Japan: A History to 1600

This course examines Japan’s premodern past from its origins in prehistory to the end of the sixteenth century and provides a chronological overview of the political, social, economic, and cultural developments taking place in the archipelago.Themes of focus include pre- and protohistoric archaeology, state formation, the development of the ritsuryō system,and the rise of the warrior class. Primary sources are used to develop a range of historical skills; students learn how to critically assess these documents in context and to understand the nature and foundations of historians’ arguments and interpretations.