History 181: East Asian Civilization Jeff Hornibrook

Syllabus

HIS 181: East Asian Civilization

This course will examine East Asia from the beginnings of recorded time to the present.  I will begin with ancient China when the philosophers of that era constructed an emperor-based political system with an educated bureaucracy that continued to function in China until the early part of the present century.  This system was partially borrowed by the Koreans and Japanese and directly imposed on the Vietnamese people in the 6^th century.  In China , as well as Vietnam , the socio-political order collapsed under pressures from within and without and was ultimately replaced by Marxist Parties that incorporated certain facets of indigenous tradition into a modern government.  In Japan , on the other hand, a form of democratic capitalism gradually emerged out of the ashes of samurai rule in the late nineteenth century.

The texts and other readings assigned for this course will provide both an overview of the information needed as well as provide glimpses of human life in East Asia .  The book by Ebrey et. al. is a general textbook that will give you the chronology of East Asia ’s history.  The secondary readings will provide up-close depictions of life in China , Japan and Vietnam .  Other readings will be held in electronic reserve and are designed to supplement these readings.

This class will be linked into the Web.  The address is http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/jeff.hornibrook/ or you can reach it through the “academics” section of SUNY Plattsburgh’s Web page.  My page includes copies of the syllabus and assignments.

Classes:

Section A: 10-10:50 Hawkins Hall #141

Section B: 11-11:50 Hawkins Hall #141

Instructor Information:

Jeff Hornibrook

Office: Champlain Valley Hall #225

Office Hours: MWF 9-9:50, W 1:00-1:50

Telephone: Office: 564-5215; Home 561-6234

E-Mail: Jeff.Hornibrook@plattsburgh.edu

Web Site: http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/jeff.hornibrook/

Required Texts:

Ebrey, Patricia et. al. East Asia : A Cultural, Social and Political History

Murasaki Shikibu A Tale of Genji

Le Ly Hayslip When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

Swann, Nancy Lee Pan Chao: The Foremost Woman Scholar of China

Copy of 3 Packets located in the Library Electronic Reserve (SECRET CODE: his181f)

Map of East Asia (Purchase in the College Store)

Grading:

In-Class Participation     10%

Map Assignment             5

Library Assignment         5

3 paper Assignments     40

3 Exams                       40

                                    100%

Student Obligations:

            Students must complete the assigned readings, attend all lectures, and hand in all written assignments on time.  All assignments must be handed in to receive credit for the course.  You are encouraged to ask questions when information is unclear.

            Late work will be docked at least ˝ a letter grade.  If work is more than one week late it will be docked by ˝ grade for each week it is late.  Any paper that plagiarizes published or unpublished materials (including the work of friends or classmates) will receive an E.

Assignments:

            In-Class Participation: There will be several in-class group projects that will include short assignments pertaining to the class lectures and readings.  These will help you to prepare your papers and exams.  Also, I will take attendance on an irregular basis.  You will be graded on your attendance in this class based upon these spot check-ups.

Map Assignment: You will locate several important geographical sites on a map.  This assignment will help to make you familiar with the countries under discussion for this course.  (See the last page of this syllabus for the map assignment).

            Library/Media Assignment: You will be required to use several library devices as well as the Internet to look up bibliographical listings on a topic of your choice.  The full assignment will be handed out later in this course.

            Paper Assignments: There will be three assignments that require students to type well-organized papers using class materials to analyze information discussed in this class.  These papers should be about 3-5 pages long and should be in formal written form.  More detail on the outlines for these papers will be provided throughout the semester.

            Exams: There will be three in-class exams.  Each exam will include short identifications and essays.  I will provide a review sheet one week before each exam and you will be allowed to bring one 3”x 5” note card with any handwritten notes on it you feel necessary for the exam.

Lecture Schedule and Reading List

(Readings Held in Library Electronic Reserve will also be Required)

Week 1) 8/27-8/31: Ancient Chinese History and the Philosophers

Ebrey: Introduction to Party 1 and chpts 1, 2

Packet #1 Readings : Excerpts from Confucius: A Biography; Excerpts form the She King (Shijng); and “Legalist Teachings”

Week 2) 9/3-9/7: Qin and Han China

Ebrey chpt 3

Swann chpts. 1, 3, 4

Packet #1 Readings : Records of the Historian “Biography of Lu Pu-wei,” “Biographies of the Assassin-Retainers,” Excerpts from Annals of Lu Buwei

Week 3) 2/7-2/11: Daily Life in Han China

Swann, chpts 6-9

Packet #1 Readings : “Women’s Virtues and Vices,” Reading from The Position of Women in Early China: “The Favorite Beauty, nče Pan” and Excerpts from The History of the Former Han

Week 4) 9/17-9/21: Tang and Song China

Ebrey chpts 4, 8

Murasaki, chpts. 1, 2

Packet #1 Readings : The Tang Code

9/21: Turn in Paper #1

9/21: Map Assignment is Due—Staple to Paper #1 (See last page of Syllabus for details!!!)

Week 5) 9/24-9/28: Nara and Heian Japan

9/24: Exam #1

Ebrey chpt 7, 10

Murasaki, chpts. 3, 4

Packet #2 Readings : Excerpts from Japan : a Documentary History (pp.  72-75), excerpts from Japan : a Documentary History (Kojiki and Nihongi) excerpts from The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon (60-62, 82-83, 248-49)

Week 6) 10/1-10/5: Kamakura and Ashikaga Japan

Ebrey, chpts 11-13

Murasaki, chpts. 5-7

Packet #2 Excerpts from Tale of the Heike and a selection from Noh Drama

Week 7) 10/10-10/12: Tokugawa Japan

Ebrey chpts 17, 20

Murasaki, chpts. 8-10

Packet #2 Readings Excerpts from Japan : A Documentary History (pp. 254-258)

Week 8) 10/15-10/26: Early Modern Vietnam and Korea

Murasaki, chpts. 11, 12

Packet #2 Readings : Excerpts from The Vermillion Bird; excerpts from East Asia: a New History

Week 9) 10/22-10/26: Yuan, Ming, and Qing China

Ebrey chpts 12, 14, 16

10/26: Turn in Paper #2

Packet #3 Readings : Excerpts from Complete Book Concerning Happiness and Benevolence; Selections from China’s Response to the West “On the Adoption of Western Knowledge”

Week 10) 10/29-11/2: Meiji Japan

10/31: Exam #2

Ebrey chpt 21

Hayslip, chpts. 1, 2

Packet #3 Readings : Excerpts from Factory Girls; Excerpts from Japan : A Documentary History “Goodbye Asia ” etc.

Week 11) 11/5-11/9: World War: Japan Invades Korea , China , and Vietnam

Ebrey chpts 24, 26

Hayslip, chpts. 3, 4

Excerpts from Japan : A Documentary History “Memorial from Prince Kenoe…”

Week 12) 11/12-11/16: Civil War in Vietnam

Hayslip, chpts. 5-7

Packet #3 Readings : Selections from Portrait of the Enemy; Excerpts from East Asia : A New History

11/16: Turn in Library Assignment

Week 13) 11/9: Communism in Vietnam

Hayslip, chpts. 8-11

Packet #3 Readings : Selections from Portrait of the Enemy

Week 14) 11/26-11-30 Communism in Vietnam and China

Ebrey chpts 28, 29

Packet #3 Readings Selections from Portrait of the Enemy and Excerpts from Chinese Lives: “Her Past”

Week 15) 12/3-12/7: Revolution in China and Japan

Ebrey chpts 27, 31

Hayslip, chpts. 12-14

Packet #3 Readings : to be Announced

5/6: Turn in Paper #3

12/10—Finals Week Begins

Take Exam #3

Map Assignment:

China                                         Luoyang                                                Anyang             

Xian (Hsi-an)                            Beijing (Peking)                         Kaifeng

Nanjing (Nanking)                     Hangzhou (Hang-chou)                          Shanghai           

Wei River                                  Huai River                                

Yangzi River                             Shandong Province (Shan-tung)              Manchuria

Sichuan (Sze-chuan)                  Siberia                                      

Guangdong Province (Kuang-tung)                                                         India

Yellow River                             Tarim Basin                                           Tibet

Mongolia                                    Karakorum                                           

Korea                                        Seoul                                                     Pyongyang

Japan                                         Shikoku Islands

Kyushu Island                            Honshu Island                           

Hokkaido Island                         Osaka                                                    Kyoto

Kobe                                         Nara                                                      Tokyo

Yamato Plain                            Kanto Plain                                           Lake Biwa

Vietnam                                     Ho Chi Minh City                                   Hanoi               

Hue                                           Haiphong Harbor                                    Danang

Phnum Penh                             Red River                                             

Cambodia ( Kampuchea )

Thailand                                     Laos                                                      Viangchan

Copyright 1999 Jeff Hornibrook
Address e-mail to Jeff.Hornibrook@plattsburgh.edu.