HIST 371 Premodern Civilizations of Asia

A broad introduction to the historical transformations of government and society in Asia from the earliest times to the 16th Century. The twin themes of order and encounters will form the thematic foundations for analyzing the different ways in which Asian societies in China, Japan, and India grew in complexity as they crafted elaborate institutional arrangements for governance, and also as they became interconnected within wider circuits of exchange of ideas, commodities, and populations. The course will end at the moment of early modern encounters with Europeans.