Spring 2014 TAMU
Hist/Asia 350-500
MWF: 12:40-1:30 ZACH 105B
Office hours: MW 11:30-12:30 and by appointment
Dr. Olga Dror
Office: 103D Glasscock Bld.
E-mail: [email protected]
ASIA IN WORLD WAR II
Nanking Massacre, China, 1937
POWs on the Construction of the Thailand-Burma Railway, “Death Road,” 1942-3
Japanese Cartoon: “People of Southern Regions”
The late 1930s and the 1940s was a time that marked a point of no return in the history of
East and Southeast Asia. World War II drastically changed both the countries comprising
this region and the relationships of Europeans and Americans to these countries. When
Japan extended its domination by conquest, the responses of peoples in East and
Southeast Asia were mixed, ranging from admiration and collaboration to horror and
resistance. The most significant long-term development of this period was that
nationalists seized the opportunity for leadership and that independence movements
flourished in the countries that had formerly been colonized. The age of colonialism was
finished. The course will cover different aspects of World War II in East and Southeast
Asia, such as the origins and development of hostilities, wartime societies, culture,
collaboration, resistance, and the outcomes of the war. The course will also address
certain effects of the war in the United States upon Asian-Americans and upon American
attitudes toward Asians. In addition to secondary sources, students will refer to primary
historical documents, memoirs, and films.
THIS IS NOT A MILITARY HISTORY COURSE!
Prerequisites:
Junior or senior classification
Course Objectives:
1. The war in the Pacific has generally been taught from the American perspective. This
course expands students’ knowledge by emphasizing the Asian sides of the war.
2. In studying different, often conflicting, views of the war, students will get a
comparative perspective on the history of the war.
3. Students will acquire an understanding of the intellectual demands required of
historians through their own critical analysis—thinking, reading, listening, speaking, and
writing.
4. Students will gain an appreciation of history as both a field of knowledge and a
creative process.
Students Learning Outcomes
1.
2.
3.
4.
Understand history as a discipline
Evaluate and synthesize primary and secondary historical materials
Express one’s own ideas effectively in written and oral form
Identify historical and social contexts that created diversity in past and present
human cultures
5. Be effective in supporting one’s own ideas while simultaneously respecting the
view points of others.
6. Apply knowledge about the human condition – in the past and present – to one’s
own life and studies.
7. In studying different, often conflicting, views of the war, students will get a
comparative perspective on the history of the war.
Expectations and Requirements:
1. Attendance:
Your attendance and participation constitute a very important part not only of your
learning experience, but also of your final grade. Attendance is mandatory for a
successful completion of the course. University excused absences must be verified
in writing (refer to University Student Rules, art. 7, sec. 1 at http://studentrules.tamu.edu/rule7.htm). Each student is allowed 2 (two) unexcused absences
without penalty for all class meetings. For 3 (three) additional unexcused absences
four in total) your final grade will be reduced by a letter grade. The SIXTH
unexcused absence will result in your failing of the course. It is YOUR
responsibility to monitor the number of your absences.
2. Quizzes
There will be quizzes based on the books assigned for this class. You are not
expected to demonstrate knowledge of every minute detail of the readings
assigned for the day of the quiz but to provide me with a clear indication that you
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have read the book under discussion. These quizzes are very short consisting of 23 questions and do not last more than 5-7 minutes.
For these quizzes your grades should not fall below a grade of 85. If your
grade falls below “85,” it will indicate that you did not read the book(s) assigned
for that day thoroughly. In this case, WITHIN A WEEK AFTER THE DAY OF
THE QUIZ you will have to submit a 4-page paper on the book the quiz on which
you didn’t pass. It should be a critical review (not a summary but an analysis) of
that book AND you will have to re-take the quiz, with a passing grade, that is a
“85” or above.
If you do not do this, your FINAL grade for the course will be automatically
reduced by one-third of a letter grade for the first failed quiz for which you did
not submit a paper and I will factor an F for this quiz in my calculations of the
component “Quizzes” (see “Grading System” on the next page). If you do not
pass another quiz and don’t submit a paper, your FINAL grade for the course will
be reduced by two-thirds of a letter grade and I will factor an F in my calculations
of the component “Quizzes.” You will not be able to get a grade higher than a “B”
on the second failed quiz upon submission of your paper.
PLEASE NOTE: YOU ARE ALLOWED TO SUBMIT A PAPER TO
REPLACE YOUR QUIZ GRADE NO MORE THAN TWICE DURING THE
SEMESTER. If you exceed this limit, the third quiz with a grade below “85” will
automatically reduce your FINAL grade by one-third of a letter grade AND will
be factored as an F in my calculations of the component “Quizzes,” while each
next failed (below 85) quiz will reduce your final grade by two-thirds of a letter
grade AND will be factored as an F in my calculations of the component
“Quizzes.”
According to Student Rule 7.3 a student with an excused absence has 30
calendar days to make up missed work or exams/quizzes.
3. Papers: You are required to write two papers on the topic indicated in the
syllabus. The papers should be 800-1000-word-long. Papers should be typed,
double-spaced, font size 12 (Times or Time New Roman). They must have proper
foot- or endnotes. I will not accept e-mail submissions.
Your papers must contain an argument rather than being descriptive pieces.
Due Dates:
Late work will be penalized by a reduction of your grade by two thirds of a grade
per day. “Day” is defined as a time between 10 minutes and 24 hours after the
deadline. In the event of serious illness or family emergency, however, please
notify me as soon as possible and we will try to make alternative
arrangements.
4. Exams. There will be a final and midterm exams, which will include identification and
essay questions.
Grading:
Participation in class - 15%
Quizzes – 15%
2 Papers – 15% each
Mid-term exam – 20%
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Final exam – 20%
You can choose not to write the second paper. In order to be able to do so you will
have to
1. Have a grade higher than 90 on your first paper.
2. Have a mid-term exam grade higher than 85.
3. Have all quiz grades higher than 90.
If you exercise this option, your final grade’s composition will be as follows:
Participation in class – 15%
Quizzes – 15%
Paper – 20%
Mid-term exam – 25%
Final exam – 25%
Required Texts:
1. Robert Smith Thompson, Empires on the Pacific (Basic Books, 2002)
2. Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking (Penguin, 1998)
3. Michio Takeyama, Harp of Burma (Tuttle Publishing, 1968)
4. Lester I. Tenney, My Hitch in Hell: The Bataan Death March (Potomac Books,
2007)
5. Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student
Soldiers (University Of Chicago Press, 2007)
6. John Hersey, Hiroshima (Vintage, 1989)
7. John Okada, No-No Boy (University of Washington Press, February 1978)
8. Masanobu Tsuji, Japan’s Greatest Victory. Britain’s Worst Defeat (New York, Sarpedon,
1993) (optional)
All the readings ending with an asterisk (*) will be in an electronic course packet.
Readings assigned for each class in the syllabus are listed under the topic of the day for which they
are assigned.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute
that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among
other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a
learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If
you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the
Department of Student Life, Services for Students with Disabilities, in Cain Hall, room
B118. The phone number is 845-1637."
Plagiarism
The Texas A&M University Student Rules (available online by consulting
http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu) contains a clear statement regarding "Academic Dishonesty
& Plagiarism." Plagiarism is a form of cheating. According to the aggiehonor Web site,
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“plagiarism” can be understood as "failing to credit sources used in a work product in an
attempt to pass of the work as one's own." It is also "attempting to receive credit for
work performed by another, including papers obtained in whole or in part from [other]
individuals or other sources," such as from Internet Web sites, books, magazines,
journals, or newspapers. If you are unsure of the meaning of this description, confer with
the professor if you have any questions. Penalties for plagiarism include an 'F' on the
assignment and an 'F' in the course, and may lead to expulsion from the university.
“History majors who wish to explore career ideas are encouraged to contact our History
Department Undergraduate Advisors, Dr. Philip Smith ([email protected]) or Ms. Robyn
Konrad ([email protected]), in Room 105, Glasscock Building or the Career
Advisor for Liberal Arts, Tricia Barron ([email protected]) in 209 Koldus
for more information. "
CALL, E-MAIL ME, OR STOP BY ANY TIME YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR
PROBLEMS REGARDING THIS COURSE
It is your responsibility to check your e-mail regularly as I and your classmates
will be posting questions and updates through the Internet
1. January 13, M – Introduction to the course: “Know your enemy – Japan”
2. January 15, W – Discussion in Class

John W. Dower, “Pattern of a Race War,” pp. 1-32;
3. January 17, F – Imperial China and the West

Thompson, pp. 3-20
January 20, M – Martin Luther King’s Day – No classes
4. January 22, W – Japan’s Response to the West

Thompson, pp. 21-55
5. January 24, F – Origins of WWII

“Rise of Ultranationalism and the Pacific War,” Lu, Japan, pp. 409-17 (*);

Tadao Yanaihara, “Japan’s Advance Southward. A Necessity” (*)

“Doctrinal Basis for the War,” (*)

Frank Gibney, Senso, pp. 9-19 (*)
6. January 27, M – Japanese Occupation of Korea

Adrian Buzo, The Making of Modern Korea, pp. 14-37 (*);

Hildi Kang, Under the Black Umbrella, pp. 49-60 (*)
7. January 29, W – Manchurian “Incident”

Thompson, pp. 57-73

Start reading Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking
8. January 31, F – Advance to China

Keep reading Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking
9. February 3, M – Movie in Class: “In the Name of the Emperor”

Keep reading Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking
10. February 5, W – Discussion Session and Quiz

Finish reading Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking
*******************First Paper Due in Class***********************
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11. February 7, F - Road to Pearl Harbor
PAPER DUE IN CLASS
TOPIC: COMPARE AND/OR CONTRAST JAPANESE POLICIES IN CHINA
TO THAT IN KOREA OR TAIWAN
12. February 10, M – Advance into Southeast Asia: Indochina

Thompson, pp. 75-98; 101-122
13. February 12, W – Singapore

Thompson, pp. 122-140;

Masanobu Tsuji, Japan’s Greatest Victory. Britain’s Worst Defeat, pp. 1-87 (*)
14. February 14, F – Papers discussed in class

Keep reading Masanobu Tsuji, Japan’s Greatest Victory. Britain’s
Worst Defeat, pp. 182-228, 237-270 (*)
15. February 17, M – Discussion Session and Quiz

Finish reading Masanobu Tsuji, Japan’s Greatest Victory. Britain’s
Worst Defeat, pp. 182-228, 237-270 (*)
16. February 19, W – Burma

Thompson, pp. 141-158;

Start reading Michio Takeyama, The Harp of Burma
17. February 21, F – Discussion Session and Quiz

Finish reading Michio Takeyama, The Harp of Burma
18. February 24, M – Indonesia and Thailand

Start reading Lester Tenney, My Hitch in Hell
19. February 26, W – The Philippines

Thompson, pp. 158-177;

Keep reading Lester Tenney, My Hitch in Hell
20. February 28, F – Review and Preparation for the Mid-term exam

Keep reading Lester Tenney, My Hitch in Hell
21. March 3, M – Discussion Session and Quiz

Finish reading Lester Tenney, My Hitch in Hell
22. March 5, W – MID-TERM EXAM
23. March 7, F – Midway and America Rising
 Thompson, pp. 177-209
***HAVE A HAPPY SPRING BREAK!***
24. March 17, M – Significance of the Pacific Islands

Thompson, pp. 209-220
25. March 19, W – American Strategy: China-Burma-India theater

Thompson, pp. 221-256
26. March 21, Island hopping

Thompson, pp. 257-276
27. March 24, F - Japan’s Weakening

Thompson, pp. 277-293
28. March 26, W – Kamikaze and Japanese War-time Psychology

Start reading Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze Diaries
29. March 28, F – NO CLASS

Keep reading Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze Diaries
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30. March 31, M – Discussion Session and Quiz

Finish reading Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, Kamikaze Diaries
31. April 2, W – Allies’ Conferences and Their Return to Asia

Thompson, pp. 296-326
32. April 4, F – Surrender of Japan

Start reading Hersey, Hiroshima
33. April 7, M – Atomic Bombing and Its Aftermath

Keep reading Hersey, Hiroshima
34. April 9, W –Discussion Session and Quiz

Finish reading Hersey, Hiroshima
35. April 11, F - Japanese in the US during the War

Start reading John Okada, No-no Boy
36. April 14, M – Movie in class “Rabbit in the Moon”

Keep reading John Okada, No-no Boy
37. April 16, W – Discussion Session and Quiz

Finish reading John Okada, No-no Boy
38. April 21, M – Japan under Occupation

Curtis Andressen, “Occupation and Resurrection,” A Short History of
Japan, pp. 118-27 (*);
*******************SECOND Paper Due in Class***********************
TOPIC: ON BEHALF OF A KAMIKAZE PILOT WRITE A REVIEW OF
OKADA’S BOOK
39. April 23, W – Post-war Development in Asia

Thompson, pp. 377-390;
40. April 25, F – Memory and Legacy of the War

Keni’ichi Goto, “Contemporary Japanese Views of the Occupation of
Southeast Asia,” pp.266-91 (*)
41. April 28, M – Discussion Session and Quiz

Yui, Daizaburo, “Between Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima/Nagasaki: A
Psychological Vicious Circle,” pp. 42-55 (*);

Sodei Rinjiro, “Hiroshima/Nagasaki as History and Politics,” pp. 37-41 (*)
42. April 29, T – Review and Preparation for the Final Exam
FINAL EXAM: MAY 5, 10:30-12:30
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