Guide in PDF format

History of East Asia I

Code: 108294
Credits: 6

2026/2027

Degree programme	Type	Course
East Asian Studies	FB	1

Contact lecturer

Name :: Maria Gemma Rubi Casals
Email :: mariagemma.rubi@uab.cat

Teaching staff

: Miguel Angel Rio Morillas
: Jordi Sancho Galan

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

None.

Objectives

To acquire knowledge and understanding of the history of East Asia (primarily China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan), from prehistory and antiquity through the pre-modern and modern periods.
To apply appropriate methods and documentary sources to analyse the historical and cultural relationships and interactions among these countries within the geographical and chronological framework of East Asia.

Learning outcomes

CM05 (Implement the sustainable, professional and critical use of ICT for the efficient consultation and compilation of sources, and for the clear analysis and presentation of information on geography and history.) Implement the sustainable, professional and critical use of ICT for the efficient consultation and compilation of sources, and for the clear analysis and presentation of information on geography and history.
KM06 (Identify and describe the processes and facts of pre-modern, modern and contemporary East Asian history, taking into account the gender perspective.) Identify and describe the processes and facts of pre-modern, modern and contemporary East Asian history, taking into account the gender perspective.
KM07 (Identify the structures, agents, institutions, and organisms that shape the historical processes of premodern, modern, and contemporary world history in relation to East Asia.) Identify the structures, agents, institutions, and organisms that shape the historical processes of premodern, modern, and contemporary world history in relation to East Asia.
SM06 (Analyse social phenomena (internal and international migration, ethnic and cultural diversity, and mechanisms of gender inequality) in contrast to the geographical and historical circumstances of East Asian countries.) Analyse social phenomena (internal and international migration, ethnic and cultural diversity, and mechanisms of gender inequality) in contrast to the geographical and historical circumstances of East Asian countries.
SM07 (Apply the key concepts and theoretical framework of geography and history in the analysis of the study region.) Apply the key concepts and theoretical framework of geography and history in the analysis of the study region.

Introduction. What is History? Historical science. Constructing the social need for an awareness of the past. The evolution of historiography. History in the contemporary world: between legitimizing discourse and academic discipline.

Asia? Europe? The relativity and historicity of geographical and political concepts. A brief introduction to the history of words and the misconceptions inherent in common ways of designating "others"—specifically the subjects of this course. The Eurocentric starting point. The history of Asia that we Europeans have learned. Gradually acknowledging the limitations of "our" point of view: what if Europe were not the center of the world? What if the "West" were not the center either? And what if it turns out the world has no "center" at all?
Major Asian cultures and civilizations before the rise of Europe. Introduction to East Asia.
Fascination with the East. Merchants, travellers, adventurers, and pirates: between literature and the hunger for economic expansion. European myths regarding Eastern reality. The actual presence of the East in the West.
China, Japan, and Korea (13th–16th centuries). The Chinese sphere: the Mongol Empire and the Yuan Dynasty (1206–1368). The Japanese sphere: the first shogunate, Kamakura (1185–1333). The Korean sphere: the Joseon Dynasty (1312–1600).
The European assault on Asia (16th–18th centuries). Europeans and the Silk Road. Colonialism and imperialism. From private enterprises to state-led conquests. Early missionaries in Japan and China.
China, Japan, and Korea (16th–20th centuries). The Chinese sphere: the Ming (1368–1644), the Qing (1644–1911), and the Opium Wars. Japanese sphere: Ashikaga (1333–1573), Tokugawa (1600–1868), and the Meiji regime (1868–1912). Korean sphere: the Joseon dynasty (1600–1910).

Learning activities and methodology

Title	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
Reporting, practices and work	15	0.6	CM05, KM06, KM07, SM06, SM07
Individual study and reading of texts. Writing papers. Preparation of oral comments and seminars. Research Bibliographic information	75	3	CM05, KM06, KM07, SM06, SM07
Classes led by professor	45	1.8	CM05, KM06, KM07, SM06, SM07
Exercises prescribed learning	5	0.2	KM06, KM07, SM06, SM07

Teaching methodology: Faculty-led lectures and practical sessions, close reading of academic texts, training in information-search strategies, analytical assignments and text commentaries, and independent study. All activities are subject to strict deadlines in accordance with the course schedule.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title	Weight	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
Written examinations	30%	2	0.08	CM05, KM06, KM07, SM06, SM07
Historical Research Project	40%	6	0.24	CM05, KM06, KM07, SM06, SM07
Individual examination	30%	2	0.08	KM06, KM07, SM06, SM07

Continuous Assessment

Students are required to demonstrate their progress by completing a range of assessment activities. These activities are detailed in the table at the end of this section of the Course Guide.

Assessment Activities

Individual examination: 30%
Written examinations: 30%
Historical research project: 40%

Review of Assessment

When the final grade is published prior to the official submission of grades, the lecturer will inform students in writing of the date and time scheduled for the review of assessment results. The review of the various assessment activities will be arranged between the lecturer and the student.

Resit Assessment

Students may take the resit assessment provided that they have completed assessment activities accounting for at least 66.6% (two-thirds) of the final grade and have obtained a weighted average mark of 3.5 or higher.

When the final grade is published prior to the official submission of grades, the lecturer will provide written information regarding the resit procedure. A separate resit activity may be set for each failed or missed assessment, or several assessment activities may be combined into a single resit task. Under no circumstances may the resit consist of a single final assessment accounting for 100% of the course grade.

The highest mark that may be awarded following resit assessment is 5.0 (Pass).

"Not Assessable" Status

Students will receive a grade of "Not Assessable" (NA) if the assessment evidence submitted represents no more than one quarter (25%) of the total course assessment.

Academic Misconduct

Any irregularity in an assessment activity (including plagiarism, cheating, impersonation, or any other form of academic misconduct) will result in a mark of 0 for that activity. If irregularities are detected in more than one assessment activity, the final grade for the course will be 0. Assessment activities affected by academic misconduct are not eligible for resit.

Use of AI

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage of the assessment process in this course. Any assignment containing AI-generated content will be considered a breach of academic integrity and will receive a mark of 0, irrespective of any disciplinary procedures that may also be initiated.

Single Assessment

This course offers a Single Assessment option in accordance with the academic regulations of the UAB and the assessment criteria established by the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting. Students wishing to opt for Single Assessment must submit the corresponding electronic application within the deadline established by the Faculty and send a copy to the course coordinator for information.

The Single Assessment will take place on a single day during Weeks 16 or 17 of the semester. The date and time will be published by the Academic Administration on the Faculty's website. On the day of the assessment, students will be required to present a valid official form of identification with a recent photograph (student ID card, national identity card, or passport).

Single Assessment Activities

The final grade will be based on the following components:

Written examination (essay/concept development): 40%
Multiple-choice test: 30%
Research project with oral presentation: 30%

The procedures for reviewing grades and for resit assessment are the same as those applicable to students following the Continuous Assessment system.

Bibliography

GENERAL

HOLCOMBE, Charles, Una historia de Asia Oriental. De los orígenes de la civilización al siglo XXI, México, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2016.
KRUGMAN, Paul, El internacionalismo "moderno". La economía internacional y las mentiras de la competitividad, Barcelona, Crítica, 1997.
LIVI-BACCI, Massimo, RODINSON, Maxime, Historia mínima de la población mundial Islam y capitalismo, Barcelona, Ariel, 1990.
SCHIROKAUER, Conrad & BROWN, Miranda, Breve historia de la civilización china, Barcelona, Edicions Bellaterra, 2006.
SCHIROKAUER, Conrad, LURIE, David & GAY, Suzanne, Breve historia la civilización japonesa, Barcelona, Edicions Bellaterra, 2014.
SETH, Michael J., A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present (2nd ed.), Lanham, MD, Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.
SELLIER, Jean, Breve historia de la civilización japonesa Atlas de los pueblos del Asia meridional y oriental, Barcelona, Paidós, 2002.
TAKAHASHI, Hachiroemon Koachiro. Del feudalismo al capitalismo. Problemas de la Transición, Barcelona, Crítica, 1986.

EAST-WEST PERSPECTIVES AND WORLDVIEWS

GOLDEN, Seán, Multilateralismo versus unilateralismo en Asia: el peso internacional de los 'valores asiáticos',Barcelona, Ediciones CIDOB, 2004.
LACH, Donald F., Asia in the making of Europe, Chicago, University of Chicago Press (3 vols.), 1970-1994.
LOUI, Kam, "Los valores asiáticos y la internacionalización del confucianismo", en Seán Golden, ed., Multilateralismo versus unilateralismo en Asia: el peso internacional de los 'valores asiáticos', Barcelona, Ediciones CIDOB, 2004, pp. 173-195.
OLLÉ, Manel, La empresa de China: De la Armada Invencible al Galeón de Manila, Barcelona, Acantilado, 2002.
SAID, Edward W., Orientalismo, Barcelona, Debate, 2002 [ed.revisada 1997].

EAST ASIA BEFORE THE 20th CENTURY

BEASLEY, William, G. La restauración Meiji, Gijón, Editorial Satori, 2007.
CUMINGS, Bruce, Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History (ed. revisada), New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 2004.
GERNET, Jaques, El mundo chino, Crítica, Barcelona, 2005.
HANE, Mikiso, Breve historia del Japón, Madrid, Alianza, 2000.
KAMENAROVIC, Ivan P., La Chine Classique, París, Les Belles Lettres, 2002.

Accessible digital documents: https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/guibib/224929/bibrecdigitals.pdf.

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