In this class, you will be challenged to explain the "Dunhuang Manuscripts," a valuable historical document. It is not easy to decipher Chinese texts, but the process of following clues and finding the answer is fascinating. Dunhuang is a place where Chinese civilization, which spread throughout East Asia, intersects with the nomadic and trading civilizations that spread throughout Central Asia. In other words, by unraveling the history of Dunhuang, you will not only be able to see the "history of China from the center of China" that you have learned in school classes, but also the image of "China seen from Central Asia." You will be surprised at how one-sided the image of China that you thought you knew was.

This is a lecture that will study the characteristics of historical writing in the West from ancient times to the present, focusing on representative historians and works from each era. Learning about various ways of looking at history and the image of world history and their backgrounds will give you an opportunity to relativize your own perspective and values, including your view of history, and become aware of what strongly influences your own perspective. Some participants said, "I learned that the perspective of history changes depending on the researcher, and that there are various interpretations." In addition, learning about the characteristics and background written in history books will also help you acquire an attitude of critically consuming various information from the Internet, newspapers, books, etc.