Any topic (writer’s choice)
You must find at least two academic publications research monograph (book), peer reviewed journal article, etc. other than the ones provided by me to you in the class readings for use as evidence to support your thesis. (Please email me if you have any doubts about the relevance of a particular source that you would like to use.) You are also expected to make use of the sources and readings we had assigned for class.
Read the questions carefully. You are welcomed and encouraged to make use of the readings, discussions, lectures and sources explored in the class when framing your answer. All materials directly quoted in the essays must be properly cited. Historians generally prefer footnotes to parenthetical citations, so I require that you follow the Chicago Manual of Style. DO NOT USE INTERNAL CITATIONS!
Using the preparatory work done for the modular assignments, students will write a formal essay answering one of the provided prompts. This assignment will require you to develop a thesis, organize an argument in support of that thesis, and correctly document your use of this sourced material. You will need to support your thesis with evidence from the materials presented and discussed in class as well as another secondary source that you find. You will have the opportunity to make use of the feedback from me on the modular assignments to improve your final paper.
Possible prompts to answer choose one:
The Shwa Emperor, on his visit to the United States in 1975, was asked about the differences between the prewar and the postwar eras. Do you agree with how he is said to have responded?
I realize that various people have advanced any number of opinions about this since the termination of the war. From the broadest point of view, however, I do not think there has been any change between the prewar and postwar period.
How do gender roles present in post-1945 Japan in terms of family life, work/labor, education, or politics differ from the various roles that prevailed in the Meiji, Taish or Shwa eras?
