Few modern-day nations have as tangled and contested a relationship as the two Koreas and Japan. While these regions are linked by close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties, the complex and often fraught history between the peninsula and the archipelago has led to tensions and controversies in recent years. This course explores the history of this relationship from ancient times to the present day. Topics include the early cultural and mythical links between the two regions, the devastating wars of the pre-modern period, Japan’s controversial colonial occupation of Korea, and the modern-day legacies of WWII that manifest in protests, textbooks, and charged political rhetoric.