Take Home Assignments

Annyoung haseyo hagsaengdul. Finally, here are your fabulous questions for your third fabulous paper. As you might suspect, these questions deal a lot with Korea as well as comparing Japan and China. Enjoy!

1. Deja vu all over again. Find specific examples of how Korea is represented in US popular culture today and use the ideas/concepts from this course to deconstruct the images and show how they may misrepresent Korea. MAke absolutely, positively, 100 percent sure that you invoke and use the fabulous readings on orientalism and modernity you received earlier in the class.

2. Has Korea's history been marked more by continuity or more by change? Or neither? Or both? Or one-half dozen of one but only six of the other?

3. Ok, ok. I understand how both China and Japan reacted to western imperialism, but explain to me how and why Korea reacted they it did during the late 19th and early 20th century.

4. If Korea has almost 2,000 years of history as a people, as is sometimes claimed by Koreans, then why are there two Koreas today? And are they really that much different?

5. North Koreans, South Koreans... what difference does it make? After all, aren't they all Koreans after all?

6.Trace the 2-3 most important similarities between Korea, China, and Japan over the past 1000 or so years. Enjoy!

天下無敵

Hello my fine Japan-studying students. Here are your questions for your second paper, you know, the one on Japan. The format for this paper is the same as for the last paper. Enjoy, and email me if you get stuck on anything or have questions.

1. Find specific examples of how Japan is represented in US popular culture today and use the ideas/concepts from this course to deconstruct the images and show how they may misrepresent Japan.

2. As if you did not expect it, this question is about Japanese identity. In what ways does Japanese history as learned in our class refute, disagree, nag at, and generally quarrel with many of the assumptions on modern Japanese-ness?

3. The Meiji was major. Tell me great detail how and why the transformations of the Meiji were made partly possible by BOTH pre-Meiji Japanese society, economics, polity, and identity.

4. In what major and important ways have Chinese and Japanese history diverged? And, in an attempt to keep you all off the streets and out of trouble, in what major and important ways have Chinese and Japanese history been similar?

5. Is modern Japan really any different from traditional Japan? I mean, both of them are populated with oodles and boodles of Japanese folks, right?

6. Why was Japan able to deal successfully with the "West" and modernity, but China couldn't? And yes, details and facts and specifics do matter.

This one will be ooooooohhhh so easy for everyone. What are BOTH the Japanese and Korean names for Astro Boy? And yes, before you even ask, BOTH answers have to be BOTH in the appropriate language AND English. Boy, talk about a BOTHer!

Asian Studies Paper Topics - China

Hello my patient and de-orientalized students. In case you have forgotten, as part of this fabulous course, you  to write three short, but not tiny, 3-5 page papers on a topic that directly relates to China, Japan, and Korea. You have to pick one of the topics/themes below. 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.

First is your paper on China. This 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 Tuesday of week 8. Now, on to the questions.

1. Find specific examples of how China is represented in US popular culture today and use the ideas/concepts from this course to deconstruct the images and show how they may misrepresent China.

2. Specifically explain the major points of continuity throughout China's history. That is, what are the major similarities and differences among the major dynasties?

3. What are the most important origins of the Chinese Revolution of 1949?

4. Why did the mandate of heaven and "tradition" end in 1911? Give both domestic and external causes.

5. What major goals and challenges were faced by post-1949 revolutionary China? Did they over come them? If so, how? If not, why not? (national poverty, foreign threats, Cultural Revolution, Great Leap Foward, Market Socialism, etc.

6. Why couldn't the Qing Dynasty successfully deal with Western Imperialism?

Want to print out a cool "Grade Calculation Chart" so that you can do your own alculations at home? Just click here.