Prof. Constantine N. Vaporis                                                              Fall 2002, FA 215, MWF 11-11:50
 Office: Adm. 723 (Tel. 455-2092)                                                       Office hrs: M 1-2, W 1:00-2:00 (or by app't)
email: vaporis@umbc.edu                                                                     TA: Ms. Donna Omata
 
 

Course Description

Required Textbooks

Coursework and Grading

Blackboard and You

Classroom Decorum

Academic Honesty

Honors Section (103H)

Note About the Minor in East Asian History

New Developments in Asian Studies at UMBC

East Asian Civilization and the WWW

Lectures and Readings
 
 

Course Description:
This survey course deals with the history of traditional society in East Asia (China, Japan, and Korea). It will introduce the principal elements of East Asian civilization--e.g., history, religion, philosophy, art, and science--before the intrusion of the West in the nineteenth century. The course will enable students to better understand and appreciate not only the historical developments of East Asian societies, but also their contributions to other cultural traditions. It will furthermore provide an essential perspective on developments in contemporary East Asia, as well as a basis for the study of comparative cultures and societies.

Required Textbooks:
Conrad Schirokauer, A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations,  Second edition (Harcourt Brace Jovanavich).
Lynn Nelson and Patrick Peebles, eds.,  Classics of Eastern Thought  (Harcourt Brace Jovanavich), Second edition
Course packet of Supplemental Course Readings (available from University Bookstore)

Coursework and Grading (cumulative 400 points):

1) Three in-class examinations, @ 100 points. Please note that there is no comprehensive final exam during exam period. (300 points)

2) Writing grade, 100 pts.

   a) There will be a number of spontaneous writing prompts in class (about one paragraph) in response to the assigned reading, a lecture given, or a video viewed in class. There are no make-ups for these, if missed; students with a pre-arranged or written excuse, however, will not be penalized. There may also be short writing assignments of a similar nature to be completed on Blackboard. (40 points)

    b) "Two Things My Professor and Textbooks Did Not Tell Me About East Asian History to 1911":   Using print or reputable on-line sources, research two questions or topics of personal interest not covered, or not sufficiently covered, by your textbooks or professor's lectures. Write a two-paragraph (@5-6 sentences) account of your findings. (20 points) One is due by 10/21; the second by 12/2.

    c) Hackerman House (Museum) Exercise: 40 points. This assignment, which is time-sensitive because of the nature of museum displays, will be handed out in October. It requires you to visit the Hackerman House, the Asian wing of the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore City, go through a self-guided tour with prepared materials from the professor, and to respond to a series of questions posed about the objects you will see. Your typed responses to the questions are due on December 6, in class. The Walters is open Tuesdays-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for university students. Please note however that there is no admission charge on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and all day on the first Thursday of every month. For more information on the Walters please go to www.thewalters.org

Please note that all of the above course work must be completed to pass the course.

Blackboard and You:
This course will make use of Blackboard. You must establish a Blackboard account by September 4. If you are not already familiar with Blackboard please consult the UMBC Internet CD 2003 Blackboard Basics Tutorial. Students will be assigned to one of approximately ten electronic discussion groups. This will provide a convenient forum for you to ask your group members questions or to discuss a class-related issue. (The class Blackboard site is under no circumstances to be used for personal communications or any issues not related to this course. The communication of ideas within the group will only be graded when a specific on-line discussion assignment is given, as will occur several times during the semester.

Classroom Decorum:
1) PLEASE refrain from eating, reading the newspaper, talking, text messaging, sleeping, preparing for tests, doing homework, or engaging in any other type of disruptive behavior.
2) Turn off cell phones and pagers BEFORE entering the classroom.
3) When you are unavoidably late, enter the classroom as quietly as possible and take the first available seat. Do not walk in front of the class or professor to get to your seat.

Academic Honesty
By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which everyone's academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong.  Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to, suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct Policy, consult the UMBC Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, or the UMBC Policies section of the UMBC Directory.

Honor's Section (103H). Students taking this course for Honors Credit (members of the Honors College or with special Honors' College permission) should see the professor for a handout on honors' requirements for the course.

Note About the Minor in East Asian History:
History 103 is a required course for a Minor in East Asian History (6 credit hours of required courses and twelve credit hours of elective courses in Japanese and Chinese history) and as of Fall 2002 fulfills a requirement for the Major in History. See p. 77 of the Undergraduate Catalogue for more details or contact the instructor.  If interested, please fill out the declaration of minor form at the Registrar's Office and see Professor Yip or me.

New Developments in Asian Studies at UMBC:
1) A proposal for an Upper-level Certificate Program in Asian Studies is going through the formal process of review this academic year. The certificate will combine study of an East Asian language and electives from at least three departments of campus.

2)  A start-up program in Korean language will commence this year, supported by private external funding. Please support this program so that the university will continue the program and fully fund it.

3) This year a new course, Business Chinese (Chinse 309) is being offered. A similar course for Japanese will be offered once the Certificate program has been approved.

4) Dorothy Ko, a distinguished scholar and author of a number of works on footbinging in China, will speak on campus on November 6 at 4 p.m. Your attendance is strongly encouraged. An extra credit assignment will be available for those attending.
 

East Asian Civilization and the WWW:
Below are listed just a few of the numerous sites of the WWW of interest and relevance for this course. The professor is not responsible for the contents posted therein:

1) Historical Maps of Asia:  www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/asia.html

2) Japanese woodblock prints:  www.bahnhof.se/~secutor/ukiyo-e/

3) Cities and Buildings Archive (good for other courses, too): www.washington.edu/ark2/archtm/natlist.html

4) Study-Abroad Asia WWW:  asnic.utexas.edu/asnic/stdyabrd/StdyabrdAsia.html

5) Kyoto National Museum:  www.kyohaku.go.jp/meihin/koko/mh08e.htm

6) Brooklyn College Chinese Culture Website:  acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/index.html

7) National Treasures of Korea:  firefox.postech.ac.kr/treasure/

     Frank's Korean Studies Page:  www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~hoffmann/

    National Museum (Seoul): www.museum.go.kr

    National Folk Museum: www.nfm.go.kr (modeled partly after Bulguksa Temple, Kyongju)

    Seoul Museum of History: www.museum.seoul.kr

9) Edo Japan Tour:  www.us-japan.org/edomatsu/

10) Asian Film Connections:  www.asianfilms.org/netpac/

11) Internet East Asia Sourcebook:  www.fordham.edu/halsall/eastasia/eastasiasbook.html

12) World's city lights: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=4333
Contrast the brightness of South Korea with the darkness of the North

Lectures and Readings:
Please note that readings should be completed by class time so that you can contribute to discussion. Be sure to consider the discussion questions for Classics of Eastern Thought that can be found at the beginning of each reading as well as the end of each Part of the book.
 
 

Week 1
8/28  (W) Session #1:  Introduction

8/30 (F) #2: Origins of Chinese Civilization
Readings: Schirokauer, 1-26; Nelson, 15-29
 

Week 2
9/2 (M): Labor Day Holiday

9/4 (W)  #3: Chinese Philosophy (1)
Schirokauer, 28-49; Nelson, 67-81

9/6 (F) #4: Chinese Philosophy (2)
Nelson, 58-66; Course packet: "Confucius and the Analects," 41-63; "Legalists and Militarists," 190-92, 199-206.
 

Week 3
9/9 (M) #5: Video: "Healing and the Mind" (A Question of Qi)
Background for Video: Text of “Yin and Yang in Medical Theory” (available at:  academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/yinyang.html

9/11 (W) #6: Political Unification & the Imperial State in China
Schirokauer,  51-76; Nelson, 91-111
Web site of interest (on Sony's recent film "The Emperor and the Assassin," a film about the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi):
 www.spe.sony.com/classics/emperorandassassin/

9/13 (F) #7: Disunity & Interaction Between China & Border Peoples
Nelson, 123-125;  Schirokauer, 82-85, 90-98; “The Poem of Mulan” (course packet)
 

Week 4
9/16 (M) #8: The Origins of Civilization in Japan and Korea
Schirokauer, 131-136; Rhoads Murphey, East Asia. A New History, 177-180 (course packet)
To read more on early Korean history, go to:  violet.berkeley.edu/~korea/ancient.html
For a satellite view of Korea, go to: visibleearth.nasa.gov/Regions/Yellow_Sea/

9/18 (W) #9: Film: "Shinto: Nature, Gods and Man in Japan"

9/20 (F) #10: Society & Culture in the Yamato State
Schirokauer, 136-142
 
 

9/25 (W) #12: Video: "China's Cosmopolitan Age: The Tang"
Schirokauer, 114-118
Suggested Reading: look at this site on the Silk Road (many good images included):  ess1.ps.uci.edu/~oli

9/27 (F) #13: Exam #1
 

Week 6
9/30 (M) #14:  Buddhism in China
Schirokauer, 79-82, 85-89, 98-100; Nelson, 30-37, 149

10/2 (W) #15: Japan Looks Abroad
Schirokauer, 142-54; Nelson, 174-88; handout: Prince Shotoku's Constitution

10/4 (F) #16: Early Development of Buddhism in Korea and Japan (1)
Schirokauer, review 147-153, read 167-171, 174-178; Rhoads Murphey, East Asia, 180-182
 

Week 7
10/7 (M) #17: Early Development of Buddhism in Korea and Japan (2)
Videos: "Buddhist Art," "Brilliant Cultural Heritage of Shilla"

10/9 (W) #18: The Modification of Chinese Culture in Japan, 645-1185. Today is Han'gul Day in South Korea!
Schirokauer, 156-67, 171-74, 179-82; Nelson, 189-206

10/11 (F) #19: Guest Lecture: Dr. Huang Yi-ping (UMBC Dept. of Music): Music in East Asia
 
 

Week 8
10/14 (M) #20: The Kamakura Period: Age of the Warrior?
Schirokauer, 262-283; Nelson, 256-269

10/16 (W) #21:Culture in Early Medieval Japan
Nelson, 280-93; Schirokauer, 285-303

10/18 (F) #22: Video: "Zen Temple--Eiheiji"
 

Week 9
10/21 (M) #23: Song China
Schirokauer, 185-213; Nelson, 207-21

10/23 (W) #24: The Dynasties of Conquest in China and Korea
Schirokauer, 215-33, 268-69; Nelson, 218-23, 232-55; Rhoads Murphey, East Asia, 182-84 (course packet)

10/25 (F) #25: Japan, From Chaos to Order
Schirokauer, 303-309
 

Week 10
10/28 (M) #26: Exam #2

10/30 (W) #27: Ming Dynasty
Schirokauer,  235-260; Nelson, 299-308, 324-330; Ch’oe Pu’s Diary: A Record of Drifting Across the Seas (course packet)

11/1 (F) #28: Ming China and Its World
Schirokauer,  312-314
 
 

Week 11
11/4 (M) #29: Japan and the First Western Contact
Schirokauer, 314-321
Suggested Reading: Account of Will Adams (Blackthorne in the movie "Shogun," "My Coming to Japan":
 www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1611adams-japan.html

11/6 (W) #30:  National Unification and Tokugawa Japan
Schirokauer, 303-309, 355-380; Nelson, 330-340, 358-75

Special event: Lecture by Professor Dorothy Ko, "Chinese Footbinding, Fashion, and Modernity,"4 p.m., in the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery. Extra credit assignment is available.
 

11/7 (F) #31:  Qing China
Schirokauer, 321-326, 329-353; Nelson, 341-357, 376-96
Suggested Reading: Punishments in Qing China:  www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1680halde3.html
 
 

Week 12
11/11 (M) #32:  Popular Culture in Japan and China: Bunraku and the Chinese Opera
Nelson, 358-375

11/13 (W) #33: Choson Korea (Yi Dynasty)
Rhoads Murphey, East Asia, 184-88 (course packet); excerpts from "Song of a Faithful Wife, Ch'un-hyang," pp. 237-42, 250-62, 266-76, 84-93. (Available on Blackboard course site, under Course Documents.
 

11/15 (F) #34: Food in Traditional East Asia (reading handout)
 
 

Week 13
11/18 (M) #35: Qing and the Western Intrusion (1)
Schirokauer, 312-314, 385-406; Nelson, 442-448

11/20 (W) #36: Qing and the Western Intrusion (2)

11/22 (F) #37: Tokugawa Japan and the Second Contact With the West
Schirokauer, pp. 409-29
 
 

Week 14
11/25 (M) #38: Contrasting Responses to the West in East Asia
Schirokauer, 355-380; Nelson, 449-457

11/27 (W): Independent Work on Museum Assignment

11/29 (F): No Class (Thanksgiving holiday)
 
 

Week 15
12/2 (M) #39:  The Yi Dynasty (Korea) and the Outside World

12/4 (W) #40: Restoration, Self-Strengthening and Revolution
 Schirokauer, 430-49, 451-97

12/6 (F) #41: Review; Discussion of Hackerman House Exercise (due in class)
 

Week 16
12/9 (M) #42:  Exam #3

Reminder: There is no cumulative final during exam period