History

From ancient times people have been interested in recording or analyzing past events, thereby giving birth to different traditions of telling history and the development of history as an academic discipline with a strict methodology. Still, people often ignore the conventions of this field when they refer to past events. We must deal with the whole of the past and reveal it based on valid methods, without making choices based simply on what we like. There were always kings, politicians etc. who tried to create a glorious past or hide an inglorious past, to change or use memories of the past for harming others or benefiting themselves. The misuse of history is part of our long history, and it has always been the responsibility of historians to organize/analyze past sources and describe a fair picture of the past.

This course aims to provide a firm understanding about history as an academic discipline, with its general rules and methods, its strengths and limits, while at the same time, gaining an understanding of why a correct or decent understanding of history is (and was) important for us to cope with internal and external problems in our world.

This course focuses on four major themes in Japanese and East Asian history:
(1) Diplomacy and trade;
(2) Disasters and Pandemics;
(3) War and Politics; and,
(4) Territory.
 

Each week the course explores a selection of primary documents related to these themes and key events. The goals of this course are: (1) To think about how and why different people have recorded and written about past historical events; (2) To consider how these events and documents were interpreted by different stakeholders/audiences/winners/losers at the time, and (3) to identify the challenges and limitations faced by historians as we seek to better understand the past, and its relevance for the world we live in today.

 

This course sheds light on the history of Liberalism through a comparison between Britain and France. It builds a step-by-step history of liberal movements, liberal ideas, and their contradictions, both through British political history and French history, to provide a better understanding of both historical debates and today's issues regarding the notion of Liberalism in context. The course questions the view of Britain as a country of successful liberalism and France as one of failed or incomplete liberalism. It addresses Liberalism and anti-liberalism at the crossroads of political history, intellectual history, and political philosophy.

This course examines the themes surrounding global organizational processes: how state systems work, where the desire for a global political order comes from, which institutions regulate global relations and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Are we on course for a global government, or will the rise of new centers of world power instead lead to greater fragmentation? The emphasis lies on the last hundred years, in particular on institutions such as the League of Nations, the United Nations, and other global governance organizations. Research is conducted into the motivations behind setting up these institutions, how the interests of various individual nations (or groups of nations) were represented, and which obstacles formed an impediment to decisive governance on global issues. Attention is devoted not only to political organizations, but also to economic and cultural institutions (IMF, the World Bank, ADB), to allow students to acquire a thorough understanding of the structure of the international order and the recent developments in an increasingly polycentric world.

This course consists mainly of the translation from classical Chinese into English, and hence students must have at least a working knowledge of both these languages. The secondary focus of this course is to develop academic writing skills, knowledge of translation theory and practice, and enhancing students’ knowledge of the historical and cultural background of the texts read in class. This course introduces the characteristic features of traditional culture of China, and investigates their significance on the contemporary Chinese society. Specifically, the course focuses on the relationship between the traditional cultural heritage and the contemporary China. Besides, it covers general ideas of the main texts on Chinese literary, history, and philosophy. In addition, some archeological and anthropological research are introduced for relevant issues. This course also introduces students to key ideas in translation theory and practice, which are relevant to anyone working in a multi-lingual environment. Students are encouraged to consider the problems of both the source text and the target language, and guided in strategies towards overcoming these difficulties. This course also introduces English language academic writing, aimed at students of Chinese language and literature.

The texts read in class consist of selected chapters of the Ming dynasty classic historical novel, the Dongzhou lieguo zhi 東周列國志 (Romance of the Kingdoms and States of the Eastern Zhou) by Feng Menglong 馮夢龍 (1574-1645). The period in history covered by this novel (771-221 BCE) is crucial in the history and culture of East Asia, and it provides a highly readable, interesting and historically accurate portrayal of the era. This novel is also important in that it consistently stresses the cultural importance of these events, and their ongoing significance for later Chinese history right up to modern times. In addition to translation, students will be expected to discuss issues raised in the text, and to defend their ideas in discussion in class.

This course provides a France-centric view of medieval history in Europe, from the fall of Rome until the Renaissance, focusing specifically on the prevailing secular and religious powers at the time. It examines the political, geographical, religious, and social life of these medieval societies in both their both local and relational contexts. The course includes a comprehensive look at Charlemagne, the Carolingian Empire, and the Frankish clergy, and explores how their influence defined the Early Middle Ages.