HIST 516:231 Fall 2013 Tu Th 1.30-2.50 @ 319 Cooper St

Victoria Lee Office hours: Tu 11-12 @ Room 107, 429 Cooper St

East Asia I

This course focuses on China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, from the earliest written records to 1600. By examining topics such as religion, philosophy, gender, technology, trade, and imperial expansion, we will learn about the indigenous aspects of each of these civilizations, how they interacted with each other, and their historical significance for contemporary concerns. In addition to using secondary sources, we will examine a variety of primary sources including inscriptions, journals, and literature.

Course prerequisites: None

Required texts (available for purchase at University District Bookstore)

Valerie Hansen, The Open Empire: A History of China Through 1600 (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000). ISBN-13: 978-0393973747

Karl F. Friday, ed., Japan Emerging: Premodern History to 1850 (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2012). ISBN-13: 978-0813344836

Wm. Theodore de Bary, ed., Sources of East Asian Tradition. Volume 1: Premodern Asia (New York: Columbia University Press, 2008). ISBN-13: 978-0231143059

Course requirements

Class participation 20%

Map quiz 5%

2 short papers 40%

Midterm quiz 15%

Final exam 20%

Suggestion for class preparation

The exams and quizzes will be based primarily on the lectures. But you will need to read the textbook assignments at least once in order to understand the material. Class discussion will be based on the primary sources (from Sources of East Asian Tradition), and so you will need to come to class having read the primary sources and be ready to talk about them.

Class participation

You are expected to attend every class and to participate actively. If you are unable to attend, please notify the instructor in advance. We may be able to arrange a make-up assignment, usually a short written response based on the readings for that class.

Short papers

You will be asked to write 2 papers of 5-6 double-spaced pages each. For each paper, you will choose one topic from a list of possible topics that I will distribute well in advance. A paper should develop a clear argument that is supported by evidence from primary and secondary sources (further guidelines will be distributed in class). You have the option of handing in a draft for comments before submitting the final version. Feel free to come to my office hours to discuss your paper with me.

Map quiz

There will be one short quiz to check basic knowledge of geography and chronology early in the course.

Midterm quiz

The in-class midterm quiz will consist of term identification questions. The purpose is to test your factual knowledge. Your answers need not be too long or detailed, but they should be long enough to demonstrate that you know the essential relevant information (2-4 sentences).

Final exam

The in-class final exam will consist of two sections. The term ID section will be closed-book (about 1/3 of the exam). This will be followed by an essay section, which will be open-book (about 2/3 of the exam). You will be asked to answer two questions from a choice of questions. The essays ask you to demonstrate your ability to approach key questions in East Asian history critically, and to synthesize material into an effective argument.

Note on plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. You are responsible for ensuring that you acknowledge clearly anything you include in your work that is not written by you. Plagiarism will be taken very seriously. If you submit plagiarized work, you risk failing the assignment and the course and being subjected to the university’s official adjudication process. If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism or about how to cite in a paper, speak to the instructor.

Office hours

If you have any questions or want to discuss aspects of the course material further, my office hours are Tuesdays 11am-12pm at Room 107, 429 Cooper St (History Department building), or email .

Schedule of lectures

Week 1 (Sep 3, 5)

Introduction

-  No reading

Shang and Western Zhou

-  Open Empire, Ch1, 17-53

-  Sources, 13-21

Week 2 (Sep 10, 12)

Eastern Zhou and the philosophical schools

-  Open Empire, Ch2, 55-79 (first class), 79-95 (second class)

-  Sources, 26-7, 29-40, 49-68, 119-125 (first class), 71-105 (second class)

Week 3 (Sep 17, 19)

*MAP QUIZ; Qin unification

Han dynasty

-  Open Empire, Ch3, 97-149

-  Sources, 107-119 (first class), 126-30, 157-70 (second class)

Week 4 (Sep 24, 26)

Invasions from the north

The transplanting of Buddhism

-  Open Empire, Ch4, 153-189 (first class)

-  Sources, 217-37 (second class)

Week 5 (Oct 1, 3)

Early Japan

Early Korea

-  Japan Emerging, 55-107 (first class); Peterson, Korea, 1-31 (pdf, second class)

-  Sources, 621-55 (first class), 485-507 (second class)

Week 6 (Oct 8, 10)

China in the Tang dynasty

-  Open Empire, Ch5, 191-219 (first class), Ch6, 221-58 (second class)

-  Sources, 290-307

Week 7 (Oct 15, 17)

Nara and Heian Japan

Silla unification of Korea

-  Japan Emerging, 111-77 (first class); Peterson, Korea, 32-50 (pdf, second class)

-  Sources, 656-71 (first class), 508-27 (second class)

Week 8 (Oct 22, 24)

*MIDTERM QUIZ

Commerce and culture in Song China

-  Open Empire, Ch7, 261-97

-  Sources, 308-33

Week 9 (Oct 29, 31)

*FIRST PAPER DUE IN CLASS Oct 29; Neo-Confucianism

Non-Chinese states on the northern frontier

-  Sources, 361-86 (first class)

-  Open Empire, Ch8, 299-333 (second class)

Week 10 (Nov 5, 7)

Kamakura Japan

Koryo Korea

-  Japan Emerging, 178-212 (first class); Peterson, Korea, 50-73 (pdf, second class)

-  Sources, 754-65 (first class), 534-49 (second class)

Week 11 (Nov 12, 14)

Vietnam from Ly to Later Le

The Mongol empire

-  Open Empire, Ch9, 335-67 (second class)

Week 12 (Nov 19, 21)

Muromachi Japan

Choson Korea

-  Japan Emerging, 213-23, 254-77 (first class); Peterson, Korea, 74-93 (pdf, second class)

-  Sources, 815-23, 829-35 (first class), 563-89 (second class)

Week 13 (Nov 26, 28)

*SECOND PAPER DUE IN CLASS Nov 26; China in the Ming dynasty

-  Open Empire, Ch10, 369-407

-  Sources, 428-51

*THANKSGIVING RECESS


Week 14 (Dec 3, 5)

Japan in the Warring States period

Late Ming problems and Hideyoshi’s invasion of Korea

-  Japan Emerging, 233-53, 311-20 (first class); Spence, Search for Modern China, Ch1 7-25 (pdf, second class); Peterson, Korea, 93-100 (pdf, second class)

-  Sources, 845-58 (first class), 859-61 (second class)

Week 15 (Dec 10)

Review session

* FINAL EXAM to be held on Tuesday, December 17, 2-5pm.

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