Time Schedule:
Mahlon D. Meyer
HIST 388
Seattle Campus
Introduction to the discipline of history for new or prospective majors. Emphasizes the basic skills of reading, analysis, and communication (both verbal and written) that are central to the historian' s craft. Each seminar discusses a different subject or problem.
Class description
The course covers Taiwan from the Japanese occupation of 1895-1945 through the Kuomintang White Terror and eventual democratic reforms to the present economic and social crisis. Through films and readings, the course examines several themes prevalent in Taiwan Studies, to wit, the development of Taiwanese consciousness, mainlander identity and democratization. The seminar will examine and deconstruct these themes. Additionally, the seminar will look for ways to understand the connections between Taiwan's economic, social and political development and the course of the Chinese revolution. How could a small island, once used as a rice basket during the Qing dynasty, rise to develop a culture and society on par with European nations only to plunge into the current chaos and lack of direction? If possible, students may have the option of working on a proposal to be submitted to President Ma Ying-jeou for new ways of finding a direction for Taiwan's future development.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
