HIST 386 - Samurai Japan: 1192–1868

3 Credit(s)

The Samurai era in Japan began with the Kamakura period (1192–1333) and ended with the 1868 Meiji Restoration. During this long span of Japanese history, elite warriors in Japan enjoyed significant political power. As rulers, administrators, land-managers, scholars, physicians, and martial arts instructors, they profoundly influenced the whole of Japanese society and in particular Japanese masculinity. Through studying the changing population, status, values, training, and individual experiences of the samurai class, students gain a critical understanding of feudalism, economy, religion, culture, gender relations, and daily life in medieval and early-modern Japan.
This course fulfills requirements for the GWS major and minor.