them right away.

TEXTS

The following required texts (listed in the order in which you will need them) are
available at the bookstore in the Union. You may be able to get a better deal on those to
be read later in the semester by ordering them online. Up to you—just make sure that you
get them on time!

1. W. G. Beasley. The Japanese Experience: A Short History of Japan

2. Murasaki Shikibu. The Diary of Lady Murasaki
3. Donald Keene (translator). Essays in Idleness: The Tsurezuregusa of Kenko
4. Kokichi Katsu. Musui’s Story: The Autobiography of a Japanese Samurai
5. Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney. Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student
Soldiers
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ASSIGNED WORK PERCENTAGE OF GRADE

Attendance/Participation 5%
10 quizzes @ 1% each 10%
Book review of Lady Murasaki’s Diary 10%
Book review of Essays in Idleness 10%
Book review of Musui’s Diary 10%
Book review of Kamikaze Diaries 10%
Examination #1 10%
Examination #2 10%
Final examination 25%

NOTES ON ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Guidelines for the book reviews appear at the end of this syllabus.

2. All book reviews must be submitted to Turnitin.com via the “Turnitin” icon for
that assignment on the Blackboard site for the course. No e-mail or hard copy
submissions.

3. All written work must be your own. Plagiarism will result in at least a “zero” for
the assignment, and possibly heavier penalties, up to and including expulsion
from the University.

Make-up policy: make-up examinations will be scheduled at a mutually agreeable time

for students who have missed an examination because of documented illness or
documented university-approved absence. No other requests for rescheduling of
examinations or written work will be considered. The final examination for this course
will be on Friday August 12, at the regular class time and classroom.
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DISABILITY STATEMENT

The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for

students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with
the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a
disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be
delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a
course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of
accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any
delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of
accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior
to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters
of accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Faculty members
have the authority to ask students to discuss such letters during their designated
office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For additional information see the
Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may
also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.

The ADA liaison for the Department of History is Dr. Pomerleau (WH 234).

COURSE SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

(Part 1: From Neolithic cultures to the Heian Period)

Session In-class activities Textbook Other Reading Graded

(Beasley) work due
1. July 11 a. Introduction to the course “Introduction
and the assigned readings. ” & Chapter 1
b. Lecture: Continental
Culture
2. July 12 a. Class discussion on Chapter 2
Chinese-style government
b. Lecture: The Making of
the Monarchy
3. July 13 a. Lecture-Discussion: Chapter 3
Buddhism—Nara to Heian
4. July 14 a. Lecture: Politics & Chapter 4 The Diary of Book review
Economics Lady Murasaki of Diary of
b. Discussion: Lady & excerpts Lady
Murasaki & Heian Culture from Sei Murasaki
Shonagon Due via
Turnitin
10:00 a.m.
today
5. July 18 a. Exam # 1 Exam # 1 covers chapters 1-4 & Murasaki
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COURSE SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

(Part 2: Japan’s Feudal Era: The Kamakura, Ashikaga & Tokugawa Shogunates)

Session Lecture topic (subject to Textbook Other reading Papers due

change) (Beasley)
6. July 19 a. Lecture: Kamakura to Chapter 5
Ashikaga Politics
7. July 20 a. Medieval Buddhism: Chapter 6
lecture/discussion of texts
8. July 21 a. Lecture: Commerce & Chapter 6 Essays in
Everyday Life Idleness
b. Discussion: Medieval
culture
9. July 25 a. Lecture: The Unifiers Chapter 7 Book review
b. Textbook analysis: The &8 of Essays in
Tokugawa settlement Idleness
a. Textbook & Document Due via
Analysis & Discussion: Turnitin
Relations with Asia & 10:00 a.m.
Europe today
10. July 26 a. Lecture: The Tokugawa Chapter 9
Economy
b. Discussion of textbook
and documents
11. July 27 a. Lecture/discussion: Chapter 10,
Tokugawa Intellectual pp. 171-178
History—from
Confucianism to Dutch
Learning
12. July 28 a. Lecture-Discussion: Chapter 10, Musui’s
Tokugawa Culture pp. 178-187 Story
Due via
Turnitin
10:00 a.m.
today
13. August 1 a. Examination # 2 Examination # 2
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COURSE SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

(Part 3: Early Modern and Modern Japan: Tokugawa through Post-war)

Session Lecture topic (subject to Textbook Other reading Papers due

change) (Beasley)
14. August 2 a. Lecture: Perry and the Chapter 11
Black Ships
b. Textual analysis &
discussion: Japan & the
world
15. August 3 a. Lecture: The Meiji Chapter 11
Restoration
16. August 4 a. The Pursuit of Wealth and Chapter 12
Power
b. Analysis and discussion
of textbook and
documentws
17. August 8 a. Lecture: Being Modern Chapter 12
b. Class discussion of
modernity & modern
Japan
18. August 9 a. Lecture: The Path to Chapter 13
WWII
b. Analysis and discussion
of documents
19. August 10 a. Japan in WWII Chapter 13 Kamikaze Book review
b. Japan and Japanese life in Diaries of Kamikaze
wartime—discussion of Diaries
reading & documents Due via
Turnitin
10:00 a.m.
today
20. August 11 a. Lecture: The American Chapter 14
Occupation
b. Discussion—post-war
Japan
21. August 12 Final Examination for the course
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ABOUT QUIZZES, EXAMS, AND BOOK REVIEWS

1. Quizzes:
a. There will be two quizzes a week
b. They will take place on random days, at the beginning of class. If you are
late for any reason (including traffic & car trouble), you miss the quiz.
c. The quizzes will be based on study questions that go along with the
textbook
2. Exams:
a. Short answer/essay format
b. No multiple choice
c. As for short answers
i. In a short answer, you identify a term, place it in time, and explain
its historical significance.
ii. This takes about ½ to 1/3 of a page of an exam book
d. As for essays
i. Essays are thoughtful, well-organized responses to a prompt
ii. A good essay uses concrete examples such as the names of actual
people, places, and events (as opposed to a series of vague,
abstract statements)
iii. An essay is at least two pages of a blue book
iv. Fulfilling the minimum requirement for an essay earns you a
minimal grade (probably a C)
3. Book reviews
a. A book review is a minimum of two typed, double-spaced pages (without
using the top 1/3 of the page for your name and other such things)
b. A good book review accomplishes the following
i. Describes the book for a reader who has not yet read it.
ii. Focuses on describing and assessing the ideas conveyed by the
book
iii. Tells us what a reader learns from the book
iv. Spends very little time on issues like whether or not the book was
fun to read
v. Is well-organized and contains no typographical or grammatical
errors
vi. Employs a reasonably sophisticated vocabulary and does not use
words incorrectly
vii. As with essays written during an examination, fulfillment of the
minimum requirements earns a minimal grade (probably a C)