Today, China, Korea, and Japan are known for their powerful economies, their technological achievements, and their contributions to global popular culture. Diplomatic relations between the East Asian countries are tense, due to ideological differences, border disputes, pollution, epidemics, and the memory of Japanese colonial aggression. But what was the relationship between the East Asian continent, the Korean peninsula, and the Japanese archipelago before modern times, before East Asia was divided into races and nations? This course follows kings and emperors, conquerors and diplomats, monks and merchants as they establish polities, expand boundaries, spread religions and philosophical ideas, and exchange goods in a changing cultural landscape, from ca. 1600 BCE to ca. 1800 CE.

Course Requirements:

Attendance, class participation, quizzes, midterm, and final examinations

Intended Audience:

Prior familiarity with East Asian history is not required

Class Format:

Lecture, with some discussion of primary sources, discussion sessions