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Course Description
On the evening of July 19/20, 1945, a B-29,
piloted by the crew of Captain Gordon Jordan, was shot down in a sweet
potato field in Yakeyama, near the village of Yokogoshi (now part of
Niigata City). This was one of the biggest events in local
history during Japan's tragic "Pacific War". However, few
students know about this secret history or the effects that the
event had on the people who were involved in it.
This seminar covers Gregory Hadley's journey of
discovery of the story. Students travel with the author to meet
the people, visit places and learn about the background events that
led up to the incident. This seminar is not simply about an
event that happened in Niigata's history -- it is symbolic of what
happens in every war, and what happens to ordinary people who are
caught up in times of violence. |
Course Outline
These are lectures given in the seminar. To
listen, you need headphones and the latest version of Internet Explorer or
Mozilla FireFox with a high speed Internet connection.
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Online Lecture Material | |
Readings |
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Beginnings
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"Field of Spears", Pages ix - x, Class Reading
by Author (WMA) |
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Prologue of the Past | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 1-3, Articles by
Niigata Nippo,
Shukan Kinyoubi, and
Hadley. Class Reading by Author (WMA) |
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Gordon Jordan: The Man and His Plane | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 5-10, Video "Birth
of the B-29" |
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Introducing the Jordan Crew | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 10-15 |
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Tinian | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 16-22,
US
Soldier Memories of Battle for Tinian |
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The Air Campaign Over Japan | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 22-27, Watch "The Fog of War"
Transcript
Here |
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Burning and Starving Japan | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 27-35 |
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Psychological and Social
Problems | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 35-39 |
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Japan and Niigata in 1945 | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 40-58 Class Reading
by Author
(MP3) |
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Endgame | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 63-72
Sato,
Hadley,
Yokogoshi Interview 1
(WMA) |
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Villages on the Fringe | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 74-81 Hadley Yokogoshi Interview
(MP3) |
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Capture of the Jordan Crew | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 83-88 Yokogoshi Interview 2 (WMA)
3 (MP3) |
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POWs in Japan | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 89-96
Sato,
Nakano |
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Chaos at the Crash Site | |
"Field of Spears", Pages 99-104
Kinzuka & Amihoshi |
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Evaluation
Evaluation will come
from class participation,
completing discussion questions,
and reading circles.
Students are also required to decide upon a graduation thesis topic.
Students will not be allowed to pass this seminar unless they have gathered
research materials, formed an outline, and have at least written the
introduction to their thesis before the end of the year.
Materials
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"Field of Spears" (Sheffield, UK: Paulownia
Press). Cost: 3000 Yen. |
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Reading Circle Sheets (Download
Samples Here) |
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