A
native Hoosier and former newspaper reporter, I am in my twenty-fifth year
at Wittenberg. My specialization is the history of Japan's Meiji era (1868-1912),
particularly the role of the newspaper press in bringing average citizens
into Japan's modern political life. In the classroom, I teach the whole
of East Asian history, everything from China in the age of the Middle Kingdom
to Japan under the samurai, then on to Korea's divided era. This semester,
I am teaching two courses, whose syllabi are attached. Modern East Asia
(History 162) deals with Japan, China, and Korea since 1600, the age in
which all three countries confronted the imperialists world in their own,
highly distinctive ways. Meiji Japan: Confronting the Modern (History 203)
is oriented toward research, with students using nineteenth century newspapers
to write a major research paper.
Professionally,
I am particularly interested in issues such as the long-term influence
of imperialism, the impact of nationalism and centralization on the peoples
of Japan, and the struggle for justice in modernizing societies. I am now
completing a work that has engaged me for many years: a biography of the
American journalist Edward H. House (1836-1901), who gave his life to promoting
equality for Japan in the imperialist world. I also am in the early stages
of a work to be called Japan: A History in Documents. And I edit
"Viewpoints" in the Asian Studies Newsletter, a column for which
I urge people to submit essays of up to 1,000 words.
Fall
Semester 2001
HIST
162: Modern East Asia
HIST
203: Meiji Japan
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Department
