| Part II | Option | Convenor: Dr Mina Markovic |
Course Description 2025-26
This advanced seminar-based course will explore approaches to and topics in recent scholarship of modern Japanese history.
The class focuses on the main themes and topics in modern Japanese history which will bring together two terms of lectures and seminars, chronologically and thematically divided across one hundred and fifty years—from the end of the Tokugawa period (1603-1867) to the so-called “lost decades” (1990s-2000s). The aim of this class is to introduce most relevant political, social, and economic trends in Japan’s modern history, thus providing students with general framework of historical enquiry in the field of Japanese studies, while simultaneously encouraging them to explore own areas of interest, through historiographical research and the use of relevant primary and secondary sources.
Classes and Supervisions
| Michaelmas | Lent | Easter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of classes | 16 | 16 | / |
| No. of supervisions | 1 | 1 | / |
Form and Conduct
This exercise will consist of an extended essay of between 6,000 - 7,500 words, including footnotes, excluding bibliography. Two electronic copies (pdf and Word) of the research essay shall be submitted to the Programmes Administrator in the Faculty Office no later than the division of Full Easter Term. All students will also be expected to deliver a final presentation on their proposed essay topic in either the penultimate or final week of Lent term.
This description is subject to change, for the latest information, students should consult the Undergraduate Handbook available on the Faculty Intranet.