History: Americans in East Asia

Topics examining the interconnected history of the Americas and other regions of the world outside of Europe. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: Three hours of History.

Asynchronous online course; dates are July 14 - August 8; Prerequisite: Three hours of History

This course is focused on the history of American travelers (merchants, soldiers, diplomats, intellectuals, artists, missionaries, teachers, etc.) in China, Japan, and Korea from the early 1800s until the 1960s. The aim of the class is to explore the historical construction of modern American identity through the analysis and interpretation of individual American experiences within the region of the world we know as East Asia. Students will participate in discussions of shared reading assignments and also engage in short research assignments using relevant primary source databases. NOTE: This course can be applied to either the Americas or Asia/Africa/Middle East/Global areas of concentration within the History major/minor.

The course will be structured in an asynchronous format, so students will not be required to attend class meetings in real time. All class discussions and writing assignments will have clear deadlines, however, so students will be expected to follow the course schedule closely.

Evaluation will be based upon enthusiastic participation in class discussions and the successful completion of several short writing assignments requiring the analysis and interpretation of primary source evidence.