Modern Asia in Life and History

Even if you have never traveled to Asia, chances are you have used electronics made in mainland China or Taiwan, listened to pop music from South Korea, or played video games designed in Japan. Asia is therefore already in your life without you knowing it and this course invites you to focus on the part of Asia around China, the Koreas, and Japan and examine their long-intertwined history in the past five hundred years and evolving connections to other parts of Asia and beyond. You will have the opportunity to unpack entertaining yet educational materials such as centuries-old Chinese jokes, a World War II era Japanese propaganda anime, and a more recent top-grossing Korean historic drama. Ultimately, you will gain deeper knowledge about a fifth of humanity, which will make you an educated global citizen, get you ready for the SLU study abroad programs in the region, and set you apart in the job market. Fulfills HU and DIV 13 Distributions.