HIST 290 Instructor: Goble A
Foundations of East Asian Civilization

Office Hours
CRN: 13169 Time/Location:
12:30-13:50 UH / 133 GIL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

History 290, an entry level course which neither assumes nor requires that students have prior knowledge of East Asia, is an introduction to some aspects of the traditional cultures of China and Japan prior to 1800 or so.

Through lectures and discussion sessions, the course will explore such topics as: thought and religion (Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, Buddhism);empires and bureaucracy in Chinese history; the Mongols in East Asia; the classical Chinese Tang and Japanese Heian periods; the warrior class in Japan illness and medicine; the urban cultures of Hangzhou in China and Edo (Tokyo)in Japan.

COURSE POLICIES

Course Evaluation and Requirements

A mid-term (15%) and a final (25%).

A term paper of no less than 2500 words; typed, double-spaced, footnotes or endnotes (25% of grade). The topic of the term paper - one purpose of which is to provide you with practice in expressing your ideas in your own words - is to be chosen in consultation with discussion leader, and is due by November 23rd.

Attendance at and participation in discussion sections (25% of grade).The discussion sections are designed to reinforce your understanding of material covered in lectures and to discuss assigned readings. The latter are comprised of designated segments of Schirokauer and Nelson & Peebles for broader familiarity, and all of Gernet and Ariyoshi for more in-depth looks at particular periods. In general, assigned readings are to give some background for the lectures of that week and to provide a basis for the discussion section in the following week.

A book report of no less than 1000 words on The Doctor's Wife, due by December 02 (10% of grade).

Late submission of work without good reason, or submission of work that is less than required, will be penalized.

 Also: Myself and the Graduate Teaching Fellows for the course (Jaeyoon KIM and Eric CUNNINGHAM) have regular office hours (and can be contacted readily in any event)

REQUIRED TEXTS

C. Schirokauer. A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations.

L. Nelson & P. Peebles. Classics of Eastern Thought

J. Gernet. China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasions

Ariyoshi Sawako. The Doctor's Wife

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week One

9/28         Course Introduction; Overview of Japanese History

9/30         Overview of Chinese History

Weekly Sections: Japanese and Chinese Time Lines

Week Two

10/05        Chinese Ruling and Bureaucracy

10/07        Early Chinese Thought 1: Confucians

Weekly Sections: The Idea of Empire

Week Three

10/12        Early Chinese Thought II: Daoists, Legalists

10/14        Lecture, Film, Japan, Land of the Disappearing Buddha (57 mins)

Weekly Sections: The Varieties of Chinese Thought

Week Four

10/19        Overview of Buddhism

10/21        Lecture, Film: China's Cosmopolitan Acre (60 mins)

Weekly Sections: Buddhism

Week Five

10/26        The Tang Model and Heian Japan

10/28        MID-TERM EXAM

Weekly Sections: The Macroculture of Tang Civilization

Week Six

11/02        Japanese Warriors

11/04        The Mongols

Weekly Sections: Gernet, China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasions

Week Seven

11/09        Hangzhou

11/11        Slide Lecture: Zen Macroculture

Weekly Sections: Gernet, China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasions

 Week Eight

11/16        Lecture, Film: Eating (57 mins)

11/18        Illness and Medicine

Weekly Sections: Ariyoshi, The Doctor's Wife

 Week Nine

 11/23        Edo Urban Culture - Lust and Entertainment PAPERS DUE

 11/25        THANKSGIVING - no class

Weekly Sections: Ariyoshi, The Doctor's Wife

 Week Ten

 11/30        Slide Lecture: Depicting Edo Life

 12/02        Course wrap-up; evaluation; study guides.

BOOK REPORT DUE

Weekly Sections., Edo Japan