EAS 105 CC: CONTROVERSIES IN EAST ASIA

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics approaching, the dominance of South Korean technology in an intensely competitive global market, and China's increasing economic presence on the world stage, the East Asian region is becoming pivotal in shaping the world in the 21st century. At the same time, the East Asian region is also enduring some of its greatest dangers, including 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.