Connecting the Dots.

The article examines the author's experiences teaching Pacific History and English to Japanese students. The author, an American who grew up in the Marshall Islands, examines the historical and geographic relationships between Japan and Oceania. He explores postcolonial curriculum initiatives, particularly what he cites as an "archipelagic" view of cultural studies and history. The author describes a course at the University of Tokyo he devised following several discussions with Pacific islanders entitled "A sea of islands connects us: contemporary Pacific Islander perspectives on empire, war, and globalization." The author discusses the syllabus of the course including definitions of Oceania, studying indigenous scholars, and decoding regional maps.