JPN/EAS 380
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M•W 4:30-5:45 pm |
Jeremy Robinson |
Mackinac D-1-141 |
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The Edo period, which lasted from the beginning of the 17th century through 1868, was a time of great contradictions. It was a time ruled by the warrior class, but encompassed two and a half centuries of relative peace. It was a time when a strict class system was in effect, but the culture was driven by the lowest of the classes. It was a time when the shogunate imposed regular laws limiting artistic expression, but in which creativity flourished. And it was a time when Japan deliberately cut itself off from the rest of the world, yet was able to develop high levels of literacy, sophisticated industrial and trade networks, the world’s largest urban center, and the foundations of a modern economy which would allow them to stand as a peer to Western nations not long after the country re-opened its borders. In many ways it was a time fascinatingly like our own, with a thriving middle class and an obsession with commerce, politics, and popular culture. This course is the second part of a three-course Japanese civilizations sequence which covers the entire scope of Japan’s civilization from the earliest archaeological evidence to the present. While the first part (syllabus here) is not a prerequisite and this course can stand on its own, combining this course with one or both of the other two will deepen and enrich your understanding of the period. The course has now been approved by the university and will in the future be offered as JPN/EAS 322. Completion of this course will thus count as fulfillment of that course for all applicable requirements, including the newly proposed Japanese minor. We will take an interdisciplinary approach to the Edo period, including history, anthropology, literature, art, philosophy, theater, religion, etc. Firmly rooted in the humanistic tradition, the class aims to explore both what we share and how we differ from those we study, in an effort to explore the range of human experience. All readings will be in English translation and no previous experience with Japanese language or culture is required. This course makes extensive use of the university’s Blackboard online learning environment, both to distribute readings and other materials and as a forum for submitting and responding to reaction papers. If you are not comfortable with Blackboard or have limited internet access, come talk with me as soon as possible. |
Grades will be assessed as follows: |
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Attendance and Participation |
10% |
Think of the class as being divided into two halves, with half of the required assignments falling in each half (with the exception of the Research Paper, all of which fall in the second half of the class). Half of the online reaction papers (4), online responses (8), and assignments (1) must be completed by the time of the midterm exam. Most important, both to your grade and to the success of the class, is keeping up on the assigned readings and being ready and willing to discuss them, both in the classroom and online. When a reading appears on the syllabus for a given day, you should read it prior to coming to class, and arrive ready to actively discuss it in class. For each day’s readings, select a quote, poem, etc. that you found interesting and come to class ready to share it and discuss its significance and your reasons for choosing it. I do take attendance, as well as take note of your participation in class, and these factors do affect your grade. Throughout the semester you will also be required to post reaction papers and responses to the Blackboard online discussion board. A reaction paper should be at least 600 words (appr. two pages) long and should articulate your reaction to that day’s readings. It does not need to be a formal argumentative essay, but it should be more substantive than mere summary. It is intended to give your interpretation of the material in light of your own experience and the issues we raise in class, and should show an active engagement with the text. Remember: you aren’t expected to be an expert on the topic, just an engaged reader. Reaction papers must be posted online by midnight the night before the class in which the readings are to be discussed, in order to give your fellow students time to read them and respond before class. Late reaction papers are useless to fostering online discussion and thus will not be accepted. Four of these papers are required in each half of the semester (8 total) and you may choose any of the readings to which you wish to respond, but you may not write more than one in any given week. When a video is assigned you may also choose to write about the video, but you should relate your discussion to the written assignments as well as the video itself. Although there will be many days when you do not write a reaction paper yourself, other students’ reaction papers are a a part of the required reading for all students, and you should make a point of reading the other students’ reactions, and perhaps writing an online response to them, before coming to class. There is no set length for these responses, but they should respond not only to the text itself, but also to the other students’ reactions and show a willingness to engage with other students’ ideas rather than relying only on one’s own interpretation. The deadline for writing a response is the beginning of each class, and a minimum of sixteen of these responses is required over the course of the semester (eight per half), though you are encouraged to write more and, if you feel more comfortable contributing in written form rather than during class discussion, this may enhance your participation grade. These online discussions are intended to act as a forum for discussion of the texts prior to hearing about them in the lectures, and they will provide the basis for in-class discussion of the texts. If you wish, one of your online reaction papers might also provide the basis of your research paper. The research paper should be around ten pages long and can be on any topic, but it must go beyond the assigned readings of this course. You might choose to investigate a given theme further by reading non-assigned works from our textbooks or deal entirely with new readings, but the paper should apply what we have learned in class to non-class materials. A one-paragraph topic proposal should be turned in by the Wednesday before spring break, and your final paper is due on Friday of the last week of class. If you wish to receive feedback on your paper prior to turning in the final version, you are welcome to turn in a draft any time up to one week before the deadline (as drafts submitted after that time will not allow the professor enough time to read and comment). There will be two required texts for this course, both of which are available in the bookstore: |
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Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume Two |
(SJT) |
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Additional readings will be made available as web links or in pdf format in the “Course Materials” section of Blackboard, and are identified on the syllabus with (BB). On any given day, there may be assigned readings, poems, audio clips, or videos marked on the schedule. On many days you will also be required to view videos or images, or listen to audio clips. Shorter clips and images will be provided via Blackboard, while longer videos can be viewed on the computers in the LRC or online via the LRC’s eVideon video server (http://langmedia.mll.gvsu.edu/evideon). |
Winter 2010 Course Schedule
• click on any section to go to the assignments for that week •
The Early Tokugawa PeriodMonday, Jan. 10th • Introduction and Historical Background Wednesday, Jan.12th • The Sengoku Period and Unifiication Monday, Jan. 17th • Early Tokugawa Confucianism Wednesday, Jan 19th • The Spread of Neo-Confucianism Monday, Jan. 24th • The Beginnings of Tokugawa Print Culture Wednesday, Jan. 26th • Early haikai Monday, Jan. 31st • Development of Japanese Neo-Confucianism Wednesday, Feb. 2nd • Education for the Elite and the Commoner
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The Genroku Flowering of CultureMonday, Feb. 7th • The Genroku Period and Commoner Culture Wednesday, Feb. 9th • The Floating and the Not-so-floating Worlds Monday, Feb. 14th • Bashô and haikai Wednesday, Feb. 16th • Early joruri and kabuki Monday, Feb. 21st • Chikamatsu and joruri |
Midterm Exam - Wednesday, Feb. 23rd
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The Eighteenth CenturyMonday, Feb. 28th • Chinese, Japanese, and Dutch Studies Wednesday, Mar. 2nd • Nativists and "National Learning" Spring Break - No class Mar. 7th or 9th Monday, Mar. 14th • The Akô Vendetta and Chûshingura Wednesday, Mar. 16th • The Golden Age of Kabuki and Joruri Monday, Mar. 21st • The Growth of Popular Literature Wednesday, Mar. 23rd • Poetry:senryû, kyôka, haikai Monday, Mar. 28th • Ueda Akinari and yomihon Wednesday, Mar. 30th • Sharebon and Kibyôshi
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Late Tokugawa and the Decline of the ShogunateMonday, Apr. 4th • Kokkeibon and ninjôbon Wednesday, Apr. 6th • Gôkan Monday, Apr. 11th • Late Kabuki Wednesday, Apr. 13th •The Supernatural in late Yomihon and Rakugo Monday, Apr. 18th • The Move toward Reform and Restoration Wednesday, Apr. 20th • The Fall of the Bakufu and the Meiji Restoration
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