China, East Asia, and the World—Source Paper I (Prompts)

On this day in Round and Square history

 27 March 2016—

[a] Library...of Congress RF

There are two posts in this assignment (the "prompt" and "advice").
Click below for the other section of this assignment:
Writing From Sources A                    Writing From Sources B
 
Chinese History and Culture 

History 210
Spring 2017

Writing From Sources

Read the following assignment carefully and reflect for a few moments upon what historians really do when writing about the past—blending the sources and their analyses into readable and intelligent essay form. Then, using the knowledge you have gained through reading your assignments, choose six to twelve documents that revolve around a general theme that interests you, and which you would like to pursue further.  Once you have chosen your topic and sources, please e-mail this information to me (see below).  The deadline for the preliminary work is Wednesday, April 12, but I encourage you to send it earlier.  Finally, write a medium-length (3,000-word) essay from the sources you have chosen.  The paper is due as an e-mail attachment (.pdf file) by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 23. Make sure it is on-time.

[b] Balanced Sources RF

As you write your historical source analysis, imagine that you are writing for intelligent people who know little about China, and that your task is to convey an honest, interesting picture of some aspect of Chinese social, cultural, political, or intellectual life during the periods we have studied.  It might help to think of this as an extended reflection on six (or more) different sources, in which you write confidently and intelligently about your understanding of the themes in the documents.  Your main focus is the documents, and I encourage you to quote from them.  You should use the knowledge you have gained from general reading and lectures to set the historical context, but you will be judged mostly on your ability to grasp themes in and between the documents you have chosen.

Your balance of primary and secondary sources should be about 70% primary and 30% secondary. Engagement with both primary and secondary sources at the same time is a very important historiographical skill that requires practice. This assignment gives you an opportunity to work on the balance all historians must seek in their reading and their writing.

Just to get you thinking about possibilities, I have included some possible categories.  They are only intended as guides. You will need to refine them as you think about your paper.  These categories are intentionally broad, in order to encourage you to think about a wide variety of readings in your course books and supporting materials.  Your actual topic should be a good deal more focused.

            * women, gender relations, family...
            * rebellion, social disorder, war, banditry, famine
            * poverty, peasants, agriculture, tenancy
            * outcasts, rebels, “barbarians"
            * family life, social organization
            * bureaucracy, taxation, land ownership, government work
            * intellectuals, examinations, ruling
            * religion, spirits, ancestors, ghosts, “heaven....
            * myths, historical writing, and other narrative prose

[c] Book Buy RF

Remember that choosing appropriate sources is part of the assignment.  Part of the skill I am looking for is the ability to choose appropriate sources.  The better you know your readings, the better you will do when you choose from among your many class readings.

Your paper should be between 3,000 and 3,500 words, or approximately ten to twelve pages.  There is usually little to gain by exceeding 3,500 words.  If you do, you are likely writing for reasons other than a good grade.  This is fine, but not required.  If you “need” to write a longer paper (if you are compelled to write thirty pages on Qing bureaucratic culture, for example), please feel free to do so.  I will read every word, and comment accordingly.  3,500 well-written and well-argued words will put you in “95+” territory, though, so consider your other classes before using this assignment to begin your doctoral dissertation.

[d] Historical Source RF

The real problem lies with “minimalism.” I urge you to put enough time into your paper so that you write more than a handful of pages. Papers under 2,500 words almost always lack development and serious analysis of the sources. I admire efficiency when I see it, but don’t assume that it courses through your authorial veins. Papa Hemingway might write a beautiful 1,783 word masterpiece called “The Aged Literatus and the Yangzi” or “Goodbye to Munitions.” You’re not Hemingway…yet. Write 3,000+ words.

You may consult any other books you deem necessary, but your essay will be judged on your ability to write directly from the sources you have chosen.  While it is acceptable to choose a source or two from beyond our course materials, my intention is for you to make the most of the detailed syllabus we have studied in this class.  This assignment is meant to judge your ability to use primary and secondary sources.  It is not meant to be the final word on the subject!

***  ***

Your paper should have a title at the top of the page, followed by a “shorthand” list of your sources.  From there, space down twice and start your essay...(double-space the essay itself).  Examples

A Week in a Country Jail:

Peasant Uprisings, Social Disorder, and Punishment in Chinese Society

Thomas T. Hall

31 January 1970

          Ebrey: 51-53               Penal Servitude in Qin Law
          Ebrey: 271-279           The Yangzhou Massacre
          Ebrey: 318-322           Mid-Century Rebels
          Mair: 190-191             On the Cicada: In Prison
          Mair: 452                    They Fought South of the Wall
(Add several appropriate secondary sources, such as sections from The Gate of Heavenly Peace, History in Three Keys, or other materials.

Salt Miner’s Daughter:

Family, Gender and Social Relations in Medieval and Early-Modern China

Loretta Lynn

19 December 1970

          Ebrey: 42-46               Social Rituals
          Ebrey: 64-68               The Classic of Filial Piety
          Ebrey: 69-71               Wang Fu on Friendship and Getting Ahead
          Ebrey: 238-244           Family Instructions
          Mair: 264-265             Written on Seeing the Flowers...
          Mair: 274-275             Ballad of Selling a Child
(Add several appropriate secondary sources, such as sections from The Talented Women of the Zhang Family, Producing Guanxi, or other materials.

Heaven Says Hello:

Cosmology, Religion, and Popular Belief in Chinese Society

Sonny James

17 August 1968

          Ebrey: 77-79               Yin and Yang in Medical Theory
          Ebrey: 105-108           Tales of Ghosts and Demons
          Ebrey: 120-122           The Errors of Geomancy
          Ebrey: 280-281           Proverbs About Heaven
          Mair: 226-227             Presented to the Taoist Paragon Mao
          Mair: 371-386             Heavenly Questions
(Add several appropriate secondary sources, such as sections from The Gate of Heavenly Peace, Soulstealers, or other materials.

Come Live With Me:

Barbarians, "Otherness," and Foreign Beliefs in the 

Middle Kingdom and its Neighbors

Roy Clark

12 May 1973

          Ebrey: 54-56               The World Beyond China
          Ebrey: 97-104             Buddhist Doctrines and Practices
          Ebrey: 109-111            Cultural Differences Between North and South
          Ebrey: 169-171           Longing to Recover the North
          Mair: 209-213             Journey North
          Mair: 274                    A Fan From Korea
(Add several appropriate secondary sources, such as sections from The Gate of Heavenly Peace, The History in Three Keys, or other materials.

Somewhere Between Right and Wrong:

Education, Moral Learning, and Proper Conduct in Early China

Earl Thomas Conley

18 December 1982

          Ebrey: 38-41               Two Avengers
          Ebrey: 91-96               Ge Hong's Autobiography
          Ebrey: 128-131           The Examination System
          Ebrey: 195-199           A Schedule for Learning
          Mair: 254                    Don't Read Books!
          Mair: 580-589             An Explication of "Progress in Learning"
(Add several appropriate secondary sources, such as sections from The Talented Women of the Zhang Family, In One’s Own Shadow, or other materials.

***  ***

HIST 210—Chinese History and Culture
Paper Assignment
Source Paper Checklist

______ Read the assignment carefully and think about possible paper topics.  E-mail (or stop by and ask) me any questions you may have about the assignment.

______ Choose eight-to-twelve sources from an array of syllabus materials.  

______Create a provisional title for your paper and e-mail it to me with the sources in the "examples" form listed above. DUE NO LATER THAN Wednesday, April 12 by 10:00 p.m. 

[e] Representation RF

______ Carefully (re-)read your chosen sources in light of what you have learned from the course thus far.  
 
______Write an essay about Chinese society, culture, or politics by relying primarily on those sources you have chosen.  Your "audience" should be very intelligent people (such as your professors in other classes) who know relatively little about China.  You are the expert, but you must convey the cultural and historical details you have learned to someone who knows a good deal about academic argument.

NOTE
For this assignment ONLY, you should not make a separate title page.  Center your title at the top of the first page, followed by your sources—exactly as shown in the examples on pages two and three.  Begin your essay immediately below.  Double-space the text of the essay.  Finally, put the word count number at the very end of the paper.

There are two posts in this assignment (the "prompt" and "advice").

Click below for the other section of this assignment:

Writing From Sources A                    Writing From Sources B

[f] Nooks and Crannies RF

Due as a hard copy in my office (MI 111)

by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 23.

China's Lunar Calendar 2017 03-27

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs"  

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦
3/27................................................................................................................3/20

This is one in a never-ending series—following the movements of the calendar—in Round and Square perpetuity. It is today's date in the Chinese lunar calendar, along with basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying lunar calendars (and Chinese culture) for many years, you will likely find yourself asking "what does that mean?" I would caution that "it" doesn't "mean" any one thing. There are clusters of meaning, and they require patience, reflection, careful reading, and, well, a little bit of ethnographic fieldwork. The best place to start is the introduction to "Calendars and Almanacs" on this blog. I teach a semester-long course on this topic and, trust me, it takes a little bit of time to get used to the lunar calendar. Some of the material is readily accessible; some of it is impenetrable, even after many years.

As time goes on, I will link all of the sections to lengthy background essays. This will take a while. In the meantime, take a look, read the introduction, and think about all of the questions that emerge from even a quick look at the calendar.

Section One

Solar Calendar Date
廿
七

一期星

Second Month, Twenty-Seventh Day

Monday, March 27

————

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

生三歲
氣合支
Generational Branch

Three Linkages

Engendered Vapor

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子
吉吉吉
酉己丑
凶吉吉
戌午寅

吉中中
亥未卯
中凶凶

23:00-01:00 Auspicious
01:00-03:00 Auspicious
03:00-05:00 In-Between
05:00-07:00 Inauspicious

07:00-09:00 Auspicious
9:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00 In-Between
13:00-15:00 Inauspicious

15:00-17:00 Auspicious
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
19:00-21:00 Auspicious
21:00-23:00 In-Between

The hours above are for Hong Kong. It is up to you if you want to recalibrate or to assume that the cyclicality of the calendar "covers" the rest of the world. This is a greater interpretive challenge than you might think.
                             —————————————————

Section Four 
Activities to Avoid  
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

忌
進新詞
水船訟
Lawsuits and Litigation

New Boats

Entering Water

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

三
十
癸
丑
木
危
開
Thirtieth Day (Second Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: guichou (50/60)

Phase (element): Wood
Constellation: Danger (12/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Open (11/12)

————

Section Six
Appropriate Activities
and Miscellaneous Information  
(top-to-bottom; right to left)

宜

醫出祭
病行祀
修訂祈
造婚福
上裁入
樑衣學
作移會
灶徙友
囊地
五上水
虛兀痕
————

Appropriate Activities
Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortune
Entering Study
Meeting Friends
Going Out (and about)
Marriage Engagements
Cutting-out Clothing
Moving Residences
Physician Visits
Repairing and Constructing
Raising Beams
Stove Work   

Earth Duffel 

Baleful Astral Influences

Water Scar
Upper Amputee
Five Voids

———— 

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
白 林

White, Copse
———— 

Section Eight

Miscellaneous Activities

房
厠 牀

Edifice
Toilet, Bed

History Workshop—Research Proposal Assignment

On this day in Round and Square History

26 March 2016

Research Proposal Assignment

HIST 190

Spring 2017

For your final project in History 190 will be a serious (and complete) research proposal. Learning to write effective proposals is one of the most important skills you can possess and the more experience you have with them, the more effective you will be in further academic work and the corporate or non-profit worlds. 

In order for this process to work, you must imagine that you are applying for the rough equivalent of an honors term—a semester devoted to a major research project. Similarly, you could imagine the kind of proposal you might write for a research project such as a master's thesis. In other words, you need to imagine that what you are proposing to do will be a significant amount of future work, and that you are asking for the go-ahead to pursue that work. For our purposes, imagine that your proposed research would result in a thesis or article in the 15,000-35,000 word range (50-100 pages).

The fact that you will not actually have to do every bit of that research in this class is no reason for taking the proposal less seriously. In fact, you may choose to do just that in a future class (or even in a graduate program. Above all, however, the skills you will build in the process will stay with you for the rest of your life. Take it seriously.

Your proposal will consist of six key sections (five of which you will complete). These will be due in draft form throughout the second half of the term. By the last day of finals, your polished revision (final draft) will be due. Pay close attention to the details below (and we will discuss them repeatedly in class).

Research Proposal Sections
  *1. Executive Summary
  *2. About the Author
  *3. Historiography (Literature Review)
  *4. Writing Sample (the draft "lead" of your final project)
   5. "Chapter" Summaries (minimal in HIST 190 this semester)
   6. Annotated Bibliography (not due in HIST 190 this semester)
*Very important for HIST 190 this semester.

1. Executive Summary (1,000-2,000 words; about three to five pages).
This is where you make the case (and argument) for your proposed research. Every section of a proposal is important, but few readers will continue beyond the executive summary if it is not compelling. Here is where you describe your proposed research and provide your approach to the topic.

Due in draft form by Sunday, April 9 at 5:00 p.m. (my office; hard copy).

 2. Author Summary (500-1000 words; about two or three pages).

In this section, you must explain why you are the person who should receive approval (or funding) for your project. Imagine that it is a competitive process (it almost always is), and that you need to stand out in a pile of proposals. Why you? What do you bring to the project that will make your proposal stand out?

Due in draft form by Sunday, April 16 at 5:00 p.m. (my office; hard copy).

 3. Historiography (Literature Review) (2,000-3,000 words; about six to ten pages).

If you have done an effective job with the first two sections, your reader is going to want the details at this point. What sources are available? Is there enough "out there" for you to do a successful piece of research? In addition to discussing actual sources, it will be necessary to show some of the ways other scholars and writers have approached your topic. In the case of Geil research, that will usually require a sense of how other historians have written about your broader topic (religious attitudes, missionaries, early anthropology, public speaking, transportation, and so forth) during the time in which Geil lived.

Due in draft form by Wednesday, May 3 at 5:00 p.m. (my office; hard copy).

4. Writing Sample ("the Lead") (3,000 words; about six to ten pages).

 This is where you show the review committee (in a competitive proposal process) what you can do. If the reviewers like your proposal thus far, this is where you "seal the deal." You will write a (polished) draft lead of the kind that could be the beginning of your final research project (long after months of research have been completed). A great writing sample shows what you are capable of (all the fireworks you can bring to show your potential).

 Due in your final proposal package (see below).

5. Chapter Summaries 
 Just sketch a rough outline of the rest of your 50-100 page final project, telling where your research project would go. We will discuss this in class, but (this semester) it is not central to your work. Just give a sense of what the final project would look like.

 Due in your final proposal package (see below).

***  ***

Final (revised) research proposals are due in my office (MI 111)

by 5:00 p.m on Monday, May 8, 2017.