World War II in Asia through Propaganda Films and Images

Course Description

More and more visual media from the World War II era from all sides has been archived and made available to the public. This module will analyze representative examples from the Japanese and American sides of the Asia-Pacific War. It will then introduce some representative accounts from both sides of soldiers on the battlefield. In Session 1, “Japanese Soldiers at War,” we will introduce basic ideological messages that Japanese soldiers were subject to and indoctrinated with. Session 2, “American Soldiers at War” examines similar messages among American soldiers. Building on these first two sessions, Sessions 3 and 4, “The Soldier’s Mindset—Japan” and “The Soldier’s Mindset—America” then tackle the question of why soldiers acted the way they did during the war, focusing on questions of ideology and mobilization.

Here is a timeline of the main events of the Asia-Pacific War (1937-1945):


Here are a few maps to help you out throughout this module:

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