HIST 135 Eastern Civilization
MWF 2:00 PM - 2:50 PM GEB 217
Dr. Timothy Hoare, CC 342, ext. 4526
Homepage: http://staff.jccc.edu/thoare
E-mail: thoare@jccc.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This  course is an introduction to the societies and cultures of Asia. Through lectures, readings and discussions, the course will focus on aspects of the history, politics, art, literature and economics of China, Japan and India. The major traditional themes and concepts of these civilizations will be stressed.  Credit Hours: 3.  Contact hours: 3  Course Type: Transfer.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Wolpert, Stanley. India, 3rd Edition,
University of California Press, 2005, ISBN: 0520246969.  Adoption date: Spring 2008.

Morton, W. Scott, and Lewis, Charleton. China: Its History and Culture,
McGraw Hill, 2004, ISBN 0071412794.  Adoption date: Spring 2008.

Morton, W. Scott and Olenik, J. Kenneth. Japan: Its History and Culture,
McGraw Hill, 2005, ISBN 0071412808.  Adoption date: Spring 2008.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

  1. Summarize the key intellectual and cultural concepts of Eastern Civilization as found in Japanese, Chinese and Indian Societies.
  2. Compare and contrast the major Asian philosophical, religious and intellectual approaches to the questions of human existence, politics, society, family life, art and education.
  3. Outline the history of important eras in India, China and Japan in terms of major rulers, social structure and institutions, economic development, government organization, systems of religion and philosophy and achievements in arts and literature.
  4. Select examples in art and literature which reflect the predominate values of each culture and examine and evaluate the examples in relation to these values.
  5. Evaluate the extent to which Eastern Civilization can be discussed apart from other specific cultures such as those of Western Europe, Anglo-American, Islamic and African.
  6. Construct commonalities in the world views of the three Asian cultures.
  7. Evaluate the extent to which and the reasons why traditional values of Asia have changed over time.
  8. Define and analyze changes in the attitude toward gender, social and legal equality in India, China and Japan.
  9. Compare and contrast the major differences between Eastern and Western thought and the impact of each upon the other.
  10. Compare and contrast, based on the readings, attitudes within and between the three cultures toward the relationship of humans with the physical environment.
  11. State and briefly define the major principles of Hinduism, Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, Shinto and Zen Buddhism.
  12. Locate major geographic features, regions and cities of India, China and Japan and explain how physical geographic features influenced the history of these countries.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

1. The basic format of Eastern Civilization will be lecture/presentation sessions and discussion.  Lectures/presentations will be concerned primarily with historical development, socio-cultural traditions, religious traditions, and fine arts traditions.  Discussions will focus on the assigned readings from the text (i.e., the course texts and/or supplementary texts). Students are expected to participate actively in discussion, and will be graded accordingly.

2. Three exams, both objective and subjective in content.

3. Nine weekly quizzes.

4. A paper that provides an analysis of a specific aspect of any one of the Asian cultures that are presented in class.  This paper must be typed, double-spaced, either 10 or 12 point font, and three-to-five pages in length (i.e., "written" pages, not including cover, bibliography, footnotes/works cited pages, etc.).  This paper must also utilize at least two textual sources, other than a) our course textbooks, and b) Wikipedia.  As for paper topics, consider the following categories:

 Please note: the paper topic must be submitted and cleared with me.

5. Grading will be based on the following point distributions:

TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Parenthetical dates refer to the Monday of the given week.

(page numbers are from the required texts for this course)

WEEK 1 (8/17): introduction to class; course requirements, overview of topics to be covered

WEEK 2 (8/24): India I: environmental and historical overview, text p. 5-44

WEEK 3 (8/31): India II: religion and philosophy, text p. 74-114; caste, text p. 118-133

WEEK 4 (9/7): NO CLASS ON MONDAY 9/7 (LABOR DAY); India III: performing and visual arts, text p. 157-181

WEEK 5 (9/14): India IV: Film- "Bombay"

WEEK 6 (9/21): Review on M-W; EXAM ON FRIDAY

WEEK 7 (9/28): China I: text p. 11-44

WEEK 8 (10/5): China II: text p. 45-97

WEEK 9 (10/12): REVIEW ON MON-WED;  NO CLASS ON FRIDAY 10/16

WEEK 10 (10/19): China III: Film- "The Emperor and the Assassin"

WEEK 11 (10/26): EXAM ON MONDAY; NO CLASS ON WED-FRI

WEEK 12 (11/2): Japan I: text p.4-51

WEEK 13 (11/9): Japan II: text p. 52-100

WEEK 14 (11/16): Japan III: text p. 101-146; PAPER DUE BY FRIDAY 11/20

WEEK 15 (11/23): text p. 101-146, cont.; NO CLASS ON WED-FRI (THANKSGIVING BREAK)

WEEK 16 (11/30): Japan IV: Film- "Seppuku"

WEEK 17 (12/7): Review on M-W; FINAL EXAMS: Thursday 12/10 - Wednesday 12/16
FINAL EXAM TIME FOR THIS CLASS IS: MONDAY 12/14 @ 2 PM

SOME ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES

1. All JCCC students are issued a college e-mail account that is accessed through MyJCCC. This account is used by the college to communicate course, grade, financial aid, enrollment and other important college information. It is your responsibility to check your JCCC e-mail account regularly for important information.

2. I am a strong proponent of the liberal arts. I approach material in a holistic and interdisciplinary manner. In this course, religion, philosophy, ethics, art, literature, theatre, psychology, the media, history, political science, et al. will inevitably come into conversation with one another. Education is about gaining proficiency with the tools to discern and explore these interrelationships, to interpret and evaluate them critically, and to continue to do so throughout your lives. In short, there's a world of people, places, ideas and books out there; after you graduate, you have to be able to go to a dinner party and talk competently about something besides your job!

3. I am not simply a lecturer who loves the sound of his own voice. Expect me to ask questions of you and to generate discussion with you. While I most certainly want you to understand my ideas and opinions on the material, I value your efforts, your opinions, your input and your reflections as well.

4. I am a gracious host who likes gracious guests. It's not enough simply to arrive, sign the register and then sit in an out-of-the-way corner. Be prepared to take part in the class.

5. We all have doctor appointments, childcare concerns, or "just one of those things" that come up now and again.  If you have to leave a session early, please inform me before the class begins.  It is simply the courteous thing to do.

6. I care about the ambience in which I teach and in which students learn. I expect you to be attentive, to turn off your cell phones, and to treat one another with respect while you are here, and to pick up after yourselves when you depart (papers, soft drink cans, etc.).

7. Last but not least, academic dishonesty, i.e., cheating on exams, intentional plagiarism on written assignments, will not be tolerated. A first offense will result in an "F" on the exam, paper, etc. concerned. A second offense will result in an "F" for the course.

 

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