BILL SEWELL

ABOUT          RESEARCH          TEACHING

  • I aim to offer all of my current courses twice in any four-year period, though administrative duties reduce my availability. Students may always ask when I expect to next offer any particular course. (I can also share previous course syllabi.)
  • My current rota of courses consists of:
    • History of Japan sequence (HIST 2354, 2355, 2356)
    • Surveys of Vietnamese and Korean History (HIST 2393, 2394)
    • The Asia-Pacific War, 1937-1945 (HIST 2422)
    • HIST 4574 Interdisciplinary Seminar in Asian History & ASNT 4400.2 Seminar in Asian Studies (co-listed)
  • Students are advised that I am willing to offer individual Directed Studies courses on certain aspects of Asian history to qualified students. Past students have explored topics in gender, health, urban, military, and environmental history.

Undergraduate Courses Previously Offered at Saint Mary's University

 

A+

90-100

 

 

B+

77-79

 

 

C+

67-69

 

Marginal Pass:

D

50-59

Excellent:

A

85-89

 

Good:

B

73-76

 

Satisfactory:

C

63-66

 

 

 

 

 

A-

80-84

 

 

B-

70-72

 

 

C-

60-62

 

Failure:

F

0-49
  • Terms:
    • Excellent is taken to mean exceptional work entailing a strong grasp of the subject matter, a critical reading of the required material, a clear argument showing good organization, and a capacity to analyze and/or synthesize. (An A+ would include evidence of original thinking or other work beyond what is expected.)
    • Good is taken to mean competent work demonstrating a general grasp of the subject matter and relevant issues, some evidence of critical thinking, and a clear argument showing fair to good organization.
    • Satisfactory is taken to mean adequate work demonstrating a basic understanding of the subject matter and relevant issues with little evidence of critical thinking.
    • Marginal is taken to mean work that demonstrates only a limited understanding of the subject matter and relevant material and/or a weakness in analytical skills.
    • Failure is taken to mean unacceptable work resulting from limited and/or irrelevant use of the material and/or inadequate critical evaluation.

      While it is not possible for all academic work to fall within this framework, nor is it possible to avoid subjective terminology in defining these categories, the above may serve as a rough guide as to how students’ written work will be evaluated.

  • Grades below are grouped by letter including pluses and minuses, though averages are calculated using pluses and minuses. Grades and averages do not include failures for those who attended only a few class and submitted little or no work, those failures automatically assigned to students who forgot to withdraw from courses, or for those who did not finish courses in winter 2020 amidst the C-19 pandemic.

  • Course numbers ending in ".1" are fall courses, ".2" are winter courses, and ".0" are full-year courses.

2022-23 STUDENTS Average A
 B
 C
 D
 F
HIST 2354.1 Japan before 1800 25
 77.81
 10
 6
 6
 1
 2
HIST 2422.1 History of the Asia-Pacific War, 1937-1945 21
 74.69
 8
 9
 2
 0
 2
HIST 1222.2 Introduction to East Asian History 28
 67.25 8
 		7
 		2
 		3
 		8
HIST 2355.2 Late Tokugawa and Imperial Japan, 1800-1945 23
 71.90
 		8
 		7
 		4
 		0
 		5
HIST 2394.2
 History of Korea
 23
 70.74
 		6
 		5
 		7
 		3
 		2










2021-22 STUDENTS Average A
 B
 C
 D
 F
HIST 2355.1
 Late Tokugawa and Imperial Japan, 1800-1945 12
 		78.42
 		7
 		4
 		1
 		0
 		0
HIST 2393.1 History of Vietnam 16
 		72.61
 		3
 		5
 		5
 		2
 		0
HIST 1222.2 Introduction to East Asian History 28
 		71.43
 		8
 		11
 		2
 		1
 		6
HIST 2356.2 Japan since 1945 22
 		71.44
 		9
 		7
 		3
 		0
 		3
HIST 4574.2 Interdisciplinary Study of Asia & ASNT 4400.2 Seminar in Asian Studies 14
 		74.72
 		6
 		5
 		2
 		0
 		1










2020-21 (sabbatical)
















2019-20 STUDENTS Average A
 B
 C
 D
 F
HIST 1222.1
 		Introduction to East Asian History 26
 		70.75
 		6
 		5
 		9
 		1
 		5
HIST 4573.1
 		The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire 9
 		79.29
 		5
 		3
 		1
 		0
 		0
HIST 1222.2 Introduction to East Asian History 16
 		65.92
 		3
 		5
 		1
 		7
 		0
HIST 2354.2 Japan before 1800 31
 		73.38
 		8
 		15
 		5
 		2
 		1
HIST 4574.2 Interdisciplinary Study of Asia & ASNT 4400.2 Seminar in Asian Studies 10
 		77.96
 		6
 		2
 		0
 		2
 		0










2018-19 STUDENTS Average A
 B
 C
 D
 F
HIST 2356.1
 Japan since 1945
 29
 70.76
 7
 11
 6
 4
 1
HIST 2393.1
 History of Vietnam
 26
 68.77
 8
 7
 4
 5
 2
HIST 2394.2
 History of Korea
 31
 68.08
 5
 15
 4
 4
 2
HIST 2848.2
 History of the Asia-Pacific War, 1937-1945
 27
 72.38
 11
 8
 3
 3
 2










2017-18 STUDENTS Average A
 B
 C
 D
 F
HIST 2354.1 Japan before 1800 28
 71.38
 6
 13
 6
 3
 0
HIST 2355.2 Late Tokugawa and Imperial Japan, 1800-1945 26 75.46 10
 9
 7
 0
 0
HIST 3000.2 The Discipline of History 8
 74.89
 4
 2
 1
 0
 1
HIST 4574.2 Interdisciplinary Study of Asia & ASNT 4400.2 Seminar in Asian Studies 10
 78.83
 4
 6
 0
 0
 0










2016-17 STUDENTS Average A
 B
 C
 D
 F
HIST 2393.1 History of Vietnam
 17
 74.26
 7
 5
 4
 1
 0
HIST 2394.1 History of Korea
 20
 72.49
 7
 5
 4
 3
 1
HIST 3826.2
 Film and History: Japan (six credits - counts as two courses)
 13
 73.26
 3
 7
 2
 1
 0










2015-16 STUDENTS Average A
 B
 C
 D
 F
HIST 1222.1 Introduction to East Asian History 37
 72.89
 6
 8
 13
 5
 5
HIST 2355.1 Late Tokugawa and Imperial Japan, 1800-1945
 27
 69.97
 9
 10
 5
 0
 3
HIST 2356.2 Japan since 1945
 28
 73.49
 8
 14
 2
 4
 0
HIST 4826.2 Interdisciplinary Seminar in Asian History & ASNT 4400.2 Seminar in Asian Studies 16
 75.88
 5
 8
 3
 0
 0










2014-15 STUDENTS
 Average
 A
 B
 C
 D
 F
HIST 2394.1
 History of Korea
 19
 72.61
 5
 6
 7
 0
 1
HIST 3000.1
 The Discipline of History
 7
 72.63
 3
 2
 1
 0
 1
HIST 1222.2 Introduction to East Asian History
 39
 68.32
 9
 9
 15
 4
 2
HIST 4833.2 Interdisciplinary Seminar in Asian History & ASNT 4400.2 Seminar in Asian Studies 12
 78.67
 7
 4
 0
 1
 0










2013-14 (half sabbatical in winter) STUDENTS Average A B C D F
HIST 2354.1 Japan before 1800 28
 73.11
 4
 15
 8
 1
 0
HIST 3000.1 The Discipline of History 18
 71.49
 3
 7
 7
 1
 0
HIST 4573.1 The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire
 3
 73.33
 1
 1
 1
 0
 0










2012-13 STUDENTS Average A B C D F
HIST 1222.1 History of Asia: East Asia 32 71.78
 9 12 8 3 0
HIST 2356.1 Japan since 1945 16 72.94
 2 9 5 0 0
HIST 2827.2 Survey of Vietnamese History
 16 73.73
 5 6 5 0 0
HIST 3000.2 The Discipline of History 12 67.38
 4 2 5 2 0
HIST 4833.2 Interdisciplinary Seminar in Asian History & ASNT 4400.2 Seminar in Asian Studies 9 72.53
 2 4 3 0 0










2011-12 STUDENTS Average A B C D F
HIST 2354.1 Japan before 1800 24 67.25
 2 11 8 2 1
HIST 2355.2 The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan, 1800-1945 25 72.94
 4 12 5 4 2
HIST 3000.2 The Discipline of History 15 71.62
 3 6 4 0 2
HIST 4828.2 Interdisciplinary Seminar in Asian History & ASNT 4400.2 Seminar in Asian Studies 5 74.00
 0 4 1 0 0










2010-11 (half sabbatical in fall) STUDENTS Average A B C D F
HIST 4573.2 The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire
 4 73.00
 2 1 0 1 0










2009-10 STUDENTS Average A B C D F
HIST 1222.1 History of Asia: East Asia 40 69.78
 12 10 12 3 4
HIST 4574.2 Manchuria: From Ming to Modernity
 4 79.75
 2 2 0 0 0










2008-9

STUDENTS

Average

A

B

C

D

F
HIST 4575.0 Issues in Vietnamese History
 4 78.00
 2 2 0 0 0









 

2007-8

STUDENTS

Average

A

B

C

D

F
HIST 2354.1 Japan before 1800

20

71.75

3

8

9

0

0
HIST 2368.2 Japan since 1800 25 70.20
 3 11 9 2 0
HIST 4572.2 The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire
 9 75.89
 4 3 2 0 0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2006-7 (sabbatical)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2005-6

STUDENTS

Avgage

A

B

C

D

F

HIST 1222.1

History of Asia: East Asia

45

69.81

2

21

16

6

0

HIST 2354.1

Japan before 1800

29

75.68

4

14

9

2

1

HIST 2368.2

Japan since 1800

28

68.64

3

9

12

3

1

HIST 4570.2

Inventing Modernity in East Asia

3

 85.00

3

0

0

0

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2004-5

STUDENTS

Average

A

B

C

D

F

HIS 222.2

History of Asia: East Asia

47

69.09

3

20

18

4

2

HIS 491.1

China and the Chinese World since 1949

22

71.86

3

9

10

0

0

HIS 511.0

The East Asian Experience of Imperialism

5

81.40

3

2

0

0

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2003-4

STUDENTS

Average

A

B

C

D

F

HIS 209.0

East Asia: From Prehistory to Modern Times

46

67.76

6

14

17

7

2

HIS 381.1

China before 1800

25

70.60

1

13

11

0

0

HIS 382.2

China in Revolution, 1800-1949

24

70.17

4

8

11

1

0

HIS 571.2

Issues in Urban History

10

71.40

2

5

2

0

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2002-3 (leave)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2001-2

STUDENTS

Average

A

B

C

D

F

HIS 209.0

East Asia: From Prehistory to Modern Times

39

69.23

3

13

22

1

0

HIS 354.1

Japan before 1800

27

71.81

3

13

10

1

0

HIS 355.2

The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan, 1800-1945

22

69.73

3

10

5

3

1

HIS 394.2

The Emergence of Modern Korea

18

72.39

3

8

5

1

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2000-1

STUDENTS

Average

A

B

C

D

F

HIS 209.0

East Asia: From Prehistory to Modern Times

12

69.42

1

6

4

1

0

HIS 342.0

China since 1800

18

69.72

1

8

8

0

1

HIS 355.1

The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan, 1800-1945

22

69.14

1

7

12

2

0

HIS 356.2

Postwar Japan

26

68.36

3

9

9

2

3