Fall 2026

Introduction to East Asian History: Japan

INTRODUCTION TO EAST ASIAN HISTORY: JAPAN surveys major cultural, social, political, and economic developments in Japanese history from ancient to recent times.

offering recorded3–4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Viren Murthy3.2/5James Flynn

Summary

1 / 7

The course relies on exams and a term paper rather than homework, with heavy reading and significant participation weight. Grading is described as tough, with some noting high standards for top grades.

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

None

  • None
ASIAN/HISTORY 104

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • None

Professors

Fall 2026
/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 2.79/5 from 28 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 2.6/5 raw quality · 3.6/5 difficulty · 14 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Viren Murthy is described as knowledgeable, though reviewers disagree on his teaching effectiveness. Some find his lectures interesting and insightful, while others criticize his disorganized slides and ambiguous grading. The course is noted for its philosophical approach and heavy reliance on participation and exams rather than homework.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.19 GPA, 42.4% A/AB (n=59 letter grades); Fall 2023: 3.25 GPA, 57.9% A/AB (n=57 letter grades); Fall 2024: 2.93 GPA, 43.8% A/AB (n=48 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews for Daniel Ussishkin describe the course as spectacular, noting that he used jokes and movie clips to maintain engagement during dry topics like 17th-century British politics. The instructor received high praise for his teaching quality and the course was recommended to interested students.

VIREN MURTHY is recorded teaching in Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction11 / 540
DIS 302Classroom Instruction2 / 180
DIS 303Classroom Instruction6 / 180
DIS 304Classroom Instruction3 / 180
DIS 333Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 001Classroom Instruction42 / 640
DIS 302Classroom Instruction11 / 180
DIS 303Classroom Instruction11 / 180
DIS 304Classroom Instruction10 / 180
DIS 333Classroom Instruction10 / 00

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Viren Murthy is knowledgeable and offers interesting insights, with some students finding the course easy and well-structured. Others report disorganized lectures and tough grading, creating a polarized experience.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.19 GPA, 42.4% A/AB (n=59 letter grades); Fall 2023: 3.25 GPA, 57.9% A/AB (n=57 letter grades); Fall 2024: 2.93 GPA, 43.8% A/AB (n=48 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course relies on exams and a term paper rather than homework, with heavy reading and significant participation weight. Grading is described as tough, with some noting high standards for top grades.

Students criticize Murthy's disorganized slides and lecture style, noting the course feels more philosophical than historical. Non-majors are advised to avoid it due to its advanced nature and demanding presentation.

Topics

  • Cultural, social, political, and economic developments in Japan
  • Japanese history from ancient to recent times

Grades

Latest available · Fall 2024— not enough history to project Fall 2026.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Fall 2024

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Fall 2024 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1333 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

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Selected offering source records
ASIAN/HISTORY 104 · Fall 2026

Introduction to East Asian History: Japan

Recorded 2026-09-07
ASIAN/HISTORY 104 · Fall 2026

Introduction to East Asian History: Japan

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
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    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:185:009046",
    "course_id": "ASIAN/HISTORY 104",
    "course_uid": "course_2f4a42afa8e6574227ce878e",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "009046",
    "source_subject_id": "185",
    "title": "Introduction to East Asian History: Japan",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:448:009046",
    "course_id": "ASIAN/HISTORY 104",
    "course_uid": "course_2f4a42afa8e6574227ce878e",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "009046",
    "source_subject_id": "448",
    "title": "Introduction to East Asian History: Japan",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "c7761265e6c8d495481b0b51668529cfb176e9ed25622a66a94750954a22032d",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}