Course Overview & Schedule

DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the cultural history of late medieval and modern Asia incorporating examples of art, literature, philosophy, and religion, providing a survey of China, India, and several other distinct cultures of the areas surrounding them—especially Japan. [View map of Asia (or download)] (GE Area: C3)

THIS SECTION does NOT attempt to survey all of late medieval and modern Asian art, literature, philosophy and religion. Rather I use selected examples to emphasize three aspects of the way Asian individuals in the ancient and early medieval periods have preserved and modified their cultures: (1) reflection regarding and trust in unseen powers and forces, whether sacred (i.e., spirits, gods, etc.) or secular (i.e., nature, psychological forces, etc.); (2) the art forms, rituals & customs (again both secular & sacred) that have inspired and supported such reflection; and (3) the diverse communities, from particular families to broader institutions, in which such reflection and practices have taken place. [Read more about this focus.] Team-based learning will be the primary mode of engaging with primary sources (see www.teambasedlearning.org), facilitated by testing and inter-class communication through SacCT, the university's on-line instructional system.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: my intention is that you should, after taking this course, be able to:

1. (a) effectively answer basic questions, posed by a peer unfamiliar with Asian culture, regarding key terms, images and primary sources related to the religiously-grounded art, literature, & philosophy of late medieval and modern Asia, as reflected in his readings and visual records; and
   (b) locate reliable scholarly sources that address aspects of Asian culture that you don't understand, and formulate questions to guide your reading of those sources.
2. (a) describe accurately and precisely, again for a peer unfamiliar with Asian culture, the way that primary sources written by Asians themselves feature the key terms and images mentioned in #1(a); and
   (b) present a balanced selection of excerpts from those sources that supports your statements about them.
3. (a) compare and contrast, for class members as well as peers outside the classroom, different examples of the Asian traditions mentioned above; and
   (b) compare and contrast a chosen, daily practice of your own, developed around reciting a text of your choice, with several Asian practices encountered in readings, images and videos.
4. effectivelycommunicate with others while refining the skills listed in #1-3.
5. appreciate both the emotional impact and intellectual fascination of Asian culture.
6. continue to investigate, as modeled throughout the course, the religion and culture of the people you encounter throughout your life.

SOURCES: You are responsible for locating the two sources listed below, and for bringing assigned readings to each class meeting. The schedule provided below refers to these two sources, as well as the first item on the "recommended" list that follows, using the BOLD CAPITAL abbreviations next to each title.

Encyclopedia Britannica (EB) [on-line entries linked directly to schedule below]
"HRS 71: Arts & Ideas of Asia" Course Pack (CP) [printed by and available from www.universityreaders.com
            at the above URL (click the "Buy Here " button at the top right side) or call 1-800-200-3908]

Also Recommended (for those with special interests in art & religion that may not be fully satisfied by the course's brief survey):

Bradley Hawkins, Introduction to Asian Religions (IAR) [Pearson Longman, 2004: ISBN # 0-321-17289-2]
art books in the Thames & Hudson "World Art" series (these and IAR are available at the Hornet Bookstore)
John D. La Plante, Asian Art [McGraw Hill, 1992: ISBN # 0-697-11591-7]
G.L. Anderson, ed., Masterpieces of the Orient (MOO) [Norton & Company, 1977: ISBN # 0-393-09196-1]
Donald Lopez, ed., Religions of Asia in Practice [Princeton Univ. Press, 2002: # 0-691-09061-1
Bowker, ed., Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions [Oxford Univ. Press, 2000: # 0-19-280094-9]

ATTENDANCE: Evaluation of your attendance in this course is built into other parts of the grade. Nearly half of the class sessions involve the completion of a graded activity for which you cannot receive credit if you are absent; this includes team assignments for which attendance will be taken within each team. The remainder of class periods are study sessions; missing these will make successful completion of in-class assignments more difficult.

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: I ask students who arrive late to wait outside the door for a pause in the class presentation (usually 10-15 minutes). If I am talking when you enter, take a seat near the door rather than crossing everyone's field of vision. Once in the classroom:

• please handle cell phones as you would on an airplane: keep them turned off and stowed away for the entire duration of the class.
• due to frequent misuse, I also do not allow laptops, except for students with documented dissabilities requiring their use; if you have such a disability, please discuss it with me within the first week of class. (See also below under "Grading Policies.")
• avoid sights, sounds, and smells that are distracting to the instructor and other students, especially bringing food into the classroom, moving across the front of the room while the instructor is talking, and side conversation with a neighbor while anyone is speaking to the class as a whole.

STAYING INFORMED: if you miss a class or portion thereof, for whatever reason, you are responsible for

• consulting the syllabus to determine what activities you missed.
• finding out about any announcements that were made (usually during the first 10-15 minutes of a given class session) by contacting other members of your team ASAP, using the "browse" function to select student names in SacCT mail (see below), or by gathering direct email addresses from team members you know best during the first weeks of the term.
• approaching me to retrieve any graded assignments that may have been returned during your absence. I am not responsible for low scores on assignments resulting from failure to collect or read comments on earlier, similar assignments.

IMPORTANT: please do not contact me simply to announce an absence, either by phone or email. Also, due to the volume of emails and calls that I must process, I am not available to provide information about every missed class to every absent student. If you still have questions after consulting the syllabus and checking with team members, please approach me face to face at the next class meeting.

EMAIL: in order to receive updates regarding class sessions throughout the term, you are required to check the email included in your SacCT account on a regular basis for the duration of the course. Unless you log in to SacCT on a daily basis, please set your SacCT email to forward messages to your regular email address.

In order to facilitate my response to your emails, please EMAIL ME DIRECTLY (not in SacCT) at jdubois@csus.edu; include the abbreviation "WM" or "HRS 151" in the subject heading. I typically respond to student emails on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and usually sometime end of week or weekend, as time allows. For queries that require immediate attention, please call or leave a voice mail at 278-5332.

IMPORTANT: please do not contact me simply to announce an absence, whether by phone or email. See above under "Staying Informed."

EXCEPTIONS to some of the above-stated policies may be granted in rare instances for compelling reasons, which generally must be verified in writing by a medical or some other professional.

ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments for this course are directly linked to the learning objectives specified above. Each student chooses which assignments to complete depending on which grade (s)he hopes to earn.

In order to achieve a D ("passing with minimum effort") for this course, you must adequately complete:

1. six in-class, on-line (6) RATs ( "readiness assessment tests") (5 x 60 points, 300 points total)
   [lowest score dropped; students may complete up to 10 points extra credit to raise low scores]
   
2. selection & memorization of a 30-90 second text used for daily practice (100 points)
   [assessed via writing and oral presentation by appointment during the term]
3. two (2) guided reflections (4 pages each, 2 x 100 points, 200 points total)
   [incomplete reflections will be returned and receive no credit]
4. one (1) final exam (100 points)
   [multiple choice, composite of individual and team scores]
   
   In order to achieve a C ("reasonably complete/sometimes insightful") for this course, you must also adequately complete:
   
   
5. one (1) ADDITIONAL guided reflection (100 points)
   

In order to achieve a B ("often well-focused & insightful") in this course, you must adequately complete:

1. six in-class, on-line (6) RATs ( "readiness assessment tests") (5 x 60 points, 300 points total)
   
2. selection & memorization of a 30-90 second text used for daily practice (100 points)
3. two (2) guided reflections (4 pages each, 2 x 100 points, 200 points total)
4. one (1) final exam (100 points)
5. seven (7) team assignments (300 points total)
   [attendance at a minumum of 6 team assignments required for participation in teams]
6. a peer evaluation rating each student in your team (60-140% range)
   [determines what percentage of team scores each student receives]
   
   In order to achieve an A ("consistently skillful & exceptionally insightful"), you must also adequately complete:
   
   
7. one (1) ADDITIONAL guided reflection (100 points)
   

[OVERALL SCALE: 940-1000 points=A, 900-939=A-, 870-899=B+, 840--879=B, 800-839=B-, etc.]

GRADING POLICIES: Barring genuine emergencies, no make-ups are available for RATs; but note that the lowest score is dropped, so missing one RAT will not in itself lower your grade. I generally do not accept rewrites of guided reflections; however you may wish to show me prelimary drafts, submitted for review at least three days prior to the deadline. I DO accept late assignments, but subtract 5% from your overall score for each class day late; I will however not accept late submissions for the final assignment.

If you have a disability that requires some accommodation, please contact me to discuss such accommodation within the first two weeks of the term. I consider extreme difficulty with social interaction and interpersonal communication a legitimate disability, which should be brought to my attention as soon as possible, since team work is such an integral part of the course. If you are unsure about whether you have a disability, I encourage you to speak with me and/or also to contact the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities (Lassen Hall 1008, 278-6955).

I will generally elect severe penalties for academic dishonesty on tests and assignments: a zero score for the assignment, and failing the course for a second offense. You are responsible for reading my comments regarding the importance of academic honesty in FAQ, #10-13, and for requesting clarification if there is anything you do not understand. You may also want to check out the library's tutorial on plagiarism.

Finally, students needing extra time to complete their work for the course must submit to me an application for an incomplete, available in MND 2011. I will not accept a late final assignment or give an incomplete grade without this form in hand.

SACCT: As with class emails, test taking and grade posting will also be handled through SacCT, the university's on-line instructional system. In order to be registered for this course in WebCT, you will need a valid saclink username and password; if you do not currently have one, call (278-7337) or visit the Saclink Desk (on the second floor of the new Academic Information Resource Center, just behind the library--follow signs to your right when exiting the elevator, all the way to Room 2005); or simply go to www.saclink.csus.edu and follow the instructions for "Set up Saclink" in the left-hand column.

SCHEDULE: All readings listed should ideally be completed by the day under which they are listed, although this requirement is only assessed during RATs and team assignments. All numbers in the schedule are page numbers unless otherwise noted. In order to access the links to Encyclopedia Britanicca on-line from off-campus, you will need a Saclink ID and password; if you have questions about this, please consult the library access page.

CAUTION: I reserve the right to make revisions to on-line materials prior to their discussion in class at the relevant point in the semester. Therefore wait until that time to print out materials you wish to have on hand, such as excerpts, tests and assignments.

Introduction: Asia, Cultural History, & Team-Based Learning

Unit 1: The Interrelationship of Community & Practice in Asian Culture

(1a) Late Medieval India (11th - 17th centuries CE)

(1b) Colonial & Post-Colonial India (18th - 20th centuries CE)

Unit 2: The Interrelationship of Practice & Reflection in Asian Culture

(2a) Late Medieval China (11th - 16th centuries CE)

(2b) Late Imperial & Modern China (17th - 20th centuries CE)

Unit 3: The Interrelationship of Community & Reflection in Asian Culture

(3a) Late Medieval & Modern Southeast Asia & Tibet (14th - 20th centuries CE)

(3b) Late Medieval & Modern Korea & Japan (13th - 20th centuries CE)

Final Exam: Thursday, May 21, 1 pm (view final exam schedule)

WARNING: Barring submission of a petition for an incomplete and in contrast to my late policy during the semester, no final guided reflections will be accepted after the beginning of class of the final class session.

Also, if you wish to retrieve your final guided reflection, please attach to your paper a self-addressed stamped envelope (4" x 9" is usually OK if unless your paper is unusally thick) with sufficient postage for 3 ounces (currently $0.76 or two first-class stamps). Papers submitted without an envelope will receive only minimal comments and eventually be recycled without shredding.

DISCLAIMER:  As you will learn from this term’s study ofAsian traditions (if you didn’t know it already!) the nature of life is change.  In creating this syllabus I have tried to be as careful as possible to get all the details right.  However in certain situations, whenever I notice that an error has been made--or that a change would significantly further the objectives of the course--I reserve the right to make alterations in the syllabus. I will always give you at least three day’s notice, both in class and by sending out an email about the change.

OTHER COURSES OF INTEREST: • Asian Civilization" (HIS 006) • "Art of India &Southeast Asia, China & Japan" (ART 117A & B) • "Peoples of Southeast Asia," "Chinese Societies," and "Cultures of South Asia" (ANTH 147-49)