IS 324, 001-- Spring 1998 --Monday and Wednesday, 1:30 to 2:45 --Peck Building 2304
Course Description
Over time our world has become less clearly divided by geo-political boundaries; and disparate peoples and cultures have found themselves participating in the same political, social, and economic institutions. The geographical situation of the United States makes it quite as much a participant in the Pacific Rim as in the Atlantic community. Yet history, language, and culture have inclined Americans to look eastward rather than westward. The result has been widespread ignorance of and indifference toward Asia. As understandable as this tendency may have been in the past, it is no longer appropriate for a nation that seeks to participate fully in the developing economy of Asia or for individuals commencing careers that will inevitably compel them to think in terms of a global society and economy.
This course is designed to offer an introductory inquiry into the roots and manifestations of Asian cultures. It can assist students in understanding their contemporaries from the East and in identifying concerns other than those that have been emphasized in the West. A goal of this course is greater understanding that may lead to more effective communication across cultural boundaries.
Comprehensive coverage of Eastern cultures is no more possible in a single course than would be comprehensive coverage of Western cultures. This semester major emphasis is given to the cultures of East Asia because of the interests and expertise of the participating faculty. However, the course will also examine India as a significant source of Asian ideas. The course covers historical, philosophical, and religious foundations of Asian civilizations and examines products of those foundations in areas such as ethics, politics, medicine, and music.
Participating Faculty
Professor Sang-ki Kim, Department of Philosophical Studies
PB 2207, tel.: 692-2257, e-mail: skim@siue.edu
Office hours:
Professor Samuel Pearson, Department of Historical Studies
PB 2336, tel.: 692-3685, e-mail: spearso@siue.edu
Office hours: 9:00 to 10:30, M W and F and by appointment
Textbooks
East Asia: A New History by Rhoads Murphy [EA], available in Textbook Rental.
Eastern Ways to the Center: An Introduction to the Religions of Asia by Denise L. Carmody and John T. Carmody [EWC], available in Textbook Rental.
The Analects of Confucius [C], available for purchase in the Bookstore.
Course Requirements
Students are expected to attend class and to complete reading assignments. Readings and lectures are complementary, and students should give attention to both. Grades will be based on a map examination (10%), the mid-term and final examinations (30% each), the paper (20%), and two unannounced quizzes (5% each). Excessive absences (three or more) will be considered in calculating course grades. Quizzes and examinations may be made up only if a student is hospitalized, has a death in the immediate family, or is authorized to be off campus for a University-scheduled event. Head colds, preparation for other classes, or anxiety attacks do not justify make up exams. The faculty will give students suggestions regarding the two major examinations to assist in preparation.
The paper is to be an analysis of The Analects of Confucius as a foundation of East Asian culture. Read the book carefully early in the term. It is a short transcription of some of the sayings of Confucius and addresses moral conduct as the basis of political and social harmony. The paper should focus on one of the following themes: (1) the extent to which contemporary East Asian culture is appropriately described as Confucian, (2) a comparison of Confucian ideas and teaching methods with those of Socrates, or (3) a comparison and contrast of Asian and Occidental cultures and an assessment of the importance of Confucianism in explaining differences. The paper must be typed, double-spaced. It should be no less than five and no more than seven pages in length. The paper will be graded on the basis of the clarity and accuracy of your analysis of Confucius and the perceptiveness of your comparisons. Your paper should be checked for spelling and grammar, elements that will be considered in assigning a grade to the paper. Students who have concerns regarding their writing skills are urged to seek help in the Writing Center on the first floor of the Peck Building. A good manual of style that includes rules of punctuation is A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian. Copies are available in the Bookstore.
A copy of this syllabus is posted on Professor Pearson's web page at http://www.siue.edu/~spearso. Necessary changes in the schedule and additional materials may be posted there through the semester, but they will also be distributed in class. Each student is responsible for information, handouts, and assignments made in class.
Monday, January 12 (Professor Pearson)
Introduction to the course; distribution of syllabi; checking enrollments
Geographical and historical framework
Wednesday, January 14 (Professor Pearson)
South Asia: an overview
Monsoonal Asia
Prehistoric Asia
Assigned readings: EA, ch. 1; EWC, Introduction
Monday, January 19
No class; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Wednesday, January 21 (Professor Kim)
Ancient India
Hinduism
film: Religion in India
Assigned reading: EWC, ch. 1
Monday, January 26 (Professor Kim)
Indian Buddhism
Assigned reading: EWC, ch. 2
Wednesday, January 28 (Professors Pearson and Kim)
Medieval India
Islam in Asia
Assigned reading: C (read entire text in preparation for paper)
Monday, February 2 (Professor Pearson)
Mughal India
India under British rule
Wednesday, February 4 (Professor Pearson)
MAP EXAMINATION
Indian Independence
Monday, February 9 (Professor Pearson)
Gandhi
Indian Subcontinent since independence
Film: Gandhi
Wednesday, February 11 (Professor Pearson)
Contemporary South Asia
Monday, February 16 (Professor Pearson)
Introduction to East Asia
China's geography
History of ancient China
Assigned reading: EA, chs. 2-3
Wednesday, February 18 (Professor Pearson)
Tang Dynasty China
Ming and Qing Dynasty China
Assigned reading: EA, chs. 4-5
Monday, February 23 (Professor Pearson)
Confucianism
Assigned reading: C and EWC, ch. 3
Wednesday, February 25 (Professor Pearson)
Daoism and other philosophies
Monday, March 2 (Professor Pearson)
Chinese Medicine
film: The Mystery of Qi
Wednesday, March 4
MID-TERM EXAMINATION
Monday, March 9 (Professor Pearson)
China and the West in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Nationalism, Guomindang, and Sino-Japanese War
Assigned reading: EA, CHS. 8, 14, 17
Wednesday, March 11 (Professor Pearson)
Mao Zedong and the People's Republic
film: The Mao Years
Assigned reading: EA, ch. 20
Monday and Wednesday, March 16 and 18
SPRING BREAK; NO CLASSES
Monday, March 23 (Professors Kim and Pearson)
China since Mao
Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
Wednesday, March 25 (Professor Kim)
History of Japan to 1840: I
film: Japan: the Electronic Tribe
Assigned readings: EWC, ch. 4 and EA, chs. 10-11
Monday, March 30 (Professor Kim)
History of Japan to 1840: II
film: Japan: the Legacy of Shogun
Assigned reading: EA, ch. 12
Wednesday, April 1 (Professor Kim)
Japan's response to the West
Assigned reading: EA, chs. 13, 15
Monday, April 6 (Professor Kim)
Film: Japan: the Sword and the Chrysanthemum
Wednesday, April 8 (Professor Kim)
Japanese thought and life
Monday, April 13 (Professor Kim)
Film: Japan 2000
Wednesday, April 15 (Professor Kim)
Post-World War II Japan
Assigned reading: EA, ch. 21
Monday, April 20 (Professor Kim)
PAPER DUE
Asia's newly industrialized countries
Wednesday, April 22 (Professor Kim)
Film: Big Business and the Ghost of Confucius
Monday, April 27 (Professor Kim)
Southeast Asia's emerging economies
Wednesday, April 29 (Professor Kim)
The United States and Asia
Assigned reading: EWC, Conclusion
Thursday, May 7, 12:00 to 1:40
FINAL EXAMINATION