THE HISTORY of EAST ASIAN CIVILIZATIONS SINCE 1600 Draft!

THE HISTORY OF EAST ASIAN CIVILIZATIONS SINCE 1600 – Draft!

Prof. Douglas Howland HIST 176-*** (# ***)

Office: Holton Hall 330 Fall Semester 2017

Phone: 229-4361 (History Dept. Office) ONLINE Course

E-mail:

This course is a general survey of the history of civilizations in East Asia, with a primary emphasis on China and Japan. At the start of our period, roughly 1600, China had already established a stable, centralized empire for nearly one thousand years, and Japan was embarking upon the creation of centralized institutions. But Chinese overpopulation and the decay of bureaucratic institutions created problems that the imperial state struggled to solve; and the growth of commerce in Japan began to undermine the agricultural basis of the state. At the same time, both civilizations were the targets of Western interest from the sixteenth century on, and much of the modern history that we will study concerns the engagement of China and Japan in the developing global economy, and the technological changes, colonial movements, and political revolutions that defined the new international setting.

As an introductory history course and a General Education Course in Humanities, our objectives here will include: (1) the reading and analysis of texts; (2) the interpreting of texts as an exercise in writing, with an emphasis on essay form and the adequate use of evidence to support our interpretations; (3) developing a familiarity with trends in Chinese and Japanese history and some familiarity with Chinese and Japanese historiography; and (4) developing our skills of analyzing primary and secondary sources. This, as I said, requires careful reading, thinking, and writing.

REQUIRED TEXT:

Patricia Ebrey and Anne Walthall, Modern East Asia from 1600: A Cultural, Social, and

Political History, 3d. ed. (Boston: Wadsworth, 2014). ISBN: 1-133-60649-0.

This book is available for purchase at the UWM Bookstore in the Union. Get it as soon as possible so that you do not fall behind with the readings. You may find that used copies are available more cheaply through an online seller. Additional readings are available on the D2L course website.

GER-Humanities Course criteria: This course counts for Humanities GER credit. Humanities are the academic disciplines that investigate human constructs and values. The humanistic disciplines – such as art history, history, language and literature, philosophy, religious studies, film and media studies – are concerned with questions, issues, and concepts basic to the formation of character and the establishment of values in a human context. They also provide literary, aesthetic, and intellectual experiences that enrich and enlighten human life. In this course, you will use humanistic means of inquiry, such as: the critical use of sources and evaluation of evidence, the exercise of judgment and expression of ideas, and the organization, logical analysis, and creative use of substantial bodies of knowledge in order to approach the subject of study.

UW System Shared Learning Goal: This course also addresses the University of Wisconsin System Shared Learning Goal, “Effective Communication Skills,” which include listening, speaking, reading, writing, and information literacy. Your essays, quizzes, and written exams will all be evaluated and assigned a score based in each of the following criteria: (1) conceptual clarity demonstrating an understanding of concepts critical to the historical contexts of East Asia; and (2) proficiency of written organizational skills. An average of the scores provides a numeric measure of the success of the course in reaching these learning goals and will illustrate the extent to which the course needs to be altered to improve it.

Why study history?: One of the principal goals of this class is to help students to become more critical readers and to better analyze evidence. Only a few people who enroll in history courses go on to become historians, but history courses are potentially interesting to all who seek to enrich their understanding not just of the past but also the present. You may be surprised to learn either how different or similar the events of the past are to the events of your own historical moment. The study of history can help you to develop skills that are useful in many other walks of life, particularly the ability to gather and analyze evidence and the capacity to construct well-written arguments.

In this course you will be asked to read both secondary and primary sources. The difference between the two depends on the questions that a historian asks. Generally speaking, primary sources are documents – including diaries, speeches, government records, photographs, letters, maps, artifacts, and other materials produced in the past – usually in very close proximity to the event being studied. Secondary sources are the writings of historians and others living in the present who write texts that seek to understand and explain the past surrounding those documents. However, if I am investigating the history of US histories of the Chinese revolution (how these have developed since the 1950s, for example), then someone else’s secondary sources become my primary sources.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. D2L. Most of the course materials, including lectures and readings, will be accessible through the course D2L website. You must have access to a reliable computer and a high-speed internet connection to take this online course (a broadband connection such as Roadrunner or DSL, or a campus network connection to the web). If you do not have this at home, you can use computers on campus or in public libraries. You will upload your papers to the “Dropbox” on the D2L website, and quizzes, exams, and online discussions will also take place over D2L. You can access D2L by going to the UWM homepage (http://www4.uwm.edu) and in the quick links at the top of the page select D2L and then click “go.” This takes you to the login screen where you will be asked to provide your Panther ID and password (these are the same as your UWM email username and password). As an alternative, go to the login page with the direct address for D2L: (http://d2l.uwm.edu). On the login page, notice the “For Students” link that offers several help files for dealing with various aspects of D2L. These help documents are indeed very helpful, so keep them in mind if you ever get stuck. If you need further assistance, contact the Information Management and Technology (IMT) Help Desk (open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week). You can visit the Help Desk in person at Bolton 225, call 414-229-4040 (toll free at 1-877-381-3459), or send an email to . Keep in mind that the personnel at the Help Desk are more knowledgeable about computers than the professor, so please turn to them for technical advice.

Note that in a standard history course, I would meet with you in a room once or twice a week, where I would present lectures and ask questions, and you would take quizzes and exams. This class is different in that we will never meet together in the same room or any place other than the “virtual space” of the internet. The portal to that space is the course website on D2L. An online course means that you have a greater responsibility to take charge of your own learning: It is up to you to make sure that you devote adequate time to read, analyze, and understand the course materials. An online class also means that you will be doing a lot of reading, because almost all of the content (except films) will be delivered via written text.

NOTE: a computer glitch, a lost file, or any other technical problem is not an excuse for turning work in late or not at all.

2. READINGS. Because the readings are the centerpiece of the course, and because they will inform your writing, quizzes, and discussions, you must do the readings promptly in preparation for the week’s work. Readings for the week are to be completed by Monday of the week. By “read,” I mean critically read: this means more than a cursory examination of words on the page. You should be reading for the author’s argument, for a sense of context for the pages read, for an awareness of how one reading relates to our other readings, and for the ability to share your reactions with your colleagues.

3. DISCUSSIONS. You will be asked to participate in three online discussion “blogs” during the semester. The dates for these discussions and projects are listed in the schedule below. You will be divided randomly into groups and asked to respond both to specific questions that I prepare and to your classmates’ responses. You will be graded on your thoughtfulness, clarity, and the degree to which you are able to integrate class readings and materials. In order to receive the maximum grade, you must cite specific readings (and films). See the additional handout on “D2L Discussion Guidelines” on the “Content” page of our course website. (30% of your final grade)

4. QUIZZES. There will be three quizzes in the course, the dates for which are in the schedule below. These will examine your grasp of the content of the course--geography, concepts, institutions, texts, and events--and will be based on the course readings, films, and my lectures. I might ask you questions about the arguments put forward in the readings; for example: What is the significance of “the Banner System”? Or I may ask you to identify, to the best of your ability, a passage excerpted from one of the readings--what is it? Who might have written it? To what social or political issue does it speak? (For example, Fang Bao’s “Random Notes from Prison.”) Or, I may ask you an open-ended interpretive question that asks you to locate the document outside of its specific and internal logic and arguments--to what historical development does it speak? (30% of your final grade)

5. MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS. There will be both a midterm and a final exam during the course. The purpose of the exams is to test your skills with reading primary sources, and to synthesize and integrate your analyses of the course materials--some combination of short answer and short essay. Specific guidelines will be given in due course out of consideration for student preparation. (2 x 20% of your final grade = 40%)

* * *

Course Policies re. Form:

•The "Chicago style" is our guide to all matters of format (e.g., footnotes / endnotes and bibliography); purchase or refer to The Chicago Manual of Style (13th edition) or Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (6th edition). There is also a short guide to Chicago style available in the “Syllabus” materials for the course.

•All writing that is submitted in this course must be submitted in standard 12-point (elite) font. Anything in smaller fonts will be considered late work. (N. B. You are looking at elite type: nothing smaller than this.) I do not accept written assignments by fax or e-mail.

•Let it be known that in the event of plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty in this course, my policy is to fail the offending student(s). If you are unsure as to the nature of plagiarism, consult your current student handbook. Allowing someone to copy your work is as reprehensible as copying yourself: both parties will fail the course.

University Policies:

Students with disabilities. Verification of disability, class standards, the policy on the use of alternate materials and test accommodations can be found at the following:

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/DSAD/SAC/SACltr.pdf

Religious observances. Policies regarding accommodations for absences due to religious observance are found at the following:

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S1.5.htm

Students called to active military duty. Accommodations for absences due to call-up of reserves to active military duty should be noted.

http://www3.uwm.edu/des/web/registration/militarycallup.cfm

Incompletes. The conditions for awarding an incomplete to graduate and undergraduate students can be found at the following:

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S31.pdf

Discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment). Definitions of discrimination. Harassment, abuse of power, and the reporting requirements of discriminatory conduct are found at the following:

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S47.pdf

Academic misconduct. Policies for addressing students cheating on exams or plagiarism can be found at the following:

http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm

Complaint procedures. Students may direct complaints to the head of the academic unit or department in which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may be directed to the head of the department or academic unit in which the complaint occurred.

Grade appeal procedures. Procedures for student grade appeal appear at the following:

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S28.htm

Final examination policy. Policies regarding final examinations can be found at the following: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S22.html

Schedule of Topics and Readings

Week 1 (Tuesday 9/5 – Friday 9/8): Introductions and the Study of East Asia – The

Problem of Eurocentrism

Read carefully Week 1 “Notes for Reading”

Readings: Ebrey & Walthall, Modern East Asia from 1600, 265-69;

**Teng and Fairbank, Chapter 1

Film: “Genius that was China” (2a)

N.B. Readings marked with a double asterisk (**) are in D2L”Content.”

Week 2 (Monday 9/11 – Friday 9/15): The Manchu Dynasty of the Qing (1644-1911)

Read carefully Week 2 “Notes for Reading”

Readings: Ebrey & Walthall, Modern East Asia from 1600, 270-87, 304, 306-13,

314-332; **Lin Zexu; **China-Reform documents

Film: “Genius that was China” (2b) – “Empires in Collision”

Group Discussion #1

Week 3 (Monday 9/18 – Friday 9/22): The Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan (1603-1867)

Read carefully Week 3 “Notes for Reading”

Readings: Ebrey & Walthall, Modern East Asia from 1600, 288-303, 333-346

**Lu, End of Tokugawa

Quiz #1

Week 4 (Monday 9/25 – Friday 9/29): Meiji Japan (1868-1912)

Read carefully Week 4 “Notes for Reading”

Readings: Ebrey & Walthall, Modern East Asia from 1600, 347-62; **Spaulding on the

Charter Oath; **The Meiji Constitution; **Mori Ōgai, “Under Reconstruction”;

**Natsume Sōseki, “The Three-Cornered World”

Film: “Genius that was China” (3b) – sequence on Meiji Japan

Week 5 (Monday 10/2 – Friday 10/6): Joseon Korea

Read carefully Week 5 “Notes for Reading”

Readings: Ebrey & Walthall, Modern East Asia from 1600, 247-63, 264, 363-79, 380

Quiz #2

Week 6 (Monday 10/9 – Friday 10/13) Japan Becomes a World Power

Read carefully Week 6 “Notes for Reading”

Readings: Ebrey & Walthall, Modern East Asia from 1600, 382-99; **”Imperial Rescript