From covering Japan's perilous imperial rule to analyzing Korea's ambivalent adoption of democratic governance, East Asia Modern has explored a wide range of topics important to one who aspires to understand Asia holistically. Much time was even spent examining China's horrific history at the hands of foreign interference, providing insight into a nation feared as the world's future No. 1 economic power. Although we covered a wide range of topics, each was given specific attention, never omitting the major events or figures that have shaped Asian history over the past centuries. Essentially, this course provided an open atmosphere for students to learn the complex history of major Asian countries in addition to sharing ideas about the effectiveness of their pre-modern governance. Our preliminary course provided a brief but detailed overview of the major events affecting the East. Asian region. Within this course, motivated by our limited geographical knowledge of Asia, we were given a fundamental explanation of the geographic locations of the various events taking place in the region. In subsequent courses, we were introduced to the major wars, political changes, and economic interests that shaped Japan, China, and Korea as they are today. We looked at the paradigm of pre-modern Japanese governance, the Shogunate, and the trained warriors who defended lord and land, the Samurai. Additionally, we looked at the socioeconomic classes of medieval Japan, which included samurai, peasants, artisans, and merchants. We also examined Japan's pre-1945 policies toward foreign entities, including the Sakoku Policy, which sought to remove all foreign presence and trade in an effort to protect its borders and culture. However, in 1945, in the middle of the article......debates about Japanese history took place, we can now understand why the Emperor of Japan remains an important figurehead in modern Japanese society . Finally, because of our examination of Korea's colonized past; we now have a clearer indication as to the reason for their modern division. Works Cited O'Bryan, Scott. 2009. Idea of ​​Growth: Purpose and Prosperity in Postwar Japan. University of Hawaii Press, 2009. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2011). Fay, Peter Ward. 1997. Opium War, 1840-1842: the barbarians in the Celestial Empire at the beginning of the 19th century and the war by which they forced its half-open gates. University of North Carolina Press, 1997. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2011). IbidDeal, William E. 2006. Handbook of Life in Medieval and Modern Japan. Facts about File, Inc., 2006. eBook