Impact of Confucianism on the Moral Development of Japan
Course:7th Grade World History and GeographyTeacher:Scott Broadway
Time Required: 1 50-minute class periodLipscomb Academy, Nashville, TN
Included Materials:Handout #1– Chinese Influence on Japan: Writing; andHandout #2 – Confucian Impact on the Moral Development of Japan
TN Social Science Standard 7.28 reads as follows:
Explain the influence of China and the Korean peninsula upon Japan as Buddhism,
Confucianism, and the Chinese writing system were adopted.
Thinking Focus: Quick-Write (Response to be recorded in student journals) – 5-7 minutes
(1) How did you learn right from wrong? Go beyond the obvious answers … beyond the role your parents played, and the rules you learned in kindergarten … where did society come up with its concepts of right and wrong behavior? How did written language play a role in establishing what is right and wrong? How has written language continued to shape our understanding of right and wrong? Please remember to use examples in your response.
Segue: Briefly discuss student reactions to the writing prompt.Ask students to imagine that they lived in a place without writing, or a written language … What problems could that create? Does it make it more difficult to establish a code of morality under such conditions? How about the ability of literature to make you want to be a better person? – ever read a book where a character is so good, that you find yourself drawn to them, and wanting to be more like them? None of that, without writing …. Well, this is the situation that Japan found itself in the early 200s CE, until they got a little help from their neighbors …
Students investigate the influence of China on Japan – Handout #1– Chinese Influence on Japan: Writing
Students analyze a map and a portion of text and answer related questions
Student Activity: Handout #2 – Confucian Impact on the Moral Development of Japan
Each student reads over all terms and definitions on page one – noticing how Japan imported major concepts from China. Next they read over page two, gaining insight into rules of interpersonal interactions as they have developed over time, and as they are held in current day Japan. On a page of computer paper students select one word from each list, and artistically display them (one on each side), focusing as best they can on seeing how the Chinese have influenced Japanese culture through Confucianism