East Asian Civilization (Hist 103, SS or C)

Spring 2005, 12:00-12:50, FA 215

Professor Constantine N. Vaporis

Office hours: M 1-2; W 1-2, 5-7
TAs:  Ms. Joanna Lamb, Ms. Angelica Marini

 

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:

Rhoads Murphey, East Asia. A New History, 3rd Edition.

Lynn Nelson and Patrick Peebles, eds.,  Classics of Eastern Thought (Harcourt Brace Jovanavich), Second edition.

 

Other Readings: available through e-reserves for this course. Occasionally, there will also be reading assignments from the internet which will be posted on the course Blackboard site.

 

Classroom Decorum:

1) PLEASE refrain from eating, newspaper reading, talking, sleeping, doing work for other classes, or any other disruptive behavior

2) Turn off cell phones and pages BEFORE entering the classroom

3) When you are unavoidably late, please 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.

 

Course Requirements and Grading (cumulative 500 points):

      (1) Four (4) in-class exams (@100 points). Exams will cover all materials in the book (including illustrations), on e-reserve, as well as images/maps posted on Blackboard. Please note that there is no cumulative final exam during the exam period. Examinations are based on textbooks, sources posted on the course Blackboard site, lectures and films shown in class.

      (2) 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 textbook or the professor's lectures. Write a two-paragraph (@ 5-6 sentences), typed, double-spaced,  account of your findings. (@10 points). One is due by 3/11; a second is due by 5/6. Late papers will not be accepted. This assignment is to be in your own words. More details will be posted on the course Blackboard site.

        
       (3) Hackerman House Museum Written Exercise (80 points). Details to be posted on the course Blackboard site. Due 5/13. The Hackerman House, part of the Walters Art Gallery, is located in Baltimore city. It 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.

 

Academic Honesty:

By enrolling in this course, each students assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC's scholarship community in which everyone's academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. The following are examples of academic misconduct that are not tolerated at UMBC:
 
   Cheating: Knowingly using or attempting to use unauthorized material, information, or study aids in any academic exercise.
    Fabrication: Intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
    Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty.
    Plagiarism: Knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise, including works of art and computer-generated information/images.


Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to, suspension or dismissal. Students should consult UMBC's Academic Conduct Policy for information on policy and procedures for upholding UMBC's high standards for academic integrity. Students who have questions or concerns are encouraged to talk with a member of the faculty or administration for assistance.

 

For examinations the desk area in front of you should be completely clear, except for the test materials, blue book, and your writing implement(s). All electronic equipment must be placed inside a knapsack, coat pocket, etc., not on the floor, and must remain there for the duration of the test. Should any electronic equipment be visible to the professor or teaching assistant during an exam the student will be instructed to turn over his/her exam and will receive a failing grade.

 

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). 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.

 

East Asian Civilization and the WWW:

Each chapter in the Murphey textbook has a list of Suggested Websites. In addition, I have posted below a number of these may be of interest. Please note, however, that 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: http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/index.html

 

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

 

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

 

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


13) Education About Asia website: www.aasianst.org/eaa-toc.htm


14)  Korea Herald  (www.koreaherald.com) and Korea Times (www.koreatimes.com)--English-language newspapers on Korea


15) General sources on Korea: www.korea.net, www.clickasia.co.kr

 

Blackboard (& You): Lecture outlines will be posted on this course's Blackboard site, as will be a variety of images (maps, artwork), review sheets, etc. Use of these resources will be essential to success in this course.

 

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.

 

 

Part 1

Jan. 31 (M): Introduction

Feb. 2 (W): Origins of Chinese Civilization

Feb. 4 (F): Chinese Philosophy (1)

Feb. 7 (M): Chinese Philosophy (2)

Feb. 9 (W): Political Unification & the Imperial State in China

Feb. 11 (F): Disunity & Interaction Between China & Border Peoples

Feb. 14 (M): Glory of the Tang

Feb. 16 (W): Buddhism in China

Feb. 18 (F): "China's Cosmopolitan Age: The Tang"

Feb. 21 (M): Exam #1

 

Readings for Exam 1

Murphey, 1-98

Nelson, 15-29, 30-37, 50-81, 91-111, 123-25, 144-72

 


Part 2

Feb. 23 (W): Origins of Civilization in Japan and Korea

Feb. 25  (F): "Shinto: Gods, Nature and Man in Japan"

Feb. 28 (M):  Society and Culture in the Yamato State

March 2 (W): Japan Looks Abroad

March 4 (F) and 7 (M): The Early Development of Buddhism in Japan and Korea

March 9 (W): Modification of Chinese Culture in Japan

March 11 (F): Guest Lecture; "Two Things" written assignment due in class

March 14 (M): Korea to the 14th Century

March 16 (W): Rise of the Warrior in Japan

March 18 (F): Exam #2

 

Reading for Exam 2

Murphey, 170-184, 190-217

Nelson, 174-206, 218-23, 256-69

 

March 21-25: Spring Break!


 

Part 3

March 28 (M): Culture in Early Medieval Japan

March 30 (W): Song China

April 1 (F): Dynasties of Conquest

April 4 (M): Ming Dynasty

April 6 (W): Ming China & its World

April 8 (F): Japan, From Chaos to Order

April 11 (M): Japan & its First Western Contact

April 13, 15 (W, F): National Unification and Tokugawa Japan

April 18 (M): Qing China

April 20 (W): Popular Culture in Japan and China

April 22 (F): Choson Korea

April 25 (M): Exam #3

 

Reading for Exam 3

Murphey, 99-147, 184-89, 217-48

Nelson, 341-57, 377-96


 

Part 4

April 27, 29 (W, F): Qing and the Western Intrusion

May 2 (M): Tokugawa Japan and the Second Western Contact

May 4 (W): Contrasting Responses to the West in East Asia

May 6 (F): Yi Dynasty (Korea) and the Outside World. Second "Two Things" written assignment due.

May 9, 11 (MW): Restoration, Self-Strengthening and Revolution

May 13 (F): Review. Hackerman House Written Exercise due.

May 16 (M) Exam #4

 

Reading for Exam 4

Murphey, 148-69, 250-69, 270-303, 309-44

Nelson, 280-93, 330-41, 358-75

Excerpts from Ch'oe Pu's Diary: A Record of Drifting Across the Seas (on e-reserve)

Excerpts from "Song of a Faithful Wife, Ch'un-hyang" (on e-reserve)