|
Introduction
An examination of China’s transformation from
the “traditional” society of the dynastic period (c. 2000 BCE to 1911) into the
“modern” nation that has emerged in the twenty-first century.
The distribution of grades
for the course is as follows:
You final grade will ultimately depend on my assessment of your performance
in each of the above areas, though the following descriptions should provide
you with a rough idea of the defining characteristics of students within particular
grade ranges:
| A | Possesses a deep understanding of the
major concepts and themes of the course. The “A” student is able
to
consistently identify and explain key ideas in the primary sources,
develop
genuine insights into the broader significance of these texts, and
demonstrate
a high level of intellectual engagement in class discussions. | | B | Demonstrates a serious commitment
to the
course (i.e.
attendance and participation) and a strong grasp of the major concepts
and
themes but with less depth and/or consistency than the “A” student. | | C | Demonstrates a reasonable effort to
attend class and
participate in discussions as well as a basic grasp of the course
material. | | D | Demonstrates a minimal commitment to the
course
and a weak grasp
of basic concepts and themes. | | F | Fails to demonstrate an acceptable degree
of
effort in the course
through low attendance, inability to discuss basic concepts and themes,
missed
assignments and/or plagiarized work. |
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- identify and accurately cite primary and secondary sources
- develop
a thesis that is defended using primary and/or secondary sources and
construct a coherent narrative that communicates historical knowledge
and provides an interpretation of the past
- analyze diversity in the human experience, including race, ethnicity, and/or gender
- analyze the causes and consequences of historical events in a global context
- describe cultural values and characteristics of a particular East Asian nation
- describe social and/or economic changes in East Asia and their consequences
Class Participation
Your participation mark (worth 10% of the final
grade) will be based on your ability to demonstrate that you have made a
sincere attempt to read and understand the assigned material. Although the
quality of your comments will obviously be taken into consideration, all
attempts to seriously engage the readings — from sharing your perspective on the
material to simply asking a relevant question — will enhance your grade. While
your mark will ultimately depend on my subjective evaluation of the quantity
and quality of your comments, you may reasonably expect to receive at least a
“B” if you routinely attend class and participate in class discussions on a
regular basis.
Blackboard Quests
In
order to encourage you to keep up with the
readings and periodically review the material that we’ve covered, there
will be three “quests” (somewhere between a quiz and a test) spread
throughout the
semester. The quests are worth 10% each and
will include a variety of questions
(multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, short
answer, etc.) to be completed on Blackboard within a two-day period (see
syllabus for dates). Each quest will have a 30-minute time limit, which should
be long enough to search for some of the answers in the readings or on
the course web pages … but once your quest begins there’s no turning back — so be
ye prepared lest your time runneth out!
Writing Assignments
There are three essays in this course, each of
which must be a minimum of 1500 words (approximately six pages) with references
to at least five academic (i.e., peer-reviewed) sources using Chicago Style footnotes. Papers should be submitted to
Blackboard/Assignments before class on the assigned due date; late
papers will be penalized
one degree (e.g., from B to B-) for each day past the deadline. Papers that contain significant
instances of plagiarism will receive a 0 and be reported to the Office
of Academic Affairs. All submitted work may be randomly selected for program assessment
(with names removed); although this will in no way impact your course grade,
you may opt out of program assessment by notifying Professor Hoffert by email.
Essay 1
Memorial to the Second Qin Emperor
In 210 BCE, the Second Qin Emperor (Qin Er Shi)
was enthroned at the age of twenty-one following the death of his father, the
First Emperor of China (Qin Shihuangdi). According to the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian), the Second Emperor was
placed on the throne by the Prime Minister Li Si and the Chief Eunuch Zhao Gao,
who manipulated the line of succession for their own benefit and in the process
destabilized the dynasty and contributed to its collapse a few years later.
However, what if Li Si and Zhao Gao had been challenged by a brilliant official
with the capacity to teach the Second Emperor the proper Way of the Ruler and
thereby stabilize the dynasty? For your first assignment, you will be that
brilliant official, writing a detailed “memorial” to the Second Emperor that
(i) identifies the causes of the Zhou dynasty’s failure; (ii) explains the
reasons for the First Emperor’s success; and (iii) establishes a new ideology
that will secure the dynasty for ten thousand generations. Since the First
Emperor implemented a Legalist polity, you will need to decide whether to
advocate for continuing this approach without modification or to temper/replace
it with one of the other political solutions of the period, such as
Confucianism or Daoism. You should also indicate whether you would maintain the
centralized rule of the First Emperor or restore (partially or fully) the type
of “feudalism” that prevailed during the Zhou dynasty. For grading details, see
the Essay 1 Rubric below.
|
Essay 2
A Daughter of Han
Although China has one of the richest historical
traditions in the world, history textbooks typically focus on the major
historical figures and the events with which they are associated — the so-called
“Great Tradition”. In A Daughter of Han, however, we get a fascinating
glimpse of the “Small Tradition” through the oral autobiography of Mrs. Ning (as
recounted by Ida Pruitt), an ordinary, low-income urban woman who lived during
the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For your second essay you will
explore one of the prominent themes in A Daughter of Han by using
“secondary sources” (i.e., works that interpret and analyze information that was
originally presented elsewhere, such as in “primary sources” like A Daughter
of Han) to augment Mrs. Ning’s first-person accounts. Some of the themes
you may wish to focus on include missionaries, Chinese religion and/or folk
beliefs, opium, medicine, the Japanese, government, marriage, and gender. Since
A Daughter of Han does not have an index, you should take careful notes
as you read through the book, especially on the theme that you intend to focus
on. For grading details, see the Essay 2 Rubric below.
Essay 3
Son of the Revolution
The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) represents a
pivotal era in the history of modern China. On the one hand, it was the most
radical of Mao Zedong’s attempts to radically transform Chinese society, while
on the other, it was immediately followed by Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms,
which transformed China just as deeply by ushering in decades of rapid economic
growth. Your third paper will use Liang Heng’s autobiography, Son of the
Revolution, together with appropriate secondary sources, to explore an aspect
of the Cultural Revolution and its impact on China’s subsequent development. Some
of the themes you may wish to focus on include Mao’s rejection of capitalism
(in contrast to Deng Xiaoping’s promotion of “socialism with Chinese
characteristics”), Mao Zedong Thought, Quotations
from Chairman Mao Tse-tung (a.k.a. the Little
Red Book), the Cult of Mao, People’s Communes, the People’s Liberation
Army, Red Guards, the Four Olds (old customs, culture, habits, and ideas), Big
Character Posters, class struggle (directed primarily against the bourgeoisie),
self-criticism and public ridicule, the “Down to the Countryside” movement,
propaganda, corruption, and education. For grading details, see the Essay 3
Rubric below.
Virtual Office Hours/Contact Information
Required Texts
- Clements, Jonathan. A Brief History of China. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2019. [BHC]
- Wills, John E., Jr. Mountain of Fame. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2012. [MOF]
- Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. Third Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. [SMC]
- Pruitt, Ida. A Daughter of Han. Eastford, CT: Martino Fine Books, 2011.
- Liang, Heng and Judith Shapiro. Son of the Revolution. New York: Vintage Books, 1983.
Essay 1 Rubric
Memorial to the Second Qin Emperor
|
Unsatisfactory
0 - .69 |
Satisfactory
.70-.79 |
Good
.80-.89 |
Excellent
.90-1.0 |
MARK |
LENGTH
|
<1250
words
|
1250-1500
words
|
1500-1750
words
|
>1750
words
|
2
|
STYLE
|
Ideas are poorly expressed with
substantial spelling and/or grammar issues |
Ideas are adequately expressed but there are
many stylistic errors |
Ideas are clearly expressed with some stylistic
errors |
Ideas are eloquently expressed with very few
stylistic errors |
3
|
REFERENCES
| There are no references to academic sources
| There are “Chicago Style” references to less than 5 sources
| There are appropriate “Chicago Style” references to at least 5 sources | There are well-chosen and skillfully used references to at least 6 academic sources |
3
|
CAUSE OF ZHOU FAILURE
|
The collapse of the Zhou sociopolitical order is
inadequately explained |
The collapse of the Zhou sociopolitical order is
minimally explained |
The collapse of the Zhou sociopolitical order is
clearly explained |
The collapse of the Zhou sociopolitical order is
insightfully explained |
3 |
REASONS FOR QIN SUCCESS
|
The success of the First Emperor is inadequately
explained |
The success of the First Emperor is minimally
explained |
The success of the First Emperor is clearly
explained |
The success of the First Emperor is insightfully
explained |
3
|
NEW IDEOLOGY
|
There are significant problems with the discussion
of a new sociopolitical order |
There is a rough plan for the establishment of a
new sociopolitical order |
There is a coherent plan for the establishment
of a new sociopolitical order |
There is an insightful plan for the
establishment of a new sociopolitical order |
6
|
TOTAL
|
|
|
|
|
20 |
Essay 2 Rubric
A Daughter of Han
|
Unsatisfactory
0 - .69 |
Satisfactory
.70-.79 |
Good
.80-.89 |
Excellent
.90-1.0 |
MARK |
LENGTH
|
<1250
words
|
1250-1500
words
|
1500-1750
words
|
>1750
words
|
2
|
STYLE
|
Ideas are poorly expressed with
substantial spelling and/or grammar issues |
Ideas are adequately expressed but there are
many stylistic errors |
Ideas are clearly expressed with some stylistic
errors |
Ideas are eloquently expressed with very few
stylistic errors |
3
|
USE OF PRIMARY SOURCE
|
There are significant problems with the
references to A Daughter of Han |
The references to A Daughter of Han do
not adequately express the chosen theme |
The references to A Daughter of Han are
appropriate examples of the chosen theme |
The references to A Daughter of Han
insightfully illuminate the chosen theme |
2 |
USE OF SECONDARY SOURCES
|
There are significant problems with the
references to secondary sources |
There are “Chicago Style” references to less than 4 academic sources |
There are appropriate “Chicago Style” references to at least 4 academic sources |
There are well-chosen and skillfully used references to at least 5 academic sources |
3
|
THESIS
|
There are significant problems with the paper’s
thesis |
The paper’s thesis is unclear and/or is not
supported by a coherent argument |
The paper presents a clear thesis that is
supported by a reasonable argument |
The paper presents an insightful thesis that is
supported by a strong argument |
10
|
TOTAL
|
|
|
|
|
20 |
Essay 3 Rubric
Son of the Revolution
|
Unsatisfactory
0 - .69 |
Satisfactory
.70-.79 |
Good
.80-.89 |
Excellent
.90-1.0 |
MARK |
LENGTH
|
<1250
words
|
1250-1500
words
|
1500-1750
words
|
>1750
words
|
2
|
STYLE
|
Ideas are poorly expressed with
substantial spelling and/or grammar issues |
Ideas are adequately expressed but there are
many stylistic errors |
Ideas are clearly expressed with some stylistic
errors |
Ideas are eloquently expressed with very few
stylistic errors |
3
|
USE OF PRIMARY SOURCE
|
There are significant problems with the
references to Son of the Revolution
|
The references to Son of the Revolution do
not adequately express the chosen theme |
The references to Son of the Revolution are
appropriate examples of the chosen theme |
The references to Son of the Revolution
insightfully illuminate the chosen theme |
2 |
USE OF SECONDARY SOURCES
|
There are significant problems with the
references to secondary sources |
There are “Chicago Style” references to less than 4 academic sources |
There are appropriate “Chicago Style” references to at least 4 academic sources |
There are well-chosen and skillfully used references to at least 5 academic sources |
3
|
THESIS
|
There are significant problems with the paper’s
thesis |
The paper’s thesis is unclear and/or is not
supported by a coherent argument |
The paper presents a clear thesis that is
supported by a reasonable argument |
The paper presents an insightful thesis that is
supported by a strong argument |
10
|
TOTAL
|
|
|
|
|
20 |
|
