900 State Street Salem, Oregon 97301 This course will examine
Japan’s historical experience since the end of World War II. How
did the Allied occupation shape the development of contemporary
Japan? How has Japan evolved since the end of the occupation
into a modern economic superpower? How is modern Japan governed
and how do modern Japanese define themselves in terms of their
own culture and in relation to the rest of the world? Using
novels and films along with a variety of other readings, this
course will explore these and other questions, which will help
us understand how contemporary Japan sees itself and its
relationship to the modern world.