Purpose of Course

This course surveys the history and memory revolving around the war between China and Japan (1937-45), which was part of the Pacific phase of World War II. At the center of an ongoing controversy was a massacre which took place in Nanjing, China, early in the war that left anywhere between 20 ,000 to 300,000 people dead, depending on the source of information. By focusing on how the Sino-Japanese War, and especially the Nanjing (Nanking) Massacre has been remembered in both China and Japan, this course explores the relationship between memory, politics, culture, and society in the formation of historicy and memory in modern China and Japan.

Readings

The following book is a required reading available from the campus Barnes & Noble bookstore. They are also available from online venues such as www.amazon.com.

Li, Feifei. Nanking 1937. M.E.Sharpe, 2002.

Wakabayashi, Bob. The Nanking Atrocity 1937-38. Berghahn Books, 2007.

Required readings also include online readings that are available from the Canvas Syllabus.

Course Requirements

• Requirements include

  I. Weekly discussions: There are usually several batches of reading assignments a week, and there are one or two essay questions for each week. Answers to these questions are to be posted on Canvas assignments, with links in the Canvas syllabus. They are due on Tuesday morning at 1am central time (2am eastern time). For instance, the two questions for week 1 are due by 1am (cst) Tuesday, May 26. The exception is week 8, when all assignments are due by Sunday July 12 at 1am (central standard time).

  How to answer discussion questions: Each discussion question should be answered in TWO ways: by posting your answer and posting a critique/commentary on someone else's posting. Your grade for each question is based on both your posting and your comments. Both essay and response should follow the rubrics provided in the Canvas Syllabus. Your comments to another's posting can be posted AFTER the due date/time of the assignment question, before the next batch of homework is due, though.

II. Two take-home papers, each 8-10 pages, typed, double spaced. The papers need citations.

You will use the built-in paper topics in the syllabus, at week 4, and at the end of the syllabus respectively. You are required to use both in-class readings and one or two outside sources for your papers. The papers are to be submitted via Canvas Assignments or through links in the Canvas Syllabus. The due dates are as indicated on the syllabus.

Learning Outcomes:

• Familiarity with the modern histories of China and Japan, especially the social and political contexts of Chinese and Japanese history around the time of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-45).
• Ability to distinguish between factual knowledge and interpretation and to recognize that facts and interpretations are not always easily distinguishable; ability to discern historical craftsmanship in historical narratives.
• Ability to see historical narratives as conditioned by various factors, pinpoint some of these factors, and discuss them.
• Ability to critique the interpretations of the memories and histories surrounding the Nanjing/Nanking atrocities,and build a framework to understand the Nanjing atrocities (1937-38) on both the historical accounts directly on the incidents and on the interpretations.

Method of grading: all grades are assigned in percentages, which will be tabulated at the end of the semester and converted to letter grades. The averages of your take-home papers and of your weekly writing assignments will be taken to represent the grades for your take-home paper and weekly writing assignment. The conversion is as follows: 93-100: A; 90-93: A-; 85-89.9: B+; 80-84.9: B; 75-79.9: B-; 70-74.9: C+; 65-69.9: C; 60-64.9: C-; 55-59.9: D+; 50-54.9: D; 45-49.9: D-; 44 and below: F.

Grade distribution is as follows:

Useful links:

A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilizations
People`s Daily.
yahoo`s China site
Asia Through the Lens: Photography of China and Japan, 1870-19
Website with Chinese maps: http://www.chinapage.org/map/map.html
(Columbia University) Asia for Educators
Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies
MIT Visualizing Cultures
Japan Focus

Ancient Japan
Feudal Japan
Tokugawa Japan
Kabuki
19th Century Japanese Modernization
East Asia

Youtube viewing:
Short documentary on Nanking Massacre

Class schedule

Week 1 (May 18-24): Understanding memory and history, and background on 19th-early 20th century Chinese and Japanese history I. Introduction: The study of history and memory. Pierra Nora: Between Memory and History (Canvas Syllabus). Reading outcomes: 1. Nora's views on conditions for memory and history and the distinction between memory and history, 2. development of a critical view on memory and history. II. China and Japan in the twentieth century. Notes . Discussion question 1 (associated with Reading 1): Nora talks about how changes are the ultimate driving force of memory, and history. Use one example to illustrate your understanding of memory and history and how your views compare with Nora's definitions of memory and history. III. China and Japan in World War II. Online readings in Modern China and Modern Japan (Canvas Syllabus) Reading outcomes: 1. Overview of Chinese and Japanese societies in the 19th century; 2. Patterns of China and Japan's encounters with Western countries in the 19th century, 3. Patterns of Chinese and Japanese modernizations and differences, 4. Causes for the Sino (Chinese)-Japanese War (1937-45) (1-2 page essay) Discussion question 2 (associated with Reading III): Provide an overview of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-45), including a brief background description of China and Japan right before the war, causes of the war, and immediate causes of the Battle of Nanjing and the atrocities that ensued. (1-2 page essay)

Week 2 (May 25-31)Memories of War: China and Japan, on the Nanking (Nanjing) Massacre Reading outcomes: become familiar with some of the Chinese and Japanese arguments on the Nanjing Atrocities (1937-38) Readings:  I. Chinese and Taiwanese historians' perspectives: Li, chaps.3, 5. II. Japanese perspectives: Li, chap.5, 7; Wakabayashi, chaps.2, 3 & 4. Discussion question 3. (based on readings I & II, drawing on at least three chapters, and at least one chapter from each group): Can you find distinctly different approaches in the depiction of the Nanjing atrocities from the Chinese and Japanese historians respectively? Back up your observations with examples from the readings. (3-4 page essay).

Week 3 (June 1-7) The interpretations of historical memory I. Japanese memory of the "Hundred Man Massacre" in the Battle of Nanjing (Nanking). Wakabayashi, chap.6. Notes. II. Higashinakano and his depiction of the Nanjing atrocities. Li, chap.6, Wakabayashi, chap.14. Discussion question 4. (associated with reading I): Comment on Wakabayashi's argument that the 100 man killing contest was fabricated--what does it say about war and memory? (1-2 page essay) Discussion question 5. (based on reading II): Compare the Higashinakano depicted by Tokushi with the article by Higashinakano in Li, chap.7. (1-2 page essay)

Week 4 (June 8-14) First take-home paper due on Tuesday June 16 at 1am cst via submission link under week 5 Lessons. Topic: Using in-class readings and an outside source, discuss how the Nanjing Massacre was interpreted by the Chinese and Japanese historians/critics and the possible causes for the differences. The paper needs to be 8-10 pages, double spaced, with citations, and a bibliography of any outside source.

Week 5 (June 15-21) History and memory: what shapes historical memory? Reading goals: We read three essays on how historical memory is/should be shaped.. I. History and memory from a transnational perspective.  Li, chaps. 9 & 11. Notes II. Online reading: "Remembering History, Not hatred: Collective Remembrance of China's War of Resistance to Japan." Discussion question 6: Drawing on all three readings here: What different approaches Schwarcz, Yang and Reilly are suggesting on dealing with the historical memory of Nanjing 1937? Comment on each approach in terms of how effectively it captures the historical past. (3-4 pages)

Week 6 (June 22-28) Memory and the politics of interpretation Reading goals: more systematic readings on how history is interpreted: what factors influence people to interpret history in a certain way. Readings: I. Li, chap.1, II. Wakabayashi, chap.12. III. Online reading: "The Politics of History in Chinese-Japanese Relations." Online reading notes. Discussion question 7: According to readings I, II and III, nationalism or national identity have been a guiding principle of Chinese interpretation of modern history, including the Nanjing atrocities of 1937. Politicians also make use of such tendencies in China. Give examples from each article to illustrate how each of the three authors have approaches this question of nationalism and history. Use your view points and arguments to string the discussions together. (3-4 pages)

Week 7 (June 29-July 5) Japanese memories of Nanjing 1937 Reading goals: familiarize oneself with the historiography of comparative German-Japanese studies in terms of World War II and memories of it. Readings: I. Comparing Japan and Germany. Online reading: "Entangled Memories: Versions of the Past in Germany and Japan". Notes. II. Wakabayashi, chap.16. III. Conrad, "The Dialectics of Remembrance: Memories of Empire in Cold War Japan." Discussion question 8: On Conrad's German-Japan comparison (reading I): what are the frameworks of comparison that Conrad uses here. Are such comparisons reasonable? (1-2 pages) Discussion question 9: Based on readings II (especially Wakabayashi's discussion of the death toll in Nanjing (Wakabayashi, 367-84)) and III, comment on the factors that shape post-war Japanese memories of the war. (1-2 pages)

Week 8 (July 6-12) Second take-home paper due by Sunday July 12 at 1am cst. The paper should be 8-10 pages, typed, double-spaced, using both in class readings, especially readings from the 5th week on, and two outside sources (e.g. articles from JSTOR). Paper topic: based on our readings of Chinese and Japanese memories of World War II, discuss how the memories of the Nanjing Massacre have been influenced by the politics, culture, and history in China and Japan in the past century. Is it possible to reach a true understanding of the massacre/atrocity on both sides? why or why not?

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