Imperial Japan: Expansion and War. A Humanities Approach to Japanese History, Part III.

Social Science Education Consortium, P.O. Box 21270, Boulder, CO 80308-4270 ($37.95 each; 3 part set: $106.95 prepaid, plus handling and shipping). Web site: http://www.ssecinc.org/pubs.

N

159

Department of Education, Washington, DC.

Practitioners; Teachers

Art; Asian History; Asian Studies; Change; Culture; Foreign Countries; Foreign Policy; Humanities; Interdisciplinary Approach; Literature; Public Policy; Secondary Education; Social Studies; World History

This unit covers the tumultuous period of 1894-1945 in modern Japanese history. The curriculum unit includes an assortment of Japanese arguments for and against government policies of expansion and war. The unit introduces a wide variety of Japanese materials, ranging from paintings to fiction to personal memoirs, that can enhance students' understanding of the richness and complexity of Japanese life during this period. Students interpret the materials and draw generalizations from them. There are four lessons in the packet. Lesson 1, "Why Empire? Why War?" challenges students to argue both for and against Japan's expansion into mainland Asia and the Pacific, from various Japanese points of view. Lesson 2, "Patriotism Reflected in Art and Literature," asks students to recognize the range of Japanese expressions of patriotism and reactions to the government's appeals to patriotism. Lesson 3, "Who Were the Non-Conformists? The Dissidents?" introduces students to individuals, both real and fictional, who chose not to conform to the Japanese government's standards for behavior during the Imperial period. In the final lesson of the unit, "The Social and Cultural Scene," students use art and literature of the Imperial period to explore domestic issues of importance to Japanese society. (EH)

2002

ED460884