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HIS42840

Academic Year 2026/2027

Modern Asia (HIS42840)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Steffen Rimner
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This course offers diverse, international perspectives on two entwined and frequently competing frameworks of reference that informed social, cultural, economic and political lives across the Asia Pacific: regionalism on the hand and globalisation on the other.
It highlights the need for a historical understanding of how each of them harboured promises and perils, how each developed across the past 130 years and how each varied in outcomes. Neither regionalism nor globalisation, in any of their many versions, remained the same over more than one generation. Neither of them meant the same for different parties.
For students of history, both regionalism and globalisation provide fascinating examples to interrogate national narratives, pay attention to the emerging world of transnationalism and to distinguish between real and imagined consequences. This course equips students with the analytical skills and the historical knowledge necessary to assess the reasoning behind the promotion and rejection of regionalism and globalisation over time, ranging from the 1890s to the present and including the dominant, Asian and non-Asian actors in each period concerned.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

-a sensibility to themes and actors that pull together or drive apart Asian and international actors and institutions in past and present
-the skillset to choose levels of analysis according to deep historical knowledge. National, transnational, international, regional and global levels of analysis lead to different conclusions.
-a keen awareness to how state narratives and official interests support or impede international cooperation
-an appreciation of why regionalism and globalization have been and remain contested, conflictual and far from straightforward solutions to stability and peace.

Indicative Module Content:

This module will explore and explain the following themes and approaches in historical analysis by week:

W1 Regionalism as a Revolt, 1: The Anti-Imperialist Trigger in Pacific Asia

W2 Regionalism as a Revolt, 2: The Anti-Imperialist Trigger in Southeast Asia

W3 Pan-Asianism before Japanese Aggression: The case of China’s 1911 Revolution

W4 Early Disappointments with American Globalism: The Korean Case

W5 When Regionalism is too imperial:

W6 Looking North: The Soviet Impact in Chinese Nationalism

W7 World War II or Pacific War?

W8 The Enemy within, 1: Threatening foreign elements in China

W9 The Enemy within, 2: Threatening foreign elements in the US

W10 Unexpected Stalemates: Continental East Asia from the Chinese Communist Revolution to the Korean War

W11 Has the Cold War ended in Asia? The absence of regionalism

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Proficient

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Competent

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Proficient

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 2

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 2

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 3

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

95
Autonomous Student Learning

95
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Total

223

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The weekly seminars provide an overview of the week’s topic, focusing on influential historical trends, debates and events. They focus on individual active / task-based learning by means of class debates and discussion of key arguments in the readings. Advanced research, writing and citation skills are developed through a combined individual student presentation on primary sources and written essay, and a semester-long 5,000 word research project.
Autonomous learning is advanced through student debate.

Generative AI is not permitted in this module. Questions can be addressed to the module coordinator.

A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of History is subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This can include oral moderation meetings where the student is invited in for a short meeting with the module coordinator to discuss the assignment. Moderation contributes to better informed marking.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Midterm Essay
Students address one of two possible analytic questions, applying analytical and methodological skills acquired in the seminar discussions and readings.
 Week 6 Graded No
30
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Final Essay
Students apply synthetic knowledge from across the module and their own, independent research to contextualize their own research project on a major historical question.		 Week 12 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Participation and engagement in class Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12, Week 14 Graded No
20
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on the mid-term Essay Assignment is given in writing. Feedback on participation will be shown through substantive progress of class discussion. Feedback on the end-of-semester Essay Assignment is given in writing.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 14:00 - 15:50
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