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Team Assignment Preparation & Extra Credit
The team readiness assessments (TRAs) are given every two weeks to assess your readiness for the more complex thinking required during team assignments. These assessments measure recognition & basic comprehension of (1) essential terms, (2) primary sources, and (3) key images. A number of these same questions then reappear on the final exam.
NOTE: each TRA takes place after a two-period guided reading session introducing the readings, but before the in-depth processing of readings done during team assignments. Most students thus need to allow more time than they are used to for reading and studying assigned materials on their own.
Terms & Excerpts (from required primary sources):
for TRA
#0 (Trial)
(drawn from EB & on-line sources listed in schedule of readings)
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| Terms: | culture |
Excerpts:
"...seven concentric circles were drawn in chalk inside a clearly marked square. In the center of these circles, an open tent or canopy was erected in which was installed the zor, a pyramid made of dough and crowned by a skull. At the beginning of the ceremony, the lingka, a doll made of dough, was placed next to the zor. The dances started with a performance by two...figures wearing skull masks and skeleton costumes....through their dance rituals and the mantras they repeated, the pavilion and objects enshrined in it were transformed into a mystic Charnel Ground where the desire that is the root of rebirth is extinguished and where higher knowledge can be obtained.... Afterwards, other groups of characters wearing demonic masks appear and dance around the zor, banishing all evil by driving it into the lingka.
"'There are many Korean generals. General Kwa Nun Jan from China comes; many kinds of generals come, we worship Japanese generals too. Even the spirit of Genghis Khan is worshipped.' In her home, [she] keeps a special shrine dedicated to General Che Yong, who died as a national hero in 1388. His image on the wall overlooks the many costumes and traditional weapons the shaman uses to entertain her general's spirit during a ritual of possession called 'kut.' ...When shamans invite the spirits of Changun to possess them, they exhibit behaviors very different from those of their daily lives, including some traditionally considered masculine."
"The final character to appear in the Tsam square was Yama, God of the Realm of Death and Supreme Judge of the Dead whom the Mongols call Erlig Khan. He usually appeared wearing a Buffalo mask, with a lasso for catching souls in one hand and a skeleton-shaped scepter in the other. His arrival at the head of the possession constituted the climax of the ritual. Mongolian masks symbolizing the actual presence of a deity never have their eyes pierced. The performers therefore had to look through the mouths of the masks, adding extra height to the performer. As the temporary residence of gods and demons, masks are like statues and treated as sacred objects. When not in use, they were stored in monasteries and paid homage to in daily rituals."
[TOP]
for TRA #1a
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| Terms: | sufi |
Excerpts:
"At this time you mustn't draw a single breath without remembrance of God, and don't despair of His graciousness. If death grants you quarter, it should be regarded as a reprieve and means for atonement. If your term of life is up, every breath taken with remembrance of Him is a golden opportunity. Do not occupy your mind or worry about those you leave behind, for with us the slightest claim through service is much."
"Bronze
shines brightly, but rub it and it sheds an inky black.
Though I clean it a hundred times, polishing will never remove its stain.
O
heedless one! They are my real friends who accompany me now and who will
accompany me into the hereafter,
Who, where accounts are demanded, will stand and give an account of good
deeds done.
Houses, temples, and palaces may be colorful without,
But let them collapse and they are useless and empty."
"As the courtiers who were witnesses of this dangerous scene were disturbed by its continuance and were unable to remonstrate, it all at once occurred to them that a remedy might be found if...the prime minister were brought, and if he by prayers and entreaties could withdraw His Majesty from this dreadful occupation, the contemplation of which turned the gall-bladder of the lion-hearted to water. When the distracted [prime minister] arrived and saw the state of affairs he dropped from his hand the thread of endurance and bared his head. He cried and lamented like oppressed suppliants for justice. Great and small raised hands of entreaty and implored from God the safety of that sacred person which is the principle of peace and tranquiltity for mankind."
"Fully
realizing that one's birth and lineage are ultimately without meaning,
he took birth in a lowly clan at the order of the Lord. If devotion toward
[that Lord] can occur in the lowest of classes, how much more the possibilities
among the self-consciously righteous, say all of the scriptures. If one
is born in to the highest ranks but does not worship [that Lord], what
can be done for his clan as he sinks into Hell? In order to bear direct
witness of all of these scriptural truths did [he] take birth in a lowly
lineage."
[TOP]
for TRA #1b
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| Terms: | East India Company |
Excerpts:
"...if he saw anyone going out in the rain in imminent danger of catching and perishing of pneumonia, he would let him face his fate rather than offer him the protection of his umbrella. He felt furious when people thought that they could ask for an umbrella. 'They will be asking for my skin next,' he often commented when his wife found fault with him for his attitude. Another argument he advanced was, 'Do people ask for each other's wives? Don't they manage to have one for themselves? Why shouldn't each person in the country buy his own umbrella?'"
"Nothing could have exceeded what was done on the night of the 4th. Scarcely a house in the town was left unplundered and I understand that in the camp jewels of the greatest value, bars of gold, etc. etc., have been offered for sale in the bazaars of the army by our soldiers, sepoys, and followers. I came in to take the command on the morning of the 5th, and by the greatest exertion, by hanging, flogging, etc. etc., in the course of that day I restored order among the troops, and I hope I have gained the confidence of the people."
"...the daughter-in-law said to her father-in-law and mother-in-law, 'Clean everything in the house and bathe and have the band play and put on good clothes and I also will dress in finery and pearls.' When all these preparations were complete, she told them to be seated together [as a couple would for a religious ritual or for their child's wedding]. Then she went and stood in front of the closed locked doors and prayed..."
"...it was the earliest house to be built in that area. [His] father was considered a hero for settling there in a lonely place where there was supposed to be no security for life or property. Moreover it was built on the fringe of a cremation ground, and often the glow of a burning pyre lit up its walls. After the death of the old man the brothers fell out, their wives fell out, and their children fell out. They could not tolerate the idea of even breathing the same air or being enclosed by the same walls.... Everything that could be cut in two with an axe or scissors or a knife was divided between them, and the other things were catalogued, numbered and then shared out."
[TOP]
for TRA #2a
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| Terms: | education &
government
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Excerpts:
"On the day of the new moon of this month of this year,...I...presume to report clearly to your honor...:The succession of atmospheric forces flows and changes. The time now is the middle of spring. When we think back with gratitude...we cannot overcome our long-term longings. We presume to take this pure offering of a soft-haired animal, a vessel of millet, and sweet wine, and respectfully present them.... Please enjoy them along with the associated spirits...' When finished, he rises...."
"Upon
hearing the bell,
Vexations are lightened'
Wisdom is strengthened,
Bodhi is produced;
We escape from hell,
Leaving the fiery pit.
May I attain buddhahood,
And save living beings."
"When you hear the long sounding of the [signal] board, take down your bowls. When raising your body, get up straight and stand still. Only then may you turn your body, making sure to follow the person above you... [Gesture with] palms joined and then take your bowls. One hand holds the bowls while the other hand releases the hook: the left hand holds [the bowls]. With the left hand holding [the bowls], turn your body. Lower your body in a proper crouch, and set down the bowls. Avoid bumping into others with your hips back."
"A great mountain is dominating as chief over the assembled hills, thereby ranking in an ordered arrangement the ridges and peaks, forests and valleys as suzerains of varying degrees and distances. The general appearance is of a great lord glorious on his throne and a hundred princes hastening to pay him court, without any effect of arrogance or withdrawal [on either part]. A tall pine stands erect as the mark of all other trees, thereby ranking in an ordered arrangement the subsidiary trees and plants as numerous admiring assistants."
| Terms: | Yuan dynasty |
Excerpts:
"...its beauty lies not so much in the separate pieces of architecture of which it is composed as in an impressive array of buildings and an infinite series of courtyards and gardens neatly laid out, where everything is truly magnificent and shows the power of the master who lives there....in the middle of one of these vast courtyards, one sees a base, or a solid mass of extraordinary magnificence, square and islolated on all sides, with a balustrade, worked in a manner similar to our own taste, running all around its pedestal. This initial base is surmounted by another smaller one, embellished with a second balustrade similar to the first. The construction rises in this manner to five tiers, each one smaller than the others."
"By this time the tea was ready. The traveler filled a small cup and asked Zhou to drink. Zhou declined, saying, 'For many days I have not been able to consume even small amounts.' The traveler replied, 'This tea is not the same. Please try it.' Zhou then drank two cups without any trouble. He felt his energy suddenly renewed. The traveler advised him, saying: 'When you return home, it is best to drink rice soup at first, then eat only diluted rice gruel. After seven days you can eat and drink normally.'"
"The three schools--Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism--are like the signboards hung outside three shops. In reality they are all sellers of mixed provisions; they all sell fuel, rice, oil, salt. But the shop belonging to the Confucian family is bigger; the Buddhist and Daoist shops are smaller. There is nothing they don't stock in all the shops.....All teachings have two layers: one can be called the surface teaching, one the inner teaching. The inner teachings are all the same: the surface teachings are all different. So Buddhist monks shave their heads; Taoist priests do their hair up in a coil; you can tell at a glance which is Buddhist and which is Taoist. If you ask the Buddhist monk to keep his hair and do it up in a coil and wear a feather-trimmed coat, and the Taoist preist to shave his hair and put on a gown of camlet, then people will call them by the opposite names."
"That night I went to the edge of the river to throw in a memorial to the Earl of the Sea on which I had written the name of the office which I held in my dreams, but my heart failed me and I was too embarassed to do it. Suddenly clouds converged swiftly from the four directions and wind and thunder roared. A clerk bowed before me, saying, 'The Judge of Fates should transfer his residence.' I said, 'That is not me. I am the son of old Mister Zhang, named Ya....' The clerk said, 'I have been commanded to speed you on your way.' I said, "What about the members of my family?' The clerk said, 'Let us first go to your headquarters.' I was confused and had not yet made up my mind. The clerk with a bow bade me mount a white donkey and I was gone."
[TOP]
for TRA #3a
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| Terms: | Angkor |
Excerpts:
"O, housebuilder...! Before I was enlightened I traveled through many cycles of birth and death, and for an infinite number of lifetimes I experienced suffering. O, housebuilder! Now I have seen you. Hereafter you will not build a house.... Having broken the crossbeams and destroyed the peak of the roof of that house, I have attained to nirvana, and am freed from all conditions. I have attained to the transcendental state of the destruction of the intoxicants in which all grasping is destroyed."
"First the king of mountains, Mount Mandara, was uprooted from its place to the east of Mount Meru, the home of the gods, to be used as the churning pivot. Next the king of snakes, Vasuki, was roused from the bottom of the Sea of Milk to serve as teh churning rope....With Vasuki wrapped around the pivot, the gods stationed at the multiheaded side of the snake, and the antigods aligned along the tail, the great churning began. Eventually the elixir emerged, but neither the gods nor antigods had a chance to drink it."
"On the preparatory day, make a gold throne that supports the three white substances (curds, milk, butter). Do not eat from bronze vessels, leaves, or the palm of your hand. In the afternoon, take tea without sugar or honey. Apart from that do not eat suitable (foods for the morning, such as) curds, milk., or fruit. At dawn..., you begin to observe silence."
"I
prostrate respectfully with my body, speech and mind...
I present all real and imagined offerings.
I confess all sins accumulated from beginningless time.
I rejoice at the virtues of ordinary and holy beings.
[I entreat you to] remain until cyclic existence is emptied.
I request you to turn every dharma wheel for the sake of beings.
I dedicate all my and others' virtues to the great enlightenment.
"
for TRA #3b
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| Terms: | Yi/Choson dynasty
|
Excerpts:
"Toward the end of the war he had been drafted, but he fell ill after several days of labor at an airfield and came home at the end of the war....After her husband had been drafted, she stayed with her parents. They had left the city to avoid the bombings. Their household goods had long since been sent away. As the house where their married life began had been burned down, they had rented a room in the home of a friend..."
"Mencius's words are specific for one situation; how can you take them to be unchanging for all time? This is clear because when Mencius explained the five types of unfilial behavior, he did not include not having an heir as part of the list. It also is said that Mencius wished to explain how Shun did not inform his parents of his marriage because Shun feared his parents would stop his marriage, thus preventing him from having an heir. Even if that was not the reason for Mencius making the statement about having an heir, his words still must be viewed as conditional, because having a child is dependent upon causes and conditions."
"At the very beginning, Heaven and Earth were truly pure essences. Thus the age of the kami began from one single kami. Even when there were male and female kami it is said there were no sexual relations. It is clear that the interaction of yin and yang resulted in the pollution of Heaven and Earth as well as the birth of the myriad things and human beings."
"...Lord Matsudaira bought it, and he himself twice fell ill with a plague of boils. His wife begged him to get rid of it, but he refused, and his son Gettan inherited it in due course. Thereupon Gettan got a plague of boils, and the family gave it into the keeping of their priests in the Kohoan, a subsidiary establishment of the Daitokuji temple in Kyoto, the site of the family graves. One can still see, hung up at the entrance to the temple, the palanquin that is said to have been used to bring [it] in 1904. Before the Meiji era nobody could see it without the permission of the Matsudaira family. It has been one hundred years since Matusdair died..."
Students have an opportunity to raise their TRA score for a given unit by submitting an analysis of either (a) one of the OPTIONAL readings listed [TBA] or (b) at least ten (10) pages of the assigned overview reading listed under "LOCATE & study TERMS in these overviews" for a given subunit. These readings are mostly drawn from the books available at the Reserve Book Room and/or available for purchase at the bookstore, but also include a few on-line options. One word of CAUTION: the shortest readings are often more difficult to summarize.
To complete the analysis, choose a reading and highlight important passages that seem most clearly related to its overall point. Then download and complete the form provided (MS Word/PDF), which asks you to (1) select passages from three parts of the source; (2) give a synopsis of the whole and related your passages to it; and (c) compare and contrast the reading to one of the assigned readings (i.e., those used for team assignments) for the same subunit. Keep in mind that:
Each analysis may add up to ten (5) points to your RAT score, for a maximum of twenty (10) points for two analyses per unit. Any points earned from such analyses are added directly to the the immediately preceding TRA, except for extra credit done during the introductory unit which is added to TRA #1a.
NOTE: the same optional readings available for reading analyses may also be used for extra credit on Guided Reflections.
To prepare for each team assignment, in addition to reviewing the primary source reading in depth, you must bring a page of notes to class which addresses the focus of the relevant team assignment, as specified below. Your page of notes should have the focus statement copied at the top, followed by 3-5 points or passages from the source, each marked with a page number. Students with no notes will receive only half credit for a given team assignment.
Trial TA:
"Identify moments in the rituals (objects, actions & words occuring together in a particular space) described in the online description and images of the Mongolian Tsam festival, and from the YouTube images of possession by Korean shamans, that show the way that the practice, community & reflection dimensions reinforce one another in these shamanic cultures."
Unit 1 TAs
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Team Assignment 1a:
"The Akbar & Jahangirnamas & related images, excerpts from the Caitanya Bhagavata, and the collection of Sikh janam sakhis, all assigned for this unit, suggest ways that the practice and community elements of culture have reinforced each other in medieval India. Identify scenes associated with these sources (people, events/objects, dialogue/words occuring together in a particular setting--including use of the stories themselves) that show communities supporting and strengthening the practices that bring them together."
[but then I blended them together to emphasize layers of practice]
Team Assignment 1b:
"Richard Davis's descriptions and images of the tiger organ and other objects from Tipu's court, excerpts from The Financial Expert, and the collection of "Mother Ten's Stories," all assigned for this unit, suggest ways that the practice and community elements of culture have reinforced each other in modern India. Identify scenes associated with these sources (people, events/objects, dialogue/words occuring together in a particular setting--including use of the stories themselves) that show practices strengthening the communities where those practices occur."
Unit 2 TAs
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Team Assignment 2a:
"Guo Xi's advice on landscape painting & related images, the monastic rules of Wuliang Shou, and the ritual instructions of Zhu Xi, all assigned for this unit, suggest ways that the practice and reflection elements of culture have reinforced each other in late medieval China. Identify moments in the customs, rituals & art forms prescribed by these sources (people, events/objects, dialogue/words occuring together in a particular setting) that show practices strengthening reflection, awareness and/or trust in those who practice."
Team Assignment 2b:
"Western observers' descriptions and images of Beijing's imperial architecture, the selection of spirit writings & stories about their distribution, and excerpts from Travels of Lao Ts'an, all assigned for this unit, suggest ways that the practice and reflection elements of culture have reinforced each other in modern China. Identify scenes associated with these sources (people, events/objects, dialogue/words occuring together in a particular setting--including use of the stories themselves) that show reflection, awareness and/or trust strengthening the practices that accompany them."
Unit 3 TAs
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Team Assignment 3a:
"Manikka's descriptions of the Angkor Wat temple, Consecrating the Buddha, and the ritual instructions for the Tibetan fasting ritual, all assigned for this unit, suggest ways that the reflection and community elements of culture have reinforced each other in late medieval and modern Southeast Asia and Tibet. Identify moments in the customs, rituals & art forms associated with these sources (people, events/objects, dialogue/words occuring together in a particular setting) that show reflection, awareness, &/or trust strengthening the community of those who practice."
Team Assignment 3b:
"Yanagi's description of a Korean tea-bowl, the anticlerical marriage tract translated by Richard Jaffe, and Kawabata's "Moon on the Water," all assigned for this unit, suggest ways that the reflection and community elements of culture have reinforced each other in pre-modern and modern Japan. Identify scenes associated with these sources (people, events/objects, dialogue/words occuring together in a particular setting) that show community strengthening the reflection, awareness and/or trust inspired by the art forms, rituals & customs in question."
Final TA
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"Throughout the semester you have personally engaged in a daily practice, and may have heard about other students' practices; you may also have noticed more consciously the practices, communities, and forms of reflection taking place in the culture that surrounds you. For this last assignment,
(a) identify moments (as usual!--people, actions/objects, words occuring together in a particular setting) in your own and others' contemporary American practices that involve practice, community and reflection, awareness and/or trust in the unseen (both secular and religious) dynamically influencing one another. (You may want to review the introductory essay, "Essential Elements of Culture"--especially the three sections entitled "The Dynamic Unseen Element of Culture," "Describing the Unseen," and "Analyzing the Details of Practice & Community," for some specific suggestions.) In addition,
(b) list Asian practices studied in this class that bear some similarity to the contemporary American practices you identify as part of (a)."
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