HISTORY 247:
EARLY CHINESE HISTORY
Whitman College Spring 2006
M W 2:30 – 3:50 Maxey 210
Dr. Brian Dott
|
OFFICE: 225 Maxey |
Office Hours: MW
4-5 |
|
PHONE: 527-5776 |
also available by
appointment |
SCHEDULE
W 1/18: Introductions
Chinese Writing System
Chinese Geography
M 1/23: Neolithic to Zhou
Readings:
Hansen: Intro.
& Ch. 1
Mair: #1-4 (Divination & Ritual Texts)
Visuals
#1-14
On-line: Ancient Tombs follow links to first 4 tombs (skip Han tomb), view all objects
W 1/25: Zhou
Readings:
M 1/30: Confucianism
Readings:
Hansen: Ch. 2
Mair: #7-10
Geography Quiz
W 2/1: Daoism & Warfare
Readings:
Mair: #12, 13, 17
CREATION OF EMPIRE
M 2/6: Qin State & Legalism
Readings:
Hansen: Ch. 3 to pg. 112
Mair: #18, 21, 23, 24 (Xunzi, Hanfeizi
& Qin laws)
Visuals
#22-23
W 2/8: Han State
Readings:
Hansen: Ch. 3, pgs. 112 to end
Mair: #16, 26, 27; Visuals #24-36
E-RES: Dong Zhongshu, in Sources Chinese Trad., 2nd ed.
Handout: “Debate on Salt and Iron”
M 2/13: Sima Qian
Readings:
E-RES: Wills, Mountain of Fame, “Sima Qian”
Mair:
#28, 29
E-RES: Shiji,
from Sources Chinese Tradition,
1st ed.
W 2/15: Status of Women
Readings:
E-RES: Ban Zhao’s “Lessons,” in Shorter Columbia Anthol.
E-RES: Wills, Mountain of Fame, “Ban Zhao”
E-RES: Hinsch, selections Women in Early Imperial China
M 2/23: No Class, President’s Day
PERIOD OF DISUNITY AND SPREAD OF BUDDHISM
W 2/22: Daoism & Literature
Readings:
Mair: #32-34, 38, 39, 41
E-RES: Bokenkamp “Declarations of the Perfected”
Short Paper on Sima Qian Due
M 2/27: Buddhism
Readings: On-line:
“The
Buddha’s First Sermon”
On-line: excerpt
from the Lotus Sūtra
Hansen Ch. 4
Mair: #43, 46
On-line: “In
Defense of Buddhism”
E-RES: Hui-Yuan, from Sources Chinese Tradition, 1st ed.
REUNIFICATION AND AGE OF POETRY
W 3/1: Reunification
Readings: Hansen
: Ch. 5
Mair: #48,
M 3/6: Women During the Tang / Review
Readings:
Wills: Empress Wu
E-RES: “Female Filial Piety,” from Under Confucian Eyes
E-RES: Ebrey, Inner Quarters, Chapts. 8 & 12
W 3/8: Mid-Term Exam
SPRING BREAK
M 3/27: Tang Period Buddhism
Readings: Hansen:
Ch. 6
Mair: #47, 49, 52, 53, 56
E-RES: Miaoshan Story, from Under Confucian Eyes
E-RES: Mulian Story, from Shorter Columbia Anthology...
W 3/29 Literature
Readings:
Mair: #50, 51, 54, 55 (Uyghurs)
handout selected poems
ECONOMIC BOOM
M 4/3: Neo-Confucianism
Readings: Hansen:
Ch. 7
E-RES: Zhu Xi, selections, Sources Chinese Trad., 2nd ed.
Mair: #63, 64
W 4/5:
Literature and Art
Readings:
Mair: #57-59, 61-62
M 4/10: Religion
Readings:
Mair: #60, 66
On-line: article
on popular religion by Teiser
NON-HAN NORTHERN EMPIRES
W 4/12:
“Facing South”
Readings:
Hansen: Ch. 8
M 4/17:
Mongol Empire
Readings:
Hansen: Ch. 9
E-RES: selection from Perilous Frontier
W 4/19 Mongol Empire
Readings:
E-RES: selection from The Secret History of the Mongols
M 4/24:
Yuan Dynasty
Readings:
Mair: #68-69
REVITALIZATION OF HAN CULTURE
W 4/26: Second Economic Boom
Readings:
Hansen: Ch. 10
Monkey: Ch. 1-8
M 5/1:
Literature & Philosophy
Readings:
Mair: #71-72,
74-75, 78-79
Monkey: Ch. 9-17
W 5/3:
Popular Religion
Readings:
Monkey:
Ch. 18-24
Mair: #73, 77
M 5/8:
Overview / Catch-up / FINAL REVIEW
Readings:
Monkey:
Ch. 25-30
Hansen: Epilogue
FINAL EXAM: Saturday May 13, 9-11 AM, regular classroom
Course Description: This course exams the history of China from ancient times
up to 1600. We will explore Chinese
society, culture and religion through a variety of sources and media. The course is structured to move away from the
traditional historiography which focused predominantly on emperors and dynasties.
While these political aspects of Chinese history will still be addressed,
we will also look at groups and individuals outside of the central power structure,
and at longer socio-economic trends which transcended dynastic changes. While there will be a fair amount of lecturing
in the course, a major focus of the class meetings will be on discussion of
the readings.
Course Objectives:
1) To gain an understanding
of historical processes and what shapes them -- the interplay of events, the
transitions between historical periods, the particular Chinese solutions to
the universal problems of livelihood, power, and self-fulfillment, and the
logic of the dominant cultural patterns which emerged from those solutions.
2) To expose students
to a culture significantly different from their own as a way to understand
and appreciate human diversity, and as a way to see the self in the mirror
of others. The challenge is multiple:
overcoming barriers of time, space, culture, and language to find meaning;
learning that time, space and language are relative, not fixed, entities;
learning their “logic.”
3) To develop the reading, thinking, listening and writing skills necessary to accomplish the above: How to read and listen to the voices on the page as well as in the classroom, how to ask questions and compose an essay or an argument (a set of related thoughts with a beginning and a conclusion and a point).
Books Available at the Bookstore:
Hansen, Valerie. The Open
Empire: A History of China to 1600.
Mair, Victor, et al. Hawai’i
Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture.
Wu Ch’eng-en. Monkey. Transl. by Arthur Waley.
Additional resources will be available via links on the class web-page
or
Grading: Geography Quiz 5%
Short Paper (3-5 pgs.)
15%
Mid-Term Exam 15%
Presentation & Paper
20%
Final Exam 20%
Discussion / Participation
25%
Criteria for evaluation
Geography Quiz = 5%
A list of
places and concepts you will need to know will be handed out in class.
Short paper
=15%
This
paper will draw on assigned readings by and about Sima Qian. A detailed description of the assignment will
be handed out in class prior to the discussion of the readings. The paper should be 3-5 pages long and is due
on 2/22. Late papers will be graded
down one full grade for each day they are late (e.g. from B+ to C+).
Exams Mid-term
= 15% Final = 20%
The
mid-term will include passage identification for the key philosophers we will
have studied, possibly some short answer questions, and one or two essay questions.
The
final exam will consist primarily of essay questions, but may also include
short answer questions. In addition,
the final may include a take-home portion.
There
will be a review sheet handed out in class before each exam. There will also be time for review during the
class before each exam. A make-up for
an exam will only be given for an officially excused absence (through the
office of the Dean of Students).
Individual presentation and paper = 20%
Each
of you will give a presentation to the class on a topic of your choosing. The presentations will be after Spring Break.
I will pass around a sign-up sheet prior to break.
You will need to talk with me about your topic by 2/23.
The presentations must consider an aspect of visual or material culture.
For example, you could focus on the work of a particular artist, a
particular style of art or architecture, an important invention (e.g. paper,
gunpowder, the compass), a particular musical instrument, an object of everyday
use, or the layout of a house, palace or temple.
This is not an exhaustive list, use your imagination, and follow your
interests. All topics must involve the period prior to
1600. I will be available to consult
with in your search for a suitable topic.
For your presentation you will need to have visual aids. In your talk explain the historical significance
of your selected topic. The presentations
should be about 6-8 minutes in length, with some additional time for questions.
A good presentation will hold your classmates’ attention, place the
object within its historical context, connect the object to material covered
in class and make a strong case for the significance of the item(s).
In addition to the presentation, you will also write a short paper
(3-5 pages) on your topic which you will turn in a week after your presentation. This will allow you to make any changes based
on questions raised after your presentation.
Participation: 25%
A
significant portion of each class will focus on discussion of that day’s readings.
Students must complete all assigned readings by class time and must
be prepared to discuss those readings. Energetic,
frequent, and thoughtful participation in discussion is a vital element of
this course and constitutes a significant portion of your grade. It is important that you bring each day’s readings
with you to class. You should read
carefully so that you have questions which you would like to discuss with
your classmates. You should also highlight
key quotes from the sources which you feel are particularly important or interesting,
and be prepared to explain why you chose them. In emergencies (sickness, accident, family or
personal crises), please notify me promptly.
CLASS POLICIES
Attendance: Students are expected to regularly attend class,
to arrive on time, and to respect the professor and their fellow students.
Repeated absences, tardiness and disruptions will result in a drop
in the participation portion of the grade. If you know you will late or absent on a particular
day please inform me beforehand.
Make-ups & late work: Make-ups for
the geography quiz or mid-term exam will be scheduled only under extreme circumstances
(i.e. verified emergency,
official college excused absence).
Late papers will be marked down according to the following criteria: lowered one full grade level (e.g. from B+ to C+) for each day that it is late. I will consider accommodations for special circumstances if informed beforehand, but I am unlikely to do so after-the-fact unless it is a verified, legitimate emergency.
Academic dishonesty: This course operates in accordance with the
College’s policies on “Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism” (see 2005-06 Whitman College Student Handbook pages
41-44). All work you turn in is expected to be your
own, created specifically for this class.
Material taken from other sources must be clearly acknowledged. Plagiarism
or other forms of cheating are very serious offenses that may result in failure
of this course and can lead to academic suspension or dismissal by the college. This also applies to a person who knowingly
aids another in attempting to gain credit for work not mostly of his or her
own intellectual effort. All cases will be referred to the Office of the Dean
of Students.
Disabilities: Any student who has a learning or other disability
should notify me as soon as possible before
taking any exams or turning in assignments.
I will make every effort to accommodate verified disabilities so that you may do your best work in this course.
Please contact the Director of Academic Resources, Clare Carson, to
validate a request for accommodation (205 Memorial; 527-5213).