Course Syllabus
Asia has entered our view not because of the political turmoil often associated with its history but because of its growing economic influence in the world. There is a growing interest among the people of this country to learn about Asia: its tradition, culture, and history. To meet this interest, this course provides a brief survey of the history of China, Japan, Vietnam, and Korea in the traditional period, between the birth of civilization and the mid-nineteenth century. The goal of it is to help gain a bird’s eye view of how different societies within the Asian cultural area evolved by following each country’s own trajectory of historical changes. The emphasis of the course is on the development of social structure, political system, and cultural tradition.
Although the course will cover events and historical figures, its approach to Asian history is different from many courses being taught elsewhere. Instead of viewing each country as a separate entity, we treat it as a part of the interconnected whole of a Confucian culture sphere within which lay the historical roots of changes in each country. In this course, students will be presented with a dynamic picture of Asia, including the commercial network, everyday life, and the relationship between the state and society while Asia was playing a role as one of the centers of the world.
This course is designed to encourage the development of IUPUI’s Principles of Undergraduate Learning in the following ways: Communication and Quantitative Skills are developed through writing a researched paper and taking a written exam enabling the student to develop skills targeted at expressing ideas and facts in a variety of written formats, understanding and interpreting texts, and applying these ideas in order to answer questions. Critical Thinking: By reading the text, doing research, and listening to lectures the student gains the ability to take information from a variety of sources, and combine and synthesize sources in order to use this knowledge to evaluate and understand different perspectives. Understanding Society and Culture: By studying Asian history, the student is exposed to a variety of diverse cultural perspectives and is required to evaluate history within a different cultural perspective of not only time but the place. This ability will assist the student in understanding complex cultural questions in today’s world.
All students taking the course are required to complete the assignments that include reading chapters of the textbook and the additional materials I provided, viewing online videos, and joining the forum discussion. Because class participation is essential to this class, I require that each student post answers to the questions I will provide in the forum. In addition to that, everyone has to take two online quizzes--one in the middle of the semester and another, at the end of the semester--and finish a paper at the end of the semester.
Everyone shall read the textbook carefully because that will help you understand other materials I provided. The videos have closed captions; please use them if you need them. Each week, I will read your answer in the forum to see how well you understand the content we are covering in class. There is a 150-word-minimum-length requirement for the answer. Any answer with fewer words will not be counted. However, I won’t treat the questions/answers as quizzes. As long as you have fulfilled the word-limit requirement and have made a decent attempt to answer the question, I will give you the points. There will be 5 points for each answer you posted.
Furthermore, I have a way of monitoring how much time you have spent on viewing the videos and accessing the materials, although the only way I can judge if you understand the subject matter is through your answers to the questions in the forum. Meanwhile, in the forum, you will have the chance to ask questions about the quizzes and the term paper. The measurement of your overall performance in the class is based on the time you spent on the assignment and your participation in the forum.
Here is a description of the two quizzes and the paper:
The two quizzes contain multiple choices and true & false questions. They are straightforward questions.
The paper will be eight pages long in double space in font size 12 with a 1-inch margin on all sides. It is a kind of mini-research paper with pieces of evidence from the book you have read, not from your research. It will take too much time and effort for you to base your paper on your own research. What I need from you is a paper with an interesting topic, a good amount of evidence (taken from the book you have read), and a reasonable argument that is based on the evidence you provided. I would like to have a paper indicating that you have done your work and know how to write one.
For the paper, you will use at least one book that is related to your topic as the main reference. You can use articles or online materials in addition to the book but not in lieu of the book. The main book should be a research one (mostly published by a university press with footnotes and a bibliography). You may use a textbook in addition to the main book to help fill in the material as necessary. Papers will be graded on content and quality of writing in general. All papers should have a well-developed theme and argument.
Here are a few things you need to do before you write your paper:
1) The papers can be on any topic of interest so long as the subject meets the following guidelines: the main area of research must be before the year 1900, although the conclusion may take you past 1900. I will be happy to discuss any paper topics prior to the beginning of your research.
2) You can find a book in a library, bookstore, or online.
3) You shall read the book carefully to develop your paper topic (You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You can take the argument from the book then enhance it, reduce it, or question it. In that way, you don’t need to spend a lot of time figuring out something new.
4) You may write an outline for the paper to see if your idea can be developed into a paper.
5) You shall start taking facts from the book (in this way, you won’t spend a lot of time searching for materials).
6) You shall be careful with what you take from the book. You shall include footnotes (or endnotes) and a bibliography to indicate where you get your information from. I will accept footnotes in any style (MLA, Chicago A, etc.).
Here is how I judge the quality of your paper:
1) I want to see if the book you choose fits the topic of your paper.
2) I will count the pages to see if you have written enough pages and if you have provided footnotes and a bibliography.
3) I will look at the organization of your paper to see if you have introduced your main argument in the beginning and then followed through with the analysis in the paper. The word ‘analysis’ here means examining the facts with logic.
4) I want to see if your argument is reasonable. Don’t worry about making a big statement or a fancy argument. All you have to do is to make a point by basing it on the facts you have provided me within your paper.
Assessment Methods: term paper (40%), midterm and final quizzes (40 points), and forum participation (20 points).
Policy concerning plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the offering of the work of someone else as one's own. Honesty requires that any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged. The language or ideas taken from another may range from isolated formulas, sentences, or paragraphs to entire articles copied from books, periodicals, speeches, or the writings of other students. The offering of materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without acknowledgment is also considered plagiarism. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas or materials taken from another source is guilty of plagiarism.
A faculty member who has evidence that a student is guilty of cheating or plagiarism shall initiate the process of determining the student's guilt or innocence. No penalty shall be imposed until the student has been informed of the charge and of the evidence on which it is based and has been given an opportunity to present a defense. If the faculty member assesses a penalty within the course and promptly reports the case in writing to the dean of the school or comparable head of the academic unit. The report should include the names of any other students who may be involved in the incident and recommendations for further action. The dean, in consultation with the faculty member, if the latter so desires, will initiate any further disciplinary proceedings and inform the faculty member of any action taken. In every case, a record of the offenses remains on file in the Office of the Dean.
Every attempt will be made to accommodate students with disabilities (e.g. mental health, learning, chronic health, physical, hearing, vision, neurological, etc.). You must have established your eligibility for support services through the Adaptive Educational Services office that serves students with disabilities. Please contact the AES office as soon as possible if accommodations are needed. AES is located in room lOO Taylor Hall, 317-274-3241.”
Required textbook (You have to have this textbook for the class):
Patricia Ebrey & Anne Walthall East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History (Boston: Wadsworth Press 2014) 3rd Edition.
SBN-13: 978-1133606475
ISBN-10: 1133606474