21H.155 | Spring 2017 | Undergraduate

Modern Japan: 1868 to Present

Assignments

Presentations

Starting in Week 3, each student will present a brief review of one outside material that adds insight to the topic that’s being discussed during one of the class sessions. The outside material will be chosen in consultation with the instructor. In addition, students will present on their final papers during Week 14.

Essays

During the course of the semester, each student will complete three essays (due during Sessions 7, 14, and 25). Each essay is designed to help students synthesize the topics and materials covered in lectures, in-class discussions, and assigned materials. 

Essay 1: Was late Tokugawa Japan actually in trouble?

Essay 2: Visualizing Modernity

Essay 3: A historically-informed review of a significant example of a post-WWII or contemporary Japanese cultural product

Some Essay Tips

Questions to ask before turning in your paper:

  • Is the title of my essay informative?
  • Do I state my thesis point soon enough, perhaps even in the first sentence, and keep it in view throughout the paper? Is the opening paragraph interesting, and by its end, have I focused on the topic?
  • Is my organization clear? Does each point lead into the next, without irrelevancies and without anticlimaxes?
  • Is each paragraph unified by a topic sentence or topic idea?
  • Are my sentences concise, clear, and emphatic? Are needless words and inflated language eliminated?
  • Is the final paragraph conclusive without being repetitive?

Essay 1: Was late Tokugawa Japan actually in trouble? 

Given the discussions in Aizawa’s New Thesis and Musui’s autobiography, is the story of Tokugawa Japan in the first half of the 19th century best understood as being primarily characterized by social, political, and economic decline?

Make your case by citing specific examples from the assigned texts. While you may cite secondary sources, the essay should mainly rely on the close reading of Aizawa and Musui’s writings to backup its arguments.

Essay Format

Your essay should be formatted in the following manner:

  • Give the essay a title
  • 1,250 words (roughly 5 pages)
  • 12-pt. Times or Times New Roman font
  • Double-spaced
  • 1-inch margin
  • Citations given in footnotes in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style Citation Quick Guide
  • Microsoft Word or PDF file

The essay is due during Session 7.

Essay 2: Visualizing Modernity

Choose 1 (one) image from the MIT Visualizing Cultures website and 1 (one) primary text that was assigned in class. Analyze them closely and critically, and discuss how your selected sources highlight a central theme in the Japanese experience of modernity during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The image and text may represent complementary or contrasting perspectives. Make your case by citing specific examples from your selected sources. The arguments you make based on the analysis of your chosen sources should, in turn, be supported and supplemented by references to other primary as well as secondary sources assigned in class, along with references to lecture notes and the recommended Gordon text.

Essay Format

Your essay should be formatted in the following manner:

  • Cover page featuring the essay title and your chosen image
  • 1,500 words (roughly 6 pages)
  • 12-pt. Times or Times New Roman font
  • Double-spaced
  • 1-inch margin
  • Citations given in footnotes in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style Citation Quick Guide
  • Microsoft Word or PDF file

This essay is due during Session 14.

Essay 3: A historically-informed review of a significant example of a post-WWII or contemporary Japanese cultural product

Write a historically-informed review of a significant example of a post-WWII or contemporary Japanese cultural product, such as a film or a novel. Analyze the significance of your chosen subject in terms of the broader social, political, and/or cultural trends in modern Japanese history. What are the key historical themes and contexts that should inform the interpretation and evaluation your subject?

While you are free to choose your subject from among a broad range of post-1945 cultural products, your choice must be approved by the instructor.

Make your case by citing specific examples from your selected source. The arguments you make based on the analysis of your chosen source should, in turn, be supported and supplemented by references to primary as well as secondary sources assigned in class, along with references to lecture notes and the recommended Gordon text. In addition, cite at least two outside, scholarly sources, such as an article in an academic journal or a scholarly monograph, that help you analyze your chosen source.

Essay Format

Your essay should be formatted in the following manner:

  • Give the essay a title
  • 2,500 words (roughly equivalent to 10 pages)
  • 12-pt. Times or Times New Roman font
  • Double-spaced
  • 1-inch margin
  • Citations given in footnotes in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style Citation Quick Guide
  • Microsoft Word or PDF file

This essay is due during Session 25.

Course Info

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As Taught In
Spring 2017
Level
Undergraduate
Topics
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Written Assignments
Lecture Notes
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