The central themes are China's difficult transformation from a traditional dynasty to a modern state, and Japan's remarkable change from feudalism to authoritarianism and finally to democracy. Attention is also given to the inter-relationship between these two East Asian nations, through the period of Japanese invasion of China, through war and defeat of Japan, to the new alignment today. Also the edition entitled A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations by the same author is acceptable.
Classes meet normally four times weekly but they can be scheduled during any weekdays.
There will be one midterm examination, scheduled at the end of Unit 5. The final examination will be a comprehensive examination covering the work of the entire quarter. In addition there will be announced quizzes. All quizzes and examinations consist of essays and short answers, with a choice of questions. The course instructor retains the right to adjust the term grade within reason, in order to take into account the student's overall performance throughout the quarter.