Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Syllabic Cycles"
*** ***
On this date in Round and Square History15 January 2015—Attendance Policy: Spring 2015
15 January 2015—China's Lunar Calendar: 2015 01-15
15 January 2014—Erlangen 91052: Introduction
15 January 2014—China's Lunar Calendar: 2014 01-15
15 January 2013—Channeling Liam: Free Will
15 January 2012—Hurtin', Leavin, and Longin': Upbeat and Downcast
15 January 2011—Kanji Mastery: Resource Center
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| [a] Golden RF |
Japan, East Asia, and the Pacific World
HIST 210
Spring 2025
MWF 8:00-9:45
Robert André LaFleur Office Hours:
Morse Ingersoll 206 Monday 12:00-13:30
363-2005 Wednesday 12:00-13:30 lafleur@beloit.edu ...or by appointment
363-2005 Wednesday 12:00-13:30 lafleur@beloit.edu ...or by appointment
Required Books
Benedict, Ruth. The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
Berry, Mary Elizabeth. Japan in Print
Bestor, Theodore. Neighborhood Tokyo
Bestor, Theodore. Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World
Bix, Herbert. Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan
Dower, John. Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II
Keene, Donald. Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852-1912
Lu, David. Japan: A Documentary History.
McCullough, Helen. Classical Japanese Prose: An Anthology
McCullough, Helen. Classical Japanese Prose: An Anthology
Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. Rice as Self: Japanese Identities Through Time
Rupp, Katherine. Gift-Giving in Japan
Stalker, Nancy. Japan: History and Culture
Winchester, Simon. The Pacific.
All books are on library reserve
On Library Reserve—Required Reading/Watching
Lu, David, Japan: A Documentary History
LaFleur, Robert, Great Mythologies of the World: East Asia and the Pacific
On Library Reserve—Required Reading/Watching
Lu, David, Japan: A Documentary History
LaFleur, Robert, Great Mythologies of the World: East Asia and the Pacific
Course Description
This course will examine Japanese history and culture in the context of the wider East Asian world. We will begin with early Japanese history and the influence of both Korea and China on early Japanese institutions. In an even broader perspective, we will consider Japan (and East Asia's) role in a complex Pacific world, and how that region has shaped the world at large—from cultural and military forces to environmental issues, trade, and development.
We will then examine the development of Japan’s indigenous traditions during the Heian (794-1185), Kamakura (1185-1333), and Ashikaga (1336-1568) periods. The second half of the course will deal with modern Japanese history and culture, paying equal attention to historical and ethnographic materials, and taking a careful look at the development of the Kanto and Kansai regions in modern Japanese history and culture. Throughout the course we will use examples from the Japanese language—spoken phrases, the two major syllabaries (hiragana and katakana), and kanji, or Chinese characters—to analyze Japanese history and culture in a linguistic context.
We will then examine the development of Japan’s indigenous traditions during the Heian (794-1185), Kamakura (1185-1333), and Ashikaga (1336-1568) periods. The second half of the course will deal with modern Japanese history and culture, paying equal attention to historical and ethnographic materials, and taking a careful look at the development of the Kanto and Kansai regions in modern Japanese history and culture. Throughout the course we will use examples from the Japanese language—spoken phrases, the two major syllabaries (hiragana and katakana), and kanji, or Chinese characters—to analyze Japanese history and culture in a linguistic context.
Evaluation
Quizzes 10% Every Class Session
Pacific Essay 5% Week One
Pacific Essay 5% Week One
Source Letter 15% Week Five
Exam I 10% Week Seven
Rice as Culture Essay 20% Week Nine
Rice as Culture Essay 20% Week Nine
Source Paper 30% Week Fifteen
Exam II 10% Week Sixteen
Class attendance and participation is expected.
Late assignments will be penalized.
If you have a disability and need accommodations, contact Learning Enrichment and Disability Services (LEADS) located on 2nd floor Pearsons (north side), 608-363-2572, learning@beloit.edu or make an appointment through joydeleon.youcanbook.me. For accommodations in my class, you are to bring me an Access Letter from the Director of LEADS and then we will discuss how to implement the accommodations. Contact that office promptly; accommodations are not retroactive.
Free peer tutoring is available for most classes. For a tutor, apply by going to your Portal, to the Student Life tab, and then apply using the Tutoring Forms (on left) and Request a Tutor. If you have any questions, contact LEADS.
Free peer tutoring is available for most classes. For a tutor, apply by going to your Portal, to the Student Life tab, and then apply using the Tutoring Forms (on left) and Request a Tutor. If you have any questions, contact LEADS.
History 210
Japan, East Asia, and the Pacific World
Spring 2025
Week I
(January 20-24)
(January 20-24)
Monday, January 20
No class until Wednesday, but use class time to read Simon Winchester's book.
Winchester, The Pacific
Read the book for Wednesday and think about the Pacific as a region.
Prologue: The Lonely Sea and the Sky
Author's Note: On Carbon
The Great Thermonuclear Sea
Mr. Ibuka's Radio Revolution
The Ecstasies of Wave Riding
A Dire and Dangerous Irritation
Farewell, All My Friends and Foes
Echoes of a Distant Thunder
Author's Note: On Carbon
The Great Thermonuclear Sea
Mr. Ibuka's Radio Revolution
The Ecstasies of Wave Riding
A Dire and Dangerous Irritation
Farewell, All My Friends and Foes
Echoes of a Distant Thunder
How Goes the Lucky Country?
The Fires in the Deep
A Fragile and Uncertain Sea
Of Masters and Commanders
Epilogue: The Call of the Running Tide
The Fires in the Deep
A Fragile and Uncertain Sea
Of Masters and Commanders
Epilogue: The Call of the Running Tide
Wednesday, January 22
Stalker, Japan: History and Culture, 1-27
Early Japan
Winchester, The Pacific (continue book discussion from Monday) Friday, January 24
Clan Meetings (I'll explain "clans" on the first day of class)
Winchester, The Pacific (review the book before your clan meeting)
Go to the Second Floor of the Library at 9:00 (check your email for a message with details about your "clan group").
[1] Address the following matters:
(a) Discuss how you will approach your 1,000-word (three page) "miniature" review essay, answering the question "My Thoughts About the Pacific" in any way that you want, so long as you discuss some aspect(s) of the book.
(b) Discuss how you approach writing and revision.
[2] Write a short version of your answers to the above prompts (a few sentences per item), and send it to me by noon on Friday, January 25 as an email message.
Discuss how you will approach your 1,000-word (three page) "miniature" review essay, answering the question "My Thoughts About the Pacific" in any way that you want, so long as you discuss some aspect(s) of the book.
*** ***
1,000-word "miniature" review essay on the following topic:
"My Thoughts About the Pacific"
"My Thoughts About the Pacific"
This should be written as a brief, but well-structured
academic essay, and not an informal work.
Due by 5:00 p.m. in Sunday, January 26
academic essay, and not an informal work.
Due by 5:00 p.m. in Sunday, January 26
Since buildings will be closed, please send it to me (lafleur@beloit.edu)
as a .pdf file on Sunday, and then bring a paper copy
to either Godfrey 106 or MI 206 on Monday
Week II
(27-31 January)
Monday, January 27
Round and Square Click for separate Round and Square syllabus
New York Review of Books Nothing until next week.
The following links, .pdf files, and instructions were sent on Saturday 1/25
Mills, The Sociological Imagination
Appendix
Appendix
Collingwood, Autobiography
History as the Self-Knowledge of the Mind
Cohen, History in Three Keys
History as the Self-Knowledge of the Mind
Cohen, History in Three Keys
Preface
Prologue
Nagel, What is it like to be a bat?
LaFleur, "Historiography, Temporality, and Decision-Making Across Global Pasts"
Wednesday, January 29
Stalker, Japan: History and Culture, 28-49
Forging a Centralized StateLu, Japan: A Documentary History: 3-79
Amaterasu and Susano-o
The Seventeen Article Constitution, 604 AD
Okuninushi-no-Mikoto and Izumo
The Eastern Expedition of Emperor Jimmu
From the History of Wei
Conquest of the Eastern Frontier…
From the Engishiki The Seventeen Article Constitution, 604 AD
The Reform Edict of Taika, 646 AD
The Administrative System, 718 AD
The Law of the Households
Preface to Kojiki, 712 AD
From the Manyoshu
Temmu’s Propagation of Buddhism, 676-685 AD
Sutra of the Golden Light…
Erection of Provincial Temples
A Parable of the Burning House
Directions to the Teachings of Three Doctrines…
Ennin's Diary of His Pilgrimage to China
Statement of Opinion on Twelve Matters, 914
Regulations Concerning Trade with Pohai, 828
Diary of Lady Murasaki, 1008-1010
Observations on the Heian Capital, 982
Daily Observance, Last Testament…
How a Priest Put the Magic Incantation
About Aotsune (Sir Evergreen)
How a Sparrow Repaid Its Debt of Gratitude
Just do a quick read to get the main points; we'll discuss details in class.
Friday, January 31
McCullough, Classical Japanese Prose: 27-37
Tales of the Bamboo Cutter
9:00 AM Library 220 and 221
Clan Meetings
[1] Address the following matters:
(a) Now that you have begun the (very important) compilation of Japanese literature (Helen McCullough's Classical Japanese Prose), write down (and then discuss with your group) some reflections on the "Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." It is a key text in all of Japanese literature (and history).
(b) Now, think about what you have learned about Japanese mythology, and relate it to your reading in the "Tale of the Bamboo Cutter."
(c) Think back to class on Wednesday, and discuss (briefly) what general area you might want to focus on for your final assignment (education, gender, warfare, politics, or others).
(d) Your letter will be due in a bit more than three weeks. To whom will you write it? Say a bit about it to your clan group, even if it is the same person as you mentioned to the class on Wednesday.
[2] Write a short version of your answers to the above prompts (a few sentences per item), and send it to me by 5:00 p.m. on Friday 1/31 as an email attachment.
*** ***
Make sure you read the "Source Letter" Assignment
Click Here to Review the Late Assignment Policy
Click Here to Review the Late Assignment Policy
Week III
(February 3-7)
Monday, February 3
Round and Square Click for separate Round and Square syllabus
Wednesday, February 5Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lectures 37-38
37: Culture and Cosmos in Chinese History
Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lectures 42-43 (check your email for the link)
42: Japanese Tales of Purity and Defilement
43: Gods, Rice, and the Japanese State
Stalker, Japan: History and Culture, 50-78
The Rule of TasteLu, Japan: A Documentary History: 81-116
Allotment Land (Kubunden)…
Allotment Land (Kubunden)…
Plan to Cultivate One Million Cho…
Land Held for Three Generations…
Private Ownership of Reclaimed Land, 743
Proscription of Private Ownership of Land, 765
Privilege of Tax Immunity (Fuyu), 951 and 953
Immunity from Entry by Public Officials…
Establishment of a Shoen, 845, 920, and 1042
Commendation of a Shoen
Commendation of a Shoen
Edict to Curtail Spread of Shoen, 902
Provincial Governors Not Permitted to Interfere…
Lands Occupied by Private Parties …
Emergence of Tato, 859 and 1091
Management of Shoen by Tato
Establishment of Myoden, 1000
The Kondei System
Proscription Against Heian Nobility…
Master of His Retainers, 1114
Establishment of Relationship…
Rewarding the Vassals, 1180
Proclamation of Yorimoto's Rule over Kanto…
Establishment of the Samurai-dokoro, 1180
Building for Kumon-jo, 1184
Establishment of Monchu-jo, 1184
Appointment of Protectors and Stewards…
Goseibai Shikimoku--Formulary…
Wednesday, February 5
37: Culture and Cosmos in Chinese History
38: Chinese Heroes, Kings, and Destroyers
McCullough, Classical Japanese Prose: 38-155
McCullough, Classical Japanese Prose: 38-155
Tales of Ise
A Tosa Journal
The Gossamer Journal A Tosa Journal
Friday, February 7
Choose two sources to discuss with your clan—one from the David Lu source reader and one from Helen McCullough's book that we read for Wednesday this week (the latter can be just one "snippet" from one of the diaries, not the entire text.
9:00 AM (note the time)
Clan Meetings
[1] Address the following matters:
(a) How are you doing with learning history from primary source materials? We'll really double down on how to get better at it next week, but, now that you have used both the Lu sources and the McCullough sources, imagine explaining how you do it to your letter reader.
(b) Discuss with your fellow clan members how exactly you w describe the two sources you chose for today to your reader. What are the challenges you'll face in describing history in terms of your reading of primary sources, and not just a narrative of "what happened."
(c) Your letter will be due in a little more than two weeks. Write a very brief outline of how you will structure it.
(d) Please make sure you send the email (explained below) to me. Half of you are not doing it, and this goes into your grade. It only needs to be done, and it only needs to be a few sentences. Please do it.
[2] Write a short version of your answers to the above prompts (a few sentences per item), and send it to me by 5:00 p.m. on Friday 2/7 as an email attachment.
Week IV
(February 10-14)
Monday, February 10
Stalker, Japan: History and Culture, 79-111
The Rise and Rule of the Warrior Class Lu, Japan: A Documentary History: 117-179
Ojo Yoshu, or the Essentials of Salvation
The Ancients Not Necessarily Our Superiors
Nembutsu and the Founding of a New Sect
The Short Letter (Isshi Koshosoku)
A Catechism
On the Salvation of Women
Doubts Expressed by a Believer of Nembutsu..
From the Tannisho
Conversation with the Master
Nichiren's Letter to Lord Nanjo
Efficacy of Simple-Hearted Faith
The Lotus of Perfect Truth
Buddhism with Japan as Its Center
Jito Ukedokoro, 1308
On Matters Relating to the Annual Rent..
Shitaji Chubun, 1318
The Tokusei Edict of Einin, 1297
Scribbling on the Dry River Bed of Nijo
Kemmu Shikimoku, 1336
Appointment of Shugo, 1336
On Matters Relating to Shugo…
Increase in the Powers of the Shugo
Adoption of the Law of Sharing Rent, 1352
Shugo-uke (Contract for Shugo), 1402
Contrast Between the Prosperity of Samurai…
Matters Relating to the Sale of Title Deeds to Fields
Sale of Hyakusho Shiki on Certain Fields, 1480
A Covenant for the So (Village Governing Assoc.)…
Joint Petition by Farmers, 1407
Substitution of Money to Pay Taxes, 1353
Determination of Equivalent Money Value for Rice
Money Draft, 1468
Land Owners and Pawnshops
Peasant Uprisings
Fighting for Tokusei, 1441
Rise of Chi (Market) c. 1415
Disputes Between Two Za, 1405
Soryo System of Divided Patrimony
A Deed of Transfer…, 1330
Voluntary Renunciation of Inheritance, c. 1279
Challenging Traditional Authority
Seizure of Shoen
The Seventeen-Article Injunction…
Hojo Soun’s Twenty-One Article Injunction…
McCullough, Classical Japanese Prose: 288-339
The Confessions of Lady Nijo
The Confessions of Lady Nijo
39: Peasant Folktales and Chinese Scholarship
McCullough, Classical Japanese Prose: 156-250
Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book
A Tale of Flowering Fortunes
Friday, February 14
(For Students with No Background in Japanese)
Tuttle, Hiragana and Katakana, 26-32 (.pdf file)
sa-to
(For Students in First or Second-Year Japanese)
Jorden, Reading Japanese, Lesson 2 (pages 10-22)
Again, most of you will find this material quite easy, but remain patient. Focus on reading even these "review materials" effortlessly, without any "decoding." Jorden is stressing an approach to reading that is very valuable for historians (and anthropologists...and everyone).
(For Students with Three or More Years of Japanese)
Jorden, Reading Japanese, Lesson 9 (pages 90-112)
For those of you in third-year Japanese and beyond, focus on reading effortlessly, without any "decoding" in even these (admittedly basic) kanji and kana. Jorden is stressing an approach to reading that is very valuable for historians (and anthropologists...and everyone).
9:00 AM (note the time)
Clan Meetings
[1] Address the following matters:
(a) Discuss your writing/reading practice with your clan group. What is working? What is not (and might be adapted or altered going forward? Are you reading these fairly straightforward materials effortlessly, or are you still "decoding" a bit?
(b) Discuss your letter recipient, and some of the challenges you will have in "teaching" the material to that particular reader. Remember that the "challenges" can work in many different ways; your job is to "make it make sense" to your specific reader.
(c) Jot down a few ideas about how you might write your "chatty" first paragraph as you get things started ("I am fine...I'll bet you never expected a letter from me..."). Then, write your transition sentence or sentences, which will move the letter to the subject matter of our course. Write out a draft of those sentences.
[2] Write a short version of your answers to the above prompts (a few sentences per item), and send it to me by 5:00 p.m. on Friday 2/14 as an email attachment.
Week V
(February 17-21)
Monday, February 17
Stalker, Japan: History and Culture, 112-143
Disintegration and Reunification Lu, Japan: A Documentary History: 180-228
Takeda Shingen’s Control of Kai, 1547
Takeda Shingen’s Control of Kai, 1547
The Hundred Article Code of Chosokabe, 1597
Compulsory Military Service Decreed by..
Nobunga’s Destruction of Hieizan, 1571
Removal of Barriers, 1568
Free Market and Abolition of Za, 1577
Collection of Swords, 1588
Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Vermilion Seal Letter…
Nagamasa on Cadastral Survey, 1590
Nagamasa on Cadastral Survey, 1590
Cadastral Survey, 1598
Census-Taking, 1591
Edict on Change of Status, 1591
Control of Daimyo, 1595
Control of Mt. Koya, 1585
Limitation on the Propagation of Christianity…
Expulsion of the Missionaries, 1587
St. Francis Xavier’s View of Japanese, c. 1550
Cosme de Torres on Japanese Receptivity, c. 1550
Alessandro Valignano on Japanese Prudence…
Alessandro Valignano on Patience and…
Alessandro Valignano on Sensual Vices…
Joao Rodrigues on Japanese Craftiness, c. 1610
Oath of Fealty
Laws of Military Households, 1615
Amendments of Kanei to Buke Shohatto, 1635
The Group of Five, 1632
Farmers and Annual Tax, 1603
Sale of Land in Perpetuity Forbidden, 1643
Proscription of Parcelization of Land, 1672
Injunctions for Peasants, c. 1619
Regulations for Villagers, 1643
Regulations for the Residents of Edo, 1655
Regulations Regarding Lawsuits, 1633
Regulations for Temples in Different Domains
The Edict of 1635 Ordering the Closing of Japan
Completion of the Exclusion, 1639
The Fate of the Embassy from Macau…
Renouncing the Kirishitan, 1645
Of the Dutch Trade in Japan, 1692 Wednesday, February 19
Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lecture 40
40: Spirits and Syncretism in Korean Myth
Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lecture 40
40: Spirits and Syncretism in Korean Myth
McCullough, Classical Japanese Prose: 288-376
Confessions of Lady Nijo
Confessions of Lady Nijo
Journal of the Sixteenth-Night Moon
Again, most of you will find this material quite easy, but remain patient.
Friday, February 21
9:00 AM (note the time)
Clan Meetings
[1] Address the following matters:
(a) Discuss how you will be approaching your letter (due on Sunday). Have you started? If not, how will you salvage the situation?
(b) Listen to what your TA says about writing letters.
(c) Make an outline for your letter.
[2] Write a short version of your answers to the above prompts (a few sentences per item), and send it to me by 5:00 p.m. on Friday 2/21 as an email attachment.
Week VI
(February 24-28)
Monday, February 24
Round and Square Click for separate Round and Square syllabus
Rupp, Gift-Giving in Japan (Get Started!)
Examples of Giving
Strength of Relationship, Gratitude, and Hierarchy
Wednesday, February 26
Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lecture 41
41: Korea's Warring Kingdoms and Flying Dragons
41: Korea's Warring Kingdoms and Flying Dragons
Rupp, Gift-Giving in Japan (Finish the Book!)
Life Cycles
Seasonal Cycles
Variations in Attitudes toward and Practices of Giving
Conclusion
Friday, February 28
Tuttle, Hiragana and Katakana, 40-45 (.pdf file)
ma-ro
(For Students in First or Second-Year Japanese)
Jorden, Reading Japanese, Lesson 4 (pages 36-47)
Again, most of you will find this material quite easy, but remain patient. Focus on reading even these "review materials" effortlessly, without any "decoding." Jorden is stressing an approach to reading that is very valuable for historians (and anthropologists...and everyone).
(For Students with Three or More Years of Japanese)
Jorden, Reading Japanese, Lesson 11 (pages 131-154)
For those of you in third-year Japanese and beyond, focus on reading effortlessly, without any "decoding" in even these (admittedly basic) kanji and kana. Jorden is stressing an approach to reading that is very valuable for historians (and anthropologists...and everyone).
Clan Meetings 9:00 AM in MI 207!
[1] Address the following matters:
(a) Now that you are several weeks into your Japanese reading work, write just a bit more about any progress you have gained (or lack of it) in achieving reading fluency. Again, the purpose of what we're doing is just to instill the idea that reading fluency is important, and it goes far beyond just recognizing items on a page (and, yes, it is difficult, and a long process).
(b) With your exam coming up next Wednesday, think about what you feel that you have studied thoroughly (go back and look through the syllabus), and what you may not have spent as much time on. Now, make a plan (just outline it with bullet points or a brief paragraph) for your exam preparation. Remember that you will have an 8.5x11 sheet of paper to take down notes to be used in the exam, but it will be "closed book" except for that. In short, what are you "good at," and what parts of our course need more work from you?
[2] Write a short version of your answers to the above prompts (a few sentences per item), and send it to me by 5:00 p.m. on Friday 2/28 as an email attachment.
*** ***
Make sure you read the "Rice" Assignment
Due by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 30
Hard Copy Due in my Office (MI 206 or Godfrey 106)
Week VII
(March 3-7)
Monday, March 3
Benedict, Chrysanthemum and the Sword (just get a sense of the book; we'll discuss)
Assignment: Japan
The Japanese in the War
*Taking One's Proper Station
The Meiji Reform
*Debtor to the Ages and the World
*Repaying One-Ten-Thousandth
*The Repayment "Hardest to Bear"
*Clearing One's Name
*The Circle of Human Feelings
The Japanese in the War
*Taking One's Proper Station
The Meiji Reform
*Debtor to the Ages and the World
*Repaying One-Ten-Thousandth
*The Repayment "Hardest to Bear"
*Clearing One's Name
*The Circle of Human Feelings
*The Dilemma of Virtue
*Self-Discipline
*The Child Learns
The Japanese Since V-J Day
*Self-Discipline
*The Child Learns
The Japanese Since V-J Day
Exam Preparation (in-class)
Wednesday, March 5
Exam I (in-class)
Friday, March 7
Take an early break!
*** ***
Make sure you read the "Rice" Assignment
Due by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 30
Hard Copy Due in my Office (MI 206 or Godfrey 106)
Week VIII
Spring Break
Week IX
(March 17-21)
Monday, March 17
NO CLASS (check your email)
Readings for Wednesday
Who's Who of Japan (entire booklet)
Children's Atlas of Japan (look through it, no matter your level of Japanese, including "none").
Wednesday, March 19
Who's Who of Japan (finish the entire booklet)
Children's Atlas of Japan (look through it, no matter your level of Japanese, including "none").
Friday, March 21
*** ***
Make sure you read the "Rice" Assignment
Due by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 30
Hard Copy Due in my Office (MI 206 or Godfrey 106)
Week X
(March 24-28)
Monday, March 24
Round and Square Click for separate Round and Square syllabus
Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lectures 42-43
Recommended: unless you have very good notes, watch them again—you can use the detail
in your "Rice as Self" paper
42: Japanese Tales of Purity and Defilement
42: Japanese Tales of Purity and Defilement
43: Gods, Rice, and the Japanese State
Kurosawa, Seven Samurai 七人の侍) (Film in Class) VERY IMPORTANT
Ohnuki-Tierney, Rice as Self
Kurosawa, The Seven Samurai (七人の侍). (Film in Class) VERY IMPORTANT
Food as a Metaphor of Self: An Exercise in Historical Anthropology
Rice and Rice Agriculture Today
Rice as a Staple Food?
Rice in Cosmogony and Cosmology
Rice as Self, Rice Paddies as Our Land
Rice in the Discourse of Selves and Others
Foods as Selves and Others in Cross-cultural Perspective
Symbolic Practice through Time: Self, Ethnicity, and NationalismKurosawa, The Seven Samurai (七人の侍). (Film in Class) VERY IMPORTANT
Part One
Be in class by 8:00 so you can see the beginning of the film (very important)! (
Be in class by 8:00 so you can see the beginning of the film (very important)! (
No quiz today).
Wednesday, March 26
Finishi the book (of course)
Ohnuki-Tierney, Rice as Self Food as a Metaphor of Self: An Exercise in Historical Anthropology
Rice and Rice Agriculture Today
Rice as a Staple Food?
Rice in Cosmogony and Cosmology
Rice as Self, Rice Paddies as Our Land
Rice in the Discourse of Selves and Others
Foods as Selves and Others in Cross-cultural Perspective
Symbolic Practice through Time: Self, Ethnicity, and NationalismFriday, March 28
Tuttle, Hiragana and Katakana, 59-64 (.pdf file)
Combined Sounds
Review of Combined Sounds
Review through Place Names and Period Names
Clan Meetings
[1] Address the following matters:
(a) Make a list of 8-12 "rice ideas" (these can be brief) that stood out for you in the book (Rice as Self), the film (Seven Samurai), or even things that come to mind about your source readings in McCullough, Lu, or even the Japan lectures.
(b) Write a sentence or three about how some of them connect to each other.
(c) Describe how you are going to approach writing your essay on Sunday.
(d) Are you 100% correct with your Chicago-style citations (including journal citations)? Work with your clan group to make sure.
[2] Write a short version of your answers to the above prompts, and send it to me by 5:00 p.m. on Friday 4/1 as an email attachment.
*** ***
Make sure you read the "Rice" Assignment
Due by 5:00 p.m. THIS Sunday, March 30
Hard Copy Due in my Office (MI 206 or Godfrey 106)
Week XI
(March 31-April 4)
Monday, March 31
Stalker, Japan: History and Culture,144-173
Maintaining Control: Tokugawa Official Culture
Berry, Japan in Print: 1-103
A Traveling Clerk Goes to the Bookstores
The Library of Public Information
Maps are Strange
Lu, Japan: A Documentary History, 203-272
Read section headers and source titles (this should take twenty minutes)
Tokugawa: Era of Peace
Intellectual Currents in Tokugawa Japan
Lu, Japan: A Documentary History, 203-272
Read section headers and source titles (this should take twenty minutes)
Tokugawa: Era of Peace
Intellectual Currents in Tokugawa Japan
Wednesday, April 2
Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lecture 44
44: Nature Gods and Tricksters of Polynesia
Berry, Japan in Print: 104-252
Blood Right and Merit
The Freedom and the City
Cultural Custody, Cultural Literacy
Nation
Friday, April 4
For students with no background in Japanese:
Read the following posts from RSQ to learn a bit about how Japanese renders "foreign" sounds into Japanese.Write a few sentences about katakana in Japanese life.
For students with any level of background in Japanese
Spend twenty minutes looking through the .pdf file I sent you from an approximately fourth-grade reader in Japanese history. Be an anthropologist of the text. What do you see? What stands out. What raises questions (even basic ones)? Write a few sentences about this
Clan Meetings
[1] Address the following matters:
(a) Discuss with your fellow clan members some of your approaches to reading a book for class rather than, say, a .pdf article. Have you been taught skills about how to do this in the past? Try not to be cynical (yes, it's easy to answer this by saying "I don't" or other ways). The fact is that it is a useful and even necessary skill. Take it seriously.
(b) Now, add a temporal dimension. Discuss your various approaches to reading "a book a week." This is very (very) common in graduate school, and yet (I speak from long experience) very few courses actually teach how to do it.
(c) Finally, put these thoughts together into perhaps a half-dozen items that you might "teach" to others who are faced with reading entire books of history.
[2] Write a short version of your answers to the above prompts (a few sentences per item), and send it to me by 5:00 p.m. on Friday 4/4 as an email attachment.
*** ***
Read the Source Paper Assignment
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
Week XII
(April 7-11)
Stalker, Japan: History and Culture, 209-275
Facing and Embracing the West (1850s-1900s)
Modernity and its Discontents (1900s-1930s)
Facing and Embracing the West (1850s-1900s)
Modernity and its Discontents (1900s-1930s)
Keene, Emperor of Japan: 1-209
Lu, Japan: A Documentary History, 273-344
Read section headers and source titles (this should take twenty minutes)
The End of Tokugawa Rule
Early Meiji Political Developments
Read section headers and source titles (this should take twenty minutes)
The End of Tokugawa Rule
Early Meiji Political Developments
Wednesday, April 9
Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lecture 45
45: Creation and Misbehavior in Micronesia
Keene, Emperor of Japan: 210-415
Friday, April 11
For students with no background in Japanese:
Read the following posts from RSQ to learn a bit about how Japanese renders "foreign" sounds into Japanese.Write a few sentences about katakana in Japanese life.
xxx
For students with any level of background in Japanese
Spend twenty minutes looking through the .pdf file I sent you last week from an approximately fourth-grade reader in Japanese history. Be an anthropologist of the text. What do you see? What stands out? What raises questions (even basic ones)? Write a few sentences about this.
Clan Meetings
[1] Address the following matters:
(a) Even if you did this earlier, read carefully through the final assignment (the link is at the bottom of this week's syllabus entries, directly below). Take notes, and think about sources that you will need.
(b) Make a list of sources you are thinking of using I(this does not need to be your final choice, but you are only a week away from having to make that decision (by Sunday, April 24, when you need to send me your choices).
(c) Write a paragraph or so about how you are planning to proceed. In particular, address your thinking about the difference between a "research paper" and a "source paper" like this one.
(d) Discuss these matters with your clan group, and describe for your peers some of the insights you have into how the close (source) reading and writing process should work.
[2] Write a short version of your answers to the above prompts (a few sentences per item), and send it to me by 5:00 p.m. on Friday 4/11 as an email attachment.
Read the ATTENDANCE POLICY for this course (it will be enforced).
Read the LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY for this course (it will be enforced).
Read the LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY for this course (it will be enforced).
*** ***
Read the Source Paper Assignment
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
Week XIII
(April 14-18)
Stalker, Japan: History and Culture, 318-361
Defeat and Reconstruction
Defeat and Reconstruction
Dower, Embracing Defeat
Part II: Transcending Despair
Kyodatsu: Exhaustion and Despair
Cultures of Defeat
Bridges of Language
Wednesday, April 16
Rewriting Assignment
Friday, April 18
Add
*** ***
Read the Source Paper Assignment
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
Week XIV
(April 21-25)
Stalker, Japan: History and Culture, 362-400
"Cool" Japan as Cultural Superpower (1980s-2010s) Introduction
Miyamoto-cho, a Portrait
The Development of a Neighborhood
Local Politics and Administration
Community Services and Neighborhood Events
Formal Hierarchies of Participation and Power
Friends and Neighbors
The Festival and the Local Social Order
Conclusion Lu, Japan: A Documentary History, 563-618
Read section headers and source titles (this should take twenty minutes)
Bridging the Past and Present
Read section headers and source titles (this should take twenty minutes)
Bridging the Past and Present
Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lecture 47
47: Origins in Indonesia and the Philippines
Wednesday, April 23
Spring Day—No Classes
Friday, April 25
Add
*** ***
Read the Source Paper Assignment
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
Week XV
(April 28-30)
Monday, April 28
Great Mythologies of the World (on library reserve): Lecture 48
48: Aboriginal and Colonial Myths of Australia
Bestor, Tsukiji (Do your best with the book, and reflect upon all of our ethnographic works)
Tokyo’s Pantry
Grooved Channels
From Landfill to Marketplace
The Raw and the Cooked
Visible Hands
Family/Firm
Trading Places
Full Circle
Wednesday, April 30
Exam II
*** ***
Read the Source Paper Assignment
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
(read all three parts of the assignment.)
Due NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6
(.pdf copy only)
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