Modern Asia (G452/H521)
Fall
2005
T/Th
11:00-12:15 (CA 411)
Professor: Xin
Zhang
Office: CA
503P
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 12:30-2:30; or by
appointment
Office Phone: (317) 274-4898
Email: xzhang@iupui.edu
Asia has again entered our attention not for the
political turmoil or the crash of stock market that we saw in China and Japan
in the recent years, but as a growing economic power in the world. There is increasing interest among students
of this university to understand more about Asia, including the traditions,
cultures, and modernization efforts.
This course is designed to meet this interest.
This course offers a brief survey of
hitstory of China, Japan, Vietnam, and Korea in traditional/modern period. It presents a general idea of how the
cultures in this area are interrelated.
The emphasis of the lecture is on the development of the social
structure, political system, and culture.
Since the instructor of the course has a strong Asian cultural
background, the class welcomes discussion on the issues that concerning the
Asian culture in general and its comparison to Western culture such as that of
America.
Although the course will cover the
events and figures of Asian history, its approach to the study of Asian history
is different. Instead of viewing the
history of countries as separate entity, we examine them within a large
framework of Confucianism. And through
that framework, we examine their endeavors to reach modernity. We look back to the historical roots embedded
in the tradition, culture, and society of these countries and to analyze their
present development within the historical context. Thus, in this course, students will be
presented with a dynamic picture of Asia which includes its marketing structure,
the emergence of the power of elites, and the reshaping of the balance between
the state and society. In order to allow
students exposure to the recent achievements in the study of modern China in
the West, this course will also include a summary of the development of the
`Asian Field' in last 50 years. During
the lectures, major theories developed in recent years as well as the
contributions made by the leading scholars in the field will be presented.
Further, this course is
designed to encourage the development of IUPUI’s Principles of Undergraduate Learning in the
following ways: Communication and Quantitative Skills are developed through writing
a researched paper and taking essay exams enabling the student to develop
skills targeted at expressing ideas and facts in a variety of written formats,
understanding and interpreting texts, and applying these ideas in order to
answer questions. Critical Thinking: By
reading text, doing research, and listening to lecture the student gains the
ability to take information from a variety of sources, combine and synthesize
sources in order to use this knowledge to evaluate and understand different
perspectives. Understanding Society and Culture: By studying the Asian history, the student is
exposed to a variety of diverse cultural perspectives and required to evaluate
history within a different culture perspective of not only time but place. This ability will assist the student in
understanding complex cultural questions in today’s world.
Students taking the course are
required to take two written exams (a
midterm and a final) and to write one
term paper on a subject related to Modern Asia.
The midterm exam (30% of final grade) is scheduled for October 25, and the
final exam (30% of final grade) for December 15. The final exam will include only the
materials covered since midterm.
Paper Assignment (40%
of final grade): The
paper will be ten pages long and use at least two books as reference
material. These books should be history
books, not textbooks, and on the subject of your paper. You may use additional books to help fill in
material as necessary. Additional
material can come from texts or web pages.
Cautionary note: web sites must
be of sufficient academic quality that they are reliable for research
purposes. If you have a question about a
site, have it checked first by the instructor.
Papers will be graded on content and
quality of research, but also on grammar and punctuation. All papers should have a well-developed
introduction and conclusion. Any papers
turned in with inadequate editing will receive a lower grade. Papers meeting the minimum requirements will
receive an average grade: C.
The papers can be on any topic of
interest so long as the subject meets the following guidelines: the main area of research must be before the
year 1950, although conclusion may take you past 1950. The topic must also lie inside Asia. Any papers that fall outside these guidelines
will be returned ungraded. I will be happy to discuss any paper topics
prior to your beginning your research. You shall include footnotes and a
bibliography.
The course will primarily be
lecture. Slide presentations, video
displaying, and student discussion will supplement the format.
Attendance Policy:
An attendance sheet will be passed around at each lecture. You may miss 4 lectures without any
excuses needed. Each subsequent absence
will result in the loss of a letter grade. Be no later than 10 minutes to class, you will be counted absent
after 10 minutes. You will also be marked absent if you should leave class
early. It is your responsibility to make
sure you sign the attendance sheet. It
is our only record of your presence.
Later protests that you were in class on a given day but failed to sign
in will not result in a forgiveness of the missing class. It is imperative that you sign the attendance
sheet each day!
Additional requirements for graduate students: Graduate students will do
more reading and writing than undergraduates, and will be expected to
demonstrate a higher level of
proficiency on written work and in
discussion. Graduate students' research
papers should be 20-
30 pages in length. There will be several extra meetings of the
professor and graduate students
in order to more fully discuss matters of
bibliography and historiography relevant to this course.
Assessment
Methods: mid-term Exam (30%), term
paper (30%), final exam & class performance (40%).
Required
Texts:
Fairbank, John et
al.
East Asia: Tradition and Transformation (Cambridge: Harvard University Press,
1989)
Suggested
reading:
McClain, James L.
Japan, a modern history (New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Co., 2002)
Edwards, Louise P; Mina Roces
Women in Asia: tradition,
modernity, and globalization (Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan Press, 2000)
Brown, Michael E
The rise of China (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000)
Tarling, Nicholas
Southeast Asia: a modern history (South
Melbourne, Vic.; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001)
De Bary, William Theodore
Nobility & civility: Asian
ideals of leadership and the common good (Cambridge,
Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2004)
Lectures
& Readings (Weekly Assignment):
1. Modern Asia: an Introduction (August 30
to September 1)
Up to “The Christian Century in
Japan” in chapter one
2. Chapter One: The Coming of the
Europeans (September 6 to September 8)
Finish the rest of chapter one
3. Chapter Two: Invasion and Rebellion in
China (September 13 to September 15)
Up to “Trends in Scholarship and
Thought”
4. Chapter Two: Invasion and Rebellion in
China (September 20 to September 22)
Finish
the rest of chapter two
5. Chapter Five: China’s Response to the
West (September 27 to September 29)
Entire
chapter
6. Chapter Eight: The Rise of the Chinese
Republic (October 4 to October 6)
Entire
chapter
Lectures
& Readings (Weekly Assignment):
7. Chapter
Three: Japan’s Response to the West (October 11 to October 13)
Entire
chapter
8. Chapter
Four: The Development of Meiji Japan (October 18 to October 20)
Entire
chapter
9. Mid-term Exam (October 25)
10. Chapter
Seven: Imperial Japan: From Triumph to Tragedy (October 27 to November 1)
Entire
chapter
11. Chapter
Six: East & Southeast Asia in the Age of Imperialism (November 3)
Up to
“The British Empire in Southeast Asia”
12. Chapter
Six: East and Southeast Asia in the Age of Imperialism (November 8)
Finish
the rest of chapter six
13. Chapter
Nine: Colonialism and Nationalism in the Peripheral Areas (November 10 to
November 15)
Up to
“Colonialism: Taiwan and Korea”
14. Chapter
Nine: Colonialism and Nationalism in the Peripheral Areas (November 17 to
November 22)
Finish
the rest of chapter nine
November 24 – NO
CLASS
15. Chapter
Ten: East Asian in the New International World (November 29 to December 1)
Up to
“The Chinese Communists’ Consolidation of Power”
16. Chapter
Ten: East Asian in the New International World (December 6)
Finish the rest of chapter ten
17. Review (December 8)
Final Exam – December 15
Policy concerning plagiarism
Plagiarism is the offering of the
work of someone else as one's own.
Honesty requires that any ideas or materials taken from another source
from either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged. The language or ideas taken from another may
range from isolated formulas, sentences, or paragraphs to entire articles
copies from books, periodicals, speeches, or the writings of other students. The offering of materials assembled or
collected by others in the form of projects or collections without
acknowledgment is also considered plagiarism.
Any student who fails to give credit for ideas or materials taken from
another source is guilty of plagiarism.
A faculty member who has evidence
that a student is guilty of cheating or plagiarism shall initiate the process
of determining the students' guilt or innocence. No penalty shall be imposed until the student
has been informed of the charge (and of the evidence on which it is based) and
has been given an opportunity to present a defense. If the faculty member assesses a penalty
within the course, the faculty member is to promptly report the case in writing
to the dean of the school or comparable head of the academic unit. The report should include the names of any
other students who may be involved in the incident and recommendations for
further action. The dean, in
consultation with the faculty member if the latter so desires, will initiate
any further disciplinary proceedings and inform the faculty member of any
action taken. In every case, a record of
the offenses remains on file in the Office of the Dean.