This information is for the 2020/21 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Janet Hunter SAR 5.17
Availability
This course is available on the BSc in Economic History, BSc in Economic History with Economics, BSc in Economics and Economic History and BSc in Economics with Economic History. This course is not available as an outside option nor to General Course students.
Course content
The course combines an examination of selected major themes and historiographical issues in modern Japanese development with a focus on particular empirical aspects of Japanese economic history since the mid-19th century. Topics will include pre-industrial growth and its legacy; economic growth before the Second World War; formal and informal empire; the Pacific War and the Occupation of Japan; trade and interaction with the international economy; consumption and living standards; gender in the modern Japanese economy; institutions and organisations.
Teaching
20 hours of seminars in the MT. 20 hours of seminars in the LT. 2 hours of seminars in the ST.
20 weekly two-hour seminars in MT and LT. One 2-hour seminar in ST.
(There will be a Reading Week in the 6th week of MT and LT.)
Students are expected to do prior reading and preparation, to participate in group discussion and to make presentations.
Formative coursework
students will be expected to write two essays of no more than 2,500 words.
Indicative reading
A detailed reading/seminar list is handed out at the beginning of the course, but the texts listed below provide a background: A Gordon, A Modern History of Japan (2003); P Francks, Japanese Economic Development (3rd edn, 2015); P Francks, Rural Economic Development in Japan (2006); J E Hunter, 'The Japanese Experience of Economic Development' in P O'Brien (Ed, Industrialisation: Critical Perspectives on the World Economy (1998); M Tanimoto (eds), The Role of Tradition in Japan's Industrialisation (2006), Part 1.
Assessment
Exam (70%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.
Essay (30%, 3500 words) in the LT.
Key facts
Department: Economic History
Total students 2019/20: Unavailable
Average class size 2019/20: Unavailable
Capped 2019/20: No
Value: One Unit
Personal development skills
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.