As an undergraduate student at The University of Sheffield reading Japanese Studies, now and then I find myself having to write an essay on the topic of Japan (surprisingly enough).

These essays involve a lot of work. Reading. Writing. Coffee drinking. Chocolate eating, a bit more writing and having a love affair with the library. It seems a bit of a shame to confine them to the dark recesses of my hard drive's archive folder once they have served their intended purpose, that of getting me credits to pass my course. Thus, I have decided to share them with you here

[DISCLAIMER]

I am under no illusion as to the quality of these essays. Remember, they are merely the products of an undergraduate degree course, and were often written under extreme duress! You are also advised against plagarising them should you find yourself presented with a similar essay title, as these days the majority of institues of higher education are pretty hot on that sort of thing. Let's face it, even if they don't have specialised software, they do have Google! Ok, that's the end of today's lecture. On with the essays...

"Contemporary Japan is often presented as exotic, unique and difficult for 'the west' to comprehend. What are the reasons for this and to what extent is it a valid perspective?"

"Discuss political events on the Korean peninsula from the 1880's to the formal annexation of Korea by Japan. Discern the different stages of the events which led eventually to Korea's absorption by its neighbour. Looked at from the perspective of 1880, was it inevitable that Korea would be absorbed by Japan?"

"Which more accurately describes the East Asian region after the end of the Cold War: 'ripe for rivalry' (Friedberg, 1993/94) or 'set for stability' (Berger, 2000)?"

"Was the Fifteen Year War inevitable?"

"What influence does the media exert upon the political process in Japan?"

"Why did Minamata pollution prove so destructive?"