[a] Building RF Mountains History 150 Autumn 2024 Tuesday-Thursday 8:00-9:45 a.m. Robert André LaFleur Office Hours: Morse Ingersoll 206 Tuesday 13:45-15:15 363-2005 Thursday 13:45-15:15 lafleur@beloit.edu ...or by appointment (just send me an email message) Required Books Birrell, Anne. The Classic of Mountains and Seas Fortey, Richard. Earth Kat, Anderson. Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and...Natural Resources McPhee, John. Annals of the Former World Muir, John. Mountains of California Muir, John. Mountaineering Essays Parish, Romola. Mountain Environments Strassberg, Richard. Inscribed Landscapes: Travel Writing from Imperial China *** *** Research notebook Chicago Manual of Style Guidelines Round and Square (www.robert-lafleur.blogspot.com) The New York Review of Books (NYRB) Readings Available in .pdf Format New York Review of Books essays Reserve Books All books are on library reserve. Course Description In this introductory seminar, we will examine the way that various thinkers have engaged the greatest monuments in their midsts—the mountains that dominate certain parts of the human landscape. Mountains have figured prominently in writings and oral traditions from earliest times, and the fascination with them continues in the disciplines of history and anthropology, where the study of lofty terrain has alternately framed and dominated research work. We will study the role of mountainous terrain from classical statements of mountain travel and thought by Confucius, Vasari, in the Bible, and other sources. We will also examine many of the geological and environmental issues that affect mountain landscapes. In particular, we will study the five “marchmounts” or cosmological mountains of China—Mt. Heng in the north, Mt. Tai in the east, Mt. Song in the center, Mt. Hua in the west, and another Mt. Heng in the south. Laid out in powerful “architectural” fashion, the great Chinese mountains framed political and historical discourse in early China. Since early times, the Chinese imagined heaven as round and earth as square, and their linkage played a prominent role in three thousand years of political and historical writings. To this day, the mountains remain important as cultural sites and pilgrimage centers, and we will look at their role in multiple levels of Chinese economic, cultural, and political life. These readings will form a framework that students will use to develop their own particular focus on mountain environments. Students will have the opportunity to choose, for their final projects, a mountain territory that they will study in-depth, placing it in environmental, cultural, and historical context. Evaluation Quizzes 10% Every Session Mountains Letter 15% Week Five Exam I 10% Week Seven Midterm Assignment 15% Week Ten Exam II 10% Week Fifteen Presentation 10% Week Fifteen Final Essay 30% Finals Week Class attendance and participation is expected. HIST 150 Mountains Autumn 2024 Week I (August 27, 29) See my class attendance and participation policy Tuesday, August 27 McPhee, Annals of the Former World (begin the reading; we'll discuss fully on Thursday) A Narrative Table of Contents, 5-16 Basin and Range, 18-144 Thursday, August 29 Round and Square Syllabic Cycles: Introduction (a-d) Read all four posts, not just “a.” Muir, Mountains of California, vii-xxi Introduction by Edward Hoagland Anderson, Tending the Wild, 1-10 Introduction McPhee, Annals of the Former World A Narrative Table of Contents, 5-16 Basin and Range, 18-144 LaFleur, "Longevity Mountain" *** *** Week II (September 3, 5) See my class attendance and participation policy Tuesday, September 3 Round and Square Quotidian Quizzes:Introduction (a-h) Read all eight posts, not just “a.” (You may skim a-d, but begin reading carefully with post "e," or "5", depending on the link (some are listed a-h and others 1-8; they are the same). The last four are crucial; your grade depends on it). New York Review of Books See separate New York Review of Books syllabus Muir, Mountains of California, 1-14 The Sierra Nevada Anderson, Tending the Wild, 13-40 Wildlife, Plants, and People McPhee, Annals of the Former World In Suspect Terrain, 145-276LaFleur, "Longevity Mountain" Longevity Mountain (Posts 1-4; all posts are linked) Thursday, September 5 Fortey, Earth, xi-ii; 1-68 Preface Up and Down Island Birrell (ed), The Classic of Mountains and Seas, 1-31 Book One: The Classic of the Southern Mountains Book Two: The Classic of the Western Mountains Week III (September 10, 12) See my class attendance and participation policy Tuesday, September 10 Muir, Mountains of California, 15-25 The Glaciers Anderson, Tending the Wild, 41-61 Gathering, Hunting, and Fishing McPhee, Annals of the Former World Rising From the Plains, 277-428LaFleur, "Longevity Mountain" Longevity Mountain (Posts 5-8; all posts are linked) Thursday, September 12 Fortey, Earth, 69-128 Oceans and Continents Alps Birrell (ed), The Classic of Mountains and Seas, 33-64 Book Three: The Classic of the Northern Mountains Book Four: The Classic of the Eastern Mountains Week IV (September 17, 19 ) See my class attendance and participation policy Tuesday, September 17 Muir, Mountains of California, 26-33 The Snow Anderson, Tending the Wild, 62-94 The Collision of Worlds (1) McPhee, Annals of the Former World Assembling Californina, 429-544LaFleur, "Longevity Mountain" Longevity Mountain (Posts 9-12; all posts are linked) Thursday, September 19 Fortey, Earth, 129-164 Plates Birrell (ed), The Classic of Mountains and Seas, 65-103 Book Five: The Classic of the Central Mountains Week V (September 24, 26) See my class attendance and participation policy Tuesday, September 24 Round and Square See separate Round and Square syllabus Muir, Mountains of California, 34-51 A New View of the High Sierra Anderson, Tending the Wild, 94-121 The Collision of Worlds (2) McPhee, Annals of the Former World Assembling California, 544-622 Crossing the Craton, 623-660 Thursday, September 26 Fortey, Earth, 165-208 Ancient Ranges Birrell (ed), The Classic of Mountains and Seas, 107-136 Book Seven: The Classic of Regions Beyond the Seas—The West Book Eight: The Classic of Regions Beyond the Seas—The North Book Ninth: The Classic of Regions Beyond the Seas—The East Book Ten: The Classic of Regions Beyond the Seas—The South Week VI (October 1, 3) See my class attendance and participation policy CLASS WILL BEGIN TODAY AT 8:30 A.M (No Quiz...Today Only) Tuesday, October 1 Fortey, Earth, 209-264 The Dollar Hot Rocks Birrell (ed), The Classic of Mountains and Seas, 137-156 Book Eleven: The Classic of Regions Within the Seas—The West Book Twelve: The Classic of Regions Within the Seas—The North Book Thirteen: The Classic of Regions Within the Seas—The East No class today. Review the work you have done in the first half of the course. Fortey, Earth, 265-320 The Ancient of Days Cover Story Birrell (ed), The Classic of Mountains and Seas, 157-196 Book Fourteen: The Classic of the Great Wilderness—The East Book Fifteen: The Classic of the Great Wilderness—The South Book Sixteen: The Classic of the Great Wilderness—The West Book Seventeen: The Classic of the Great Wilderness—The North Book Eighteen: The Classic of Regions Within the Seas *** *** Week VII (October 8, 10) Tuesday, October 8 Begin work on your midterm (take-home) exam. It will be sent to you in your email at 8:00. Thursday, October 10 Complete work on your midterm (take-home) exam. Leave it in my Godfrey 106 office door by 4:00 p.m. today.
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In early Chinese thought, heaven was considered "round" and earth "square." Westerners from St. Anselm to Kant taught that round and square are opposites. I will explore the connections between east and west (round and square) in a blog that takes seriously the little details of our lives. Round and square; east and west—never the twain shall meet (it has been said). Except when they do, and that is the whole point of this blog.
From Round to Square (and back)
For The Emperor's Teacher, scroll down (↓) to "Topics." It's the management book that will rock the world (and break the vase, as you will see). Click or paste the following link for a recent profile of the project: http://magazine.beloit.edu/?story_id=240813&issue_id=240610
A new post appears every day at 12:05* (CDT). There's more, though. Take a look at the right-hand side of the page for over four years of material (2,000 posts and growing) from Seinfeld and country music to every single day of the Chinese lunar calendar...translated. Look here ↓ and explore a little. It will take you all the way down the page...from round to square (and back again).
*Occasionally I will leave a long post up for thirty-six hours, and post a shorter entry at noon the next day.
A new post appears every day at 12:05* (CDT). There's more, though. Take a look at the right-hand side of the page for over four years of material (2,000 posts and growing) from Seinfeld and country music to every single day of the Chinese lunar calendar...translated. Look here ↓ and explore a little. It will take you all the way down the page...from round to square (and back again).
*Occasionally I will leave a long post up for thirty-six hours, and post a shorter entry at noon the next day.
Friday, November 1, 2024
HIST 150: Mountains Syllabus 2024b
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