The module provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:

Knowledge and understanding of: key problems and issues in the study of the Asia-Pacific War and its aftermath; the methodology used by historians in the interrogation of primary sources; the interaction between historiography and empirical evidence; the interaction between history and memory.

Intellectual skills: Students should be able to: identify and evaluate critically key problems in the study of Japan in war and peace and memories of the Asia-Pacific War within an intellectual framework informed by current scholarship; locate, select and interpret critically a variety of primary and secondary sources in this area; use the information gained in the module to reflect critically upon the discipline and develop an awareness of it as a constantly changing and evolving entity.

Professional and practical skills: Students should be able to: articulate both knowledge and critical awareness of issues surrounding Japan in war and peace; develop individual analyses and interpretations of data within the broad framework of current historiography surrounding the topic.

Transferable skills: Students should be able to: demonstrate initiative and show some evidence of original thinking in their essays and presentations; take responsibility for their own learning in the preparation for seminars and coursework; communicate their findings clearly and coherently in both written work and verbally.