EAS 105 CC: CONTROVERSIES IN EAST ASIA

With China’s economic dominance on the global stage and its increasing importance as a power in global conflicts, the dominance of South Korean technology and the “Korean wave” of cultural influence throughout the world, and Japan’s continued designation as one of the United States’ “closest allies,” the East Asian region has become pivotal to shaping the world in the 21st century. At the same time, the East Asian region is also enduring some of its greatest challenges, from the remnants of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the threat of a nuclear North Korea, and China-led geopolitical disputes throughout the region. In this course, students will acquire the necessary tools for grappling with these issues and other such "controversies" in the East Asian region. Students will build their toolkit through the analysis of literature, film, art, and music dealing with topics such as the historical memory of World War II, national identity, disputed territories and political tensions, fascism and communism, and questions of gender and sexuality. Through analyzing these cultural products, students will learn to understand and interpret the significance of these issues, both to the East Asian region and to themselves as Connecticut College students.