What we think of today as East Asia has a long history of both shared culture and separate experiences. In premodern East Asia, cultural contacts led to commonalities including systems of writing and ways of thought such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. In modern times and in becoming nations, China, Japan, and Korea each sought their own identity. The reforms and revolutions that Asia has experienced since 1600 can be viewed both in the context of the region and through the experience of each nation. This is an introductory course in the cultural, social, and political history of East Asia.

What we think of today as East Asia has a long history of both shared culture and separate experiences. In premodern East Asia, cultural contacts led to commonalities including systems of writing and ways of thought such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. In modern times and in becoming nations, China, Japan, and Korea each sought their own identity. The reforms and revolutions that Asia has experienced since 1600 can be viewed both in the context of the region and through the experience of each nation. This is an introductory course in the cultural, social, and political history of East Asia.