Introduction to East Asia seminar

Spring 2002, Lexington Public Library Conference Room B

Thursday evenings, 4:30 to 7:30 pm, January 17 to March 21

 

 

Seminar leader:

Kristin Stapleton, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Kentucky

Telephone: 859-257-1357                                                             E-mail: kestap01@uky.edu

 

The seminar is designed to give teachers a foundation to teach about the East Asian countries of China, Japan, and Korea and to explore methods and materials for introducing East Asia into their classrooms. The seminar is funded by a grant from the Freeman Foundation and is administered through the Indiana University East Asian Studies Center (EASC). The three-hour sessions will be broken up into segments which will include lectures, discussions, videos, slides, guest speakers, and hands-on activities.

 

Each participant is required to engage in 30 contact hours. If you must miss class for an acceptable reason (such as illness or coaching), you must make up the contact hours.  Consult with me about this, if necessary.

 

If school is canceled in Fayette County Public School District, the seminar will also be canceled and the class session will be made up. When uncertainty exists about canceled sessions, participants should call the Indiana East Asian Studies Center at 800-441-3272.

 

The following is a guide to our ten class meetings.  I will distribute an outline for each session during the preceding week. 

 

WEEK ONE

January 17:            Introductions, East Asian Geography and Origin Stories

                       

                        Guest speaker: Guichun Zong, UK College of Education

                                                “Perceptions of and Connections with East Asia”

 

                        Handouts:            Sources of Korean Tradition, pp. 3-7

Sources of Japanese Tradition, pp. 14-18

An Anthology of Chinese Literature, pp. 10-13, 16-21

 

WEEK TWO

January 24:            Ways of Thought in Early China and Chinese Characters     

 

                        Background reading: Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History (CIH), chapters 1-2

                        Reading for discussion:  Ebrey, Chinese Civilization (CC), chapters 1-3, 6-8, 10.

 

                        Handout: Excerpts from Confucius Speaks

 

 

WEEK THREE

January 31:    Early Kingdoms and Empires: The Silk Roads West and the Spread of Confucianism and Buddhism East

 

                        Background reading: Ebrey, CIH, chapter 3-5; Varley, chapters 1-3.

                        Reading for discussion: Whitfield, Life Along the Silk Road

                                                               Keene, pp. 63-66, 82-91.

                                                               Bingham and Gross, chapter three.    

 

 

WEEK FOUR

February 7:            Buddhism in East Asia and Samurai Culture in Japan

 

                        Guest speaker:  Laurie Heyrman, Berea College, “East Asian art”

 

                        Background reading: Varley, chapters 4-5

                        Reading for discussion: Keene, 179-212, 231-241.

   Handout:  Excerpt from the Lotus Sutra

 

 

WEEK FIVE

February 14:            Song China and the Mongol Empire

 

                        Guest speaker: Rob Foster, History Department, Berea College

 

                        Background reading: Ebrey, CIH, chapters 6-7.

                        Reading for discussion: Ebrey, CC, chapters 32, 36-39, 41.

                                                              Handout: Morris Rossabi, Khubilai Khan, ch. 5.

 

 

WEEK SIX

February 21:            The Ming and Qing empires, the Chosŏn kingdom, and Tokugawa Japan

 

                        Guest speaker: David Blaylock, History Department, EKU

 

                        Background reading: Ebrey, CIH, chapters 8-9; Varley, chapters 6-8;

Cumings, chapters 1-2.

                        Reading for discussion:  Keene, pp. 363-373, 377-383.

Handouts: Choe Pu’s Diary, pp. 29-63, 119-145.

                                                Excerpt from Levathes, When China Ruled the Seas

Excerpt from The Japanese Discovery of America

 

 

 

 

 

WEEK SEVEN

February 28:            Early 20th century upheaval and the rise and fall of Japan’s Asian empire

 

                        Guest speakers/performers: Cecelia Wang, Music Education, UK

                                                                      Hong Shao, pipa performer, Lexington

 

                        Background reading: Ebrey, CIH, ch. 10; Varley, ch. 9-10: Cumings, ch. 3.

                        Reading for discussion: Richard Kim, Lost Names

                                                              Cook and Cook, Japan at War

                                                           

 

WEEK EIGHT                                                            MEET AT UK’S BRADLEY HALL

March 7:            Communist China, 1949-1976

 

                        Guest speaker: John Klus, Sayre School, Lexington,

“Posters and Pins from the Cultural Revolution”

 

                        Background reading: Ebrey, CIH, chapter 11.

                        Reading for discussion: Ji-Li Jiang, Red Scarf Girl

 

 

WEEK NINE

March 21:            Post-war Japan      

 

                        Guest speaker: Doug Slaymaker, Japan Studies Program, UK

 

                        Background reading: Varley, chapter 11.

                        Reading for discussion: Handouts to be specified

 

 

WEEK TEN

March 28:              East Asia Today

 

                        Guest speakers: Sakah Mahmud, Political Science Dept., Transylvania

                                                  Keiko Tanaka, Sociology Dept., UK

 

                        Background reading: Cumings, chapters 5-10.

                        Reading for discussion: Handouts to be specified