Asia 201

Gateway to Asia

Spring 2018

Ronald P. Loftus, http://www.willamette.edu/~rloftus/

Class Time: T, Th 9:40-11:10 am

Office: Walton Hall 144, 6275

Office Hours: MTThF 10:00-11:00 am

Or by appointment

Location: Walton Hall 21

This course is a survey of 2,000 years of East Asia's cultural and institutional history. The societies of East Asia, especially China, Korea and Japan have rich, complex and multifaceted historical experiences. It will be the purpose of this course to introduce students to the philosophy, religion, literature, art, envrionmental concerns and everyday life of the peoples of this part of the world from the dawn of history to the beginning of the modern era.

Student Learning Objectives:

1. To acquire a general knowledge of the scope, breadth and contours of East Asian History and Culture.

2. To develop interdisciplinary thinking and multi-disciplinary approaches to the study of the societies and cultures of East Asia.

3. To be able to think critically and ask questions that can be answered from a multi-disciplinary perspective, especially those concerning the environment and sustainability.

Course Requirements

1. Attendance and active participation. 15%

2. In-class group or solo presentations and/or assuming responsibility for leading the discussion for part of a chapter or other specified topic. 25%

3. Short reading reports and five analytical papers as assigned. 60%

4. Time Requirements for AS 201 are probablly pretty typical. Between keeping current in the Textbook reading, and preparing specific reading assignments for classroom discussion, and for drafting and revising papers, an average of around 6-9 hours per week outisde of class will be expected.

Please be aware that Willamette University has a strong plagiarism policy. It reads, in part:

Plagiarism and cheating are offenses against the integrity of the courses in which they occur and against the college community as a whole. Plagiarism usually consists of representing ideas that are not your own as your own so the simple solution is to attribute, i.e., provide clear indications of where you obtained your ideas or information.

Note: I will respect any accommodations authorized by the Office of Disabilities Services. Please tell me about these accommodations as soon as possible.

Required Readings:

1. Ebrey, Walthall, Palais, East Asia: A Cultural Social and Political History 2nd Edition (Wadsworth, 2009)

see student resources at http://college.cengage.com/history/world/ebrey/east_asia/2e/student_home.html

2. Roger T. Ames and David Hall, Daodejing: A Philosophical Translation "Making This Life Significant"

3. Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji, translated and abridged by Royall Tyler

4. Selected readings in PDF format available on the WISE site for this course.

Useful Online Primary Materials:

On China

On Japan

On Korea

Class Schedule:

Weeks 1-4: Early or Classical China: History, Philosophy, Culture

Note: the class schedule below is an approximation of the pace at which we will read and discuss materials; we may fall slightly behind or push slightly ahead depending on circumstances and how well students read and absorb materials.

Tuesday Jan. 16

First Class: Introduction to the Course

Thinking about the Idea of Civilizations and Early Polities

Early writing system; oracle bones 1 and 2 ; Lady Hao bronzes;more

Yale Unit on the Shang Bronze Age; or here;

Shang and Zhou Bronzes; Eastern Zhou Dynasty

Prepare Readings For Thursday Sept. 1: Textbook, East Asia, pp. 2-19 and

"Confucian Terms Ames and Rosemont" PDF on WISE in "Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy" Folder

Thursday

Jan. 18

China's Long Past: Chronology

a. Xia , Shang (1500-1045 BCE); Shang and some Shang Images; More on the Shang

b. The Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BCE) ;

More on the Zhou; See also this Chronology

c. The Warring States Period (475-221 BC)

Discuss "Confucian Terms Ames and Rosemont" PDF on WISE in "Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy" Folder

Lexicon

Textbook, East Asia, pp. 2-19 on Prehistory and Early Chinese History

Tuesday Ja. 23

Classical Chinese Philosophy:

The Six Books including the I Ching/Yijing click here;

The 8 Trigrams

See also: Book of Changes

The Yijing consists of the 64 Hexagrams which probably grew out of the 8 Trigrams (8 x 8 = 64). The Eight Trigrams were conceived as images of all that happens in heaven and on earth. Small wonder then that both of the two branches of Chinese philosophy, Confucianism and Daoism, have their common roots here.

Watch DVD on Richard Wilhelm's long and arduous but pathbreaking work tranlsating theYijingfrom Chinese into German between 1911-1921.

Consulting the Yijing

Textbook, East Asia, pp. 20-34;

See Mote PDFs on WISE Chs 1-2; and Yijing PDFs on WISE

Useful Resources ; On the Yarrow Stalks; PDF on Consulting Yijing with 3 Coins.

2. Sign Up to Discuss (next class period) Excerpts from:

"Confucius, Analects" a PDF on WISE, in the same "Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy" Folder noted above.

Each student responsible for at least 5 pages for Thurs. Sept 8

ThursdayJan. 25

Discuss Confucian Terms Reading and the Analects: See Chinese and English text together

Brief Student presentations on passages from the Analects PDF

Confucius: the Analects;

Three Confucian Values

See http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/analects.html for Chinese and English versions together

Tonight, 7:00 pm Cone Chapel, Special Shakuhachi Concert

James Schlefer

See also short readings on Mengzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, and Mozi, PDFs on WISE;

Tuesday Jan. 30

Continue Discussion of the Analects

More on Confucius: Interpretations by Fingarette

Hundred Schools of Thought :

Mozi, Mengzi, Xunxi, Han Feizi (Legalism)

General Background for next sessions: Read: East Asia pp. 35-54

Discuss Fingarette "Main Reading Chs. 2-3 PDFs

Sign Ups to Discuss 2 PDFs on Thursday 9/20 (WISE):

1. We ALL read Moeller on "How to read the Daodejing"

2. Intro to Ames and Hall, Daodejing, pp. 1-53

--Optional: Mote, Intellectual Foundations, Read Mote Ch. 4, "Early Taoism" a PDF on WISE

Thrus. Feb. 1

Finish Discussion of Fingarette Intepretation

*****

Considering Daoism:

1. Discuss Moeller and the Laozi PDFs

2. Discuss Ames and Hall's "Philosophical Introduction" to Daoism (1-53; divided into 6 sections)

Yin Yang Theory

****

Chronology : The Founding of China's Bureaucratic Empire:Qin and Han Dynasties

Slides

Prepare for Tuesday Sept. 20

Ames and Hall, Daoism, pp. 77-204 (81 "chapters" or "verses" pus copmmentary)

-Each student prepares 5 chapters or verses to comment on

Read: East Asia pp. 35-54

Weeks 5-6

Feb. 6

Discussion of Daoism I Ames and Hall, Daoism, pp. 77-204

Yin-Yang and Five Elements/ Five Phases Theory

Discussion of Daoism II Ames and Hall, Daoism, pp. 77-204

Ideas for First Paper Topic

East Asia 55-73;

Buddhism and the Environment

For Monday, read East Asia 94-127 and links on Jomon, Creation Myths and Horseriders.

Thinking about China's Imperial Bureaucratic System

The Creation of China's Bureaucratic Empire: The Qin and Han Dynasties - East Asia 55-73;

Qin Conquest;

Connections: Silk Road; China's Disunity and the Spread of Buddhism; Reunification of China under Sui and Tang Dynasties (East Asia 55-73)

East Asia 94-127 and links on Jomon, Creation Myths and Horseriders.

Jomon People ; Jomon Pit Dwelling

Junko Habu video on Jomon Era; More on Jomon

Read East Asia 114-127;

Pattern of Japan's Past: Japan's Neolithic: The Jomon Era

Early Japan to 794; Wei Dynasty Chronicle

Myths and Monarchs

TheKojiki [Record of Ancient Matters] and Some Basics of Korean History;

Hashihaka Tomb

Early Korea to 935; Three Kingdoms in Korea

More on Jomon and Yayoi Periods; Japan in the Chinese Records: Kofun ;

Notes on the Horserider theory on the origins of Japanese City State;

Where was Yamataikoku?

East Asia 114-127;

March 21-25-Spring Break;

No Classes

April 3

Review Feudal Experience Part I

Japan's Fedual Experience Part II

Azby Brown Video

Medieval Culture

April 5

Discuss Elin and Marks pieces on the Environment and Sustainability in China:

Prepare/ Sign Up for Totman discussion:

Conrad Totman, Ch. 1: The AncientPredation, 600-850; and

Conrad Totman Ch. 3: Timber Depletion 1570-1620

Ming Era; East Asia 206-220;

April 17	What China and Japan are doing right! Discuss WISE PDF on Shapiro on China's Environmental Challenges.pdf Videos for "Manufatured Landscapes" Short https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv23xwe0BoU Longer (TED Talk): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Dd4k63-zM China's Challenges in Contemporary Times: Is China at an Environmental "Tipping Point" See Ma Jun article See also the Wilson Center Report on "Choke Points in China's Water-Energy-Food Roadmap" And the Economist article, "The East is Grey" Japan and Modernity I: Background, the Meiji Restoration, "Civilization and Enlightenment"	Prepare two WISE PDFs on Japan: AS 201 Kingston, Ch.10.pdf or AS 201 Karan, Ch.13.pdf Read East Asia on Japan, 324-352; another interesting article Japan's Population East Asia 370-386
April 19	Japan and Modernity II: Rapid Modernization 1900-1945; Postwar Reforms and the Economic Miracle; Contemporary Issues and Realities: Update on Nuclear Power Discuss Kingston and/or Karan PDFs; Update on Rokkasho Nuclear Waste Storage Facility Video on Fukushima and Zen; (Full Hour version of this Documentaary) Also, Salvage and Salvation Future of Nuclear Power in Japan See also, Totman Sum.pdf (a single page that we can examine together in class)	Discuss two WISE PDFs on Japan: AS 201 Kingston, Ch.10.pdf or AS 201 Karan, Ch.13.pdf Read East Asia on Japan, 324-352; another interesting article East Asia 402-440
April 24	Brainstorm Final Paper Topics;
Aprll 26 Last Class	Final Class /Reflections