Introduction to Asian Studies

Course Description

It is an exciting and important time to study about East Asia. As ever, we need to better understand the people and events in China, Japan, as well as North and South Korea as well as our relationships to them. One objective of this course will be to introduce you to the literature and methods of inquiry for East Asia. By the end of the course, you should have a better understanding of East Asia.

This course is designed for anyone who wishes to gain a broad knowledge of East Asia, past and present. We will learn about a variety of issues and topics in the East Asian countries and how to educate ourselves about East Asia. We will also learn from each other how to think critically about different cultures. The major topics covered in this course include: approaches to understanding East Asia, histories of each country, modernization, nationalism and identities, politics, religions, social institutions, contemporary cultures, and so much more. During the semester, we will examine East Asia through readings, videos, class activities, discussion, and even food!

If you really enjoy learning about East Asia, then you may want to consider enrolling in the Asian Studies Minor at Kent State University. It is easy to do and you will be able to gain a focused and deeper understanding about Asia. To learn more go to the Asian Studies webpage at http://www.kent.edu/academics/asian/.

PAPERS, EXAMINATION, AND GRADING - 測試

EXAM: The final examination will count as one-fifth (1/5) of your final course grade and be comprehensive as well as entertaining. The final exam will have two parts. The first part will be a long essay question. The long essay will be worth at total of 4 points. The second part will consist of several short essay questions. The total points allowed for the short essay section is also 4 points. I will arrive at our final exam grade by averaging the scores from the long and short essays.

CLASS PARTICIPATION: One-fifth of your course grade is based upon class participation. During the semester, I will give you with ample quizzes, assignments, and class participation activities. Each of these is worth 4 points maximum. For your class participation grade, I will average together your scores from the quizzes, assignments, and classroom activities. The averaged participation grade is 4 points maximum, or, equal to the final exam. One portion of your grade will be “show and tell” presentations on various topics on cultures, societies, and events in Asia. Everyone in class will have the golden opportunity to both show and tell something about Asia to the rest of the class.

COUNTRY PAPERS: You will also have the joy of writing three short, but not tiny, 3-5 page papers on a topic that directly relates to China, Japan, and Korea. Each paper MUST BE TYPED, have your name, country name, course name, paper title, be double-spaced, and have a bibliography page. I do not care which citation/notation system you use, but I do care that you use that system correctly.

Each country paper is worth a maximum of 4 points and counts as one-fifth of your final course grade (the same as the final exam.) Country papers that do not follow the prescribed format or have excessive writing mistakes will not receive full points. Oh, and did I tell you that I have fondness for papers that are brilliantly written?

In case you were wondering, the papers must be turned in before the following days:

§ China paper is due Tuesday of week 8.

§ Japan paper is due Tuesday of week 13.

§ Korea paper is due Thursday of week 16.

And of course late assignments will not be accepted, which is not a good thing for your course grade. (To not be "late" means the paper must be in my hands before the start of class of the days listed above.)

FINAL COURSE GRADE: At the end of the term I will add your 3 country paper scores, the final exam score, and the averaged score of your participation. Then I will add these scores and divide the sum by 5. The grading scale for this course is commonly referred to as the "4.0" (four oh) scale. Click here to learn more about how I will grade your exams. Next, to decipher your grades simply refer to the grading scale in the table below:

Grading Scale
Want to print out a cool "Grade Calculation Chart" so that you can do your own calculations at home?

Just click here.

A = 3.8 to 4.0 C+ = 2.3 to 2.6

A- = 3.5 to 3.7 C = 2.0 to 2.2

B+ = 3.2 to 3.4 C- = 1.7 to 1.9

B = 2.9 to 3.1 D+ = 1.3 to 1.6

B- = 2.7 to 2.8 D = 1.0 to 1.2

F = 0.0 to 0.9

CLASS READINGS

There are three assigned texts for this course. They are as follows:

Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Patricia Buckley Ebrey,
A History of Japan, Mason & Caiger and,
Everlasting Flower, Keith Pratt.

In addition, additional required readings will be given out in class. The class schedule that follows this section will reveal the assigned time for each reading. Class handouts are marked as (H).

CLASS SCHEDULE

Week I
Topics:
Course introduction, brief overview of East Asia, fun facts, and why study Asia?

Activities: Forms of greeting & map exercise.

Week II
Topics: Orientalism and identity; redefining and rethinking Asia and the self.
Readings:

(H) Hall, Modernity, The West and the Rest: Discourse and Power
(H) Gunder Frank, ReOrient.

China – 中國

Week III
Topics: Chinese language; really old Chinese history and society.
Readings:

Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History, Chapters 1 to 4.

Activities: Chinese calligraphy.

Week IV
Topics: Pre-modern Chinese history and society (to the Ming Dynasty)
Readings:

Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History, Chapters 5 to 8

Week V
Topics: Qing dynasty and the end of tradition, early 20^th century.
Readings:

Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History, Chapters 9-10.
(H) Bianco, Origins of the Chinese Revolution.

Week VI
Topics: Growth of the PRC and state and industry under Mao Zedong.
Readings:

Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History, Chapter 11
(H) Mao’s China and Beyond, Maurice Meisener.

Week VII
Topics: Growth of the PRC, modern Chinese politics, economics, society, culture, and national identity.
Readings:

(H) Mao’s China and Beyond, Maurice Meisener.

Japan – 日本

China paper is due before Tuesday of week 8!

Week VIII
Topics: Japanese language, early Japanese history and society: really, really dead folks.
Readings:

Schirokauer, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization, Preface, Chapters 1-7

Activities: Historical map exercise

Week IX
Topics: Late Tokugawa, Meiji Restoration, the road to WWII: only slightly dead folks.
Readings:

Schirokauer, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization, Chapters 8-11.

Week X
Topic: Deconstructing orientalism and spring break. ばね休暇!
Readings: Sports pages for the Boston Red Sox.

Week XI
Topics: Modern Japan, the post-war reconstruction, rise of a global economy: mostly still alive folks.
Readings:

Schirokauer, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization, Chapter 12
(H) John W. Dower, Embracing Defeat, pp. 33-64.
(H) Pyle, Modern Japan.

(H) Michael Weiner Ed., Japan’s Minorities: The Illusion of Homogeneity, Chap. 1, The Invention of Identity. pp. 1-16

Week XII
Topics: Japanese identity today; gender issues; anime as a cultural export: definitely alive folks.
Readings:

(H) Pyle, Modern Japan.
(H) Anne Allison, Producing Mothers
(H) Rohlen, Japan’s High Schools, pp. 77-110

Activities: Reading culture through anime.

Korea – 韓國 과 조선

Japan paper is due before Tuesday of week 13!

Week XIII
Topics: Early Korean history and society, the Choseon dynasty.
Readings:

Pratt, Everlasting Flower, chapters 1-5.

Activities: Historical map exercise.

Week XIV
Topics: End of tradition, Japanese occupation, formation of two states, Korean Civil War.
Readings:

Pratt, Everlasting Flower, chapters 6 & 7.
(H) Halliday and Cumings, Korea: The Unknown War, pp. 15-69 .

Week XV
Topics: South Korean culture and society – state capitalism as a way of life.

Readings:

Pratt, Everlasting Flower, chapter 9. (South Korea sections)
(H) Hart, From Tradition to Consumption, Creating the Korean Houswife.

Korea paper is due before Thursday of week 16!

Week XVI
Topics: North Korean culture and society - self-reliance and nationalism lead the way.
Readings:

Pratt, Everlasting Flower, chapter 9. (North Korea sections)
(H) Cumings, Korea’s place in the sun, Chapter 8.

Activities: North Korean Nuclear Weapons Debate.

*** FINAL EXAMINATION IS DURING FINAL WEEK ***

AS 20095	Dennis Hart
Spring Semester	Main Hall 440
330-499-9600, ext. 53440	Office Hours: M-W 10-11 AM & T-R 3:30-5:30 PM
E-mail: dhart@kent.edu	Policies on honesty and disabilities