HIST 480: Medieval Japan

Note: Note: Most course information and announcements will be distributed via the Angel Course Management System. Be sure to check Angel regularly for course information and materials.

Note: This course contains tons of Buddhism and relatively little military history. If cultural history--especially the nexus of religion, politics, and the arts--is not for you, then you should probably find a different course before the drop-add period ends.

Basic Information:

Term: Spring, 2008

Time/Place: M W 06:00P - 07:15P; 169 Willard

Instructor: Gregory Smits

Office: Weaver 211

Office Phone: 863-0172 (messages typically checked twice a week)

E-Mail: gjs4@psu.edu (messages typically checked several times a day)

History Department Office Phone: 865-1367

Office Hours: 3-4, M & W

Dates to Remember:

Books

Required Textbook: Smits, Topics in Medieval Japanese History, available on the web. Click here for the textbook site. Click Here for initial advice on how best to use this textbook. The main URL is easy to remember: www.east-asian-history.net. Note: in the unlikely event that the textbook is not accessible at its main URL, there is a mirror of the site at: http://www.s118842024.onlinehome.us/. The complete text and links are there, but the search function does not work.

There are two additional required books for this course. They are not available at the campus bookstore this term, but they are easily obtainable at all the usual outlets:

Any local bookstore can order these books, but getting them that way often takes several weeks and the price sometimes reflects an added shipping charge. Web-based book vendors are generally a quicker way to go, and, because most web vendors discount the books, even with shipping you are likely to save some money, especially if you buy multiple books in a single order. The largest vendors are amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, and powells.com is, to my knowledge, the largest used book merchant. There are also book search/sale services like texbookhound.com that will search multiple vendors--and these are only a few of the many possibilities. If one vendor cannot get your book in a timely manner, try a different site. For academic books, ordering directly from the the publisher is sometimes  the fastest way to get them, although typically at a slightly higher cost  (click on the link to the publisher and use the search function).

Course Goals & Description:

The main goal for this course: acquisition of a moderately sophisticated "cultural literacy" of medieval Japan and a basic understanding of the major contours of early Tokugawa Japan (i.e., early-modern Japan). Students who do well in the course will generally have a greater knowledge of many aspects of medieval Japanese high culture than does the average Japanese adult today. Accomplishing this goal, of course, requires substantial effort and disciplined study.

Most students will find this course to be difficult. Expect to spend at least two hours of high quality studying outside of class for every hour of class. We examine Japanese history from the Heian period (9th century) through the first century of the Tokugawa period (17th century). Although we will examine all aspects of history to some extent, the emphasis will be on cultural history, especially the many faces of Buddhism and its interaction with medieval Japanese culture and society. The course is fast paced and will cover a large quantity of material, much of it complex. Although most of the essential course content can be found in the textbook and assigned books, the material is sufficiently difficult that you should also regard regular class attendance and disciplined study on a daily or weekly basis as essential for good performance. You should not take this course if you are in the habit of missing classes or only studying just before exams and assignments. It is particularly important to begin reading the assigned books well in advance of the exams.

Course Prerequisites: To take this course you should already have taken HIST 107, HIST 172, HIST 174, or HIST 407 or a similar course at another university. If you have no previous background or interest in premodern East Asia or in medieval history, taking this course is not recommended. Being a 400-level course, a high degree of academic rigor is expected in HIST 480. Success in this course will require true college-level skills in reading, writing, basic computer literacy, and thinking. Be sure to take this course only if you are prepared for it and are willing and able to spend the time and effort it will require.

Exams and Grading:

This section explains exams and grading in detail. I will spend little time talking about these matters in class. It is important to understand the basis on which grades are assigned. Grades are based on degree of mastery of the course content as measured by the three exams. The exams are the only basis on which grades are assigned. It is important to know that personal circumstances (e.g., boy/girlfriend problems, having outside jobs, having been sick a lot during the term, the "need" for a certain level of grade, being a graduating senior, being a history major, applying for law school, et cetera) are not factors that influence the assignment of grades. There is no "extra credit." Class attendance is not a direct part of the grade, but regular attendance should be considered essential for learning the material and is expected.

The exams are rigorous and consist of multiple-choice questions, short essays and a long essay.  They are not cumulative. The weighting of each exam is as follows: Exam 1: 32% of the final grade; Exam 2: 32% of the final grade; Final exam: 36% of final grade. The format of exams 1 & 2 is the same, and the format for the final exam is slightly different. Specifically, exams 1 & 2 consist of: 1) 10 multiple-choice questions, at least 5 dealing with the assigned reading), for a total of 30%; 2) 2 ID/significance paragraphs @10% each for a total of 20%; and 3) one long essay worth 50%. The final exam is slightly longer. It will consist of: 1) 20 multiple-choice questions, at least 10 dealing with the assigned reading, for a total of 40%; 2) 2 ID/Significance paragraphs @10% each for a total of 20%; and 3) one long essay worth 40%. The final exam will cover slightly more material than the first two exams. This is the reason for its greater length and weight.

Each exam covers material from class sessions up to that exam (and after any previous exam) plus a subset of the two assigned books. Exams emphasize what is covered in class, but they also include material from the textbook not covered in class plus the relevant assigned readings. I will announce the specific coverage of each exam about one week in advance. The coverage for the assigned reading is as follows:

Exam 1: Morris, The World of the Shining Prince, Introduction (Morris's)  through Chapter 5 ("Superstitions)

Exam 2: Morris, The World of the Shining Prince, Chapter 6 ("The 'Good People' and their Lives") through Chapter 10 ("Aspects of 'The Tale of Genji'")

Exam 3: Hanley, Everyday Things in Premodern Japan (the entire book)

Note: Be sure to begin reading the assigned chapters or book well before the date of exam. Attempting to squeeze this reading in just before the exam will generally cause unpleasant results.

Grades on each exam and on the paper are expressed as percentages. The final average percentage is then converted to PSU's grading system as follows: A = 92-100%; A- = 90-91%; B+ = 87-89%; B = 82-86%; B- = 80-81%; C+ = 77-79%; C = 68-76%; D = 50-67%; F = below 50%.

The dates and times of the exams are listed above. Be sure to be here for them because missed exams may not be made up except in the case of a serious emergency the day of the exam. Be sure to take note of the exam dates at the start of the semester. In the unlikely event that an exam conflicts with an official university function that you must attend, you may make arrangements to take it early provided that you discuss such arrangements with the instructor at least one week in advance.

The format and degree of difficulty of exams should not be a surprise to serious students because past exams from this course are available at the practice exam center. (Note these differences: the format of the third exam is different from the last time the course was offered in that there are twice as many multiple-choice questions. Moreover, the assigned readings are now covered on the exams but did not appear on the exams the last time the course was taught.) Study the exams on this site from time to time, and actually write out answers to some of the long and short essay questions. As you probably know, there is often a big difference between passively looking at an exam question and thinking that you could probably answer it versus actually writing an answer. Effort spent in writing answers before the real exam will usually pay off nicely.

Exam Mechanics:

Exams are given at the start of class on the scheduled day. They are intended to take about 50 minutes, but you will have the whole class time to work on them. Bring an examination book (commonly called a "blue book") as well as both a pen and a pencil. Write both your name and student number on the multiple choice answer sheet. Do not write your name on the examination book. Instead, write your student number on the front cover in clear, easy-to-read numerals. Grading usually requires two class days.

Class Mechanics:

The course is based mainly on illustrated lectures, which will follow the order of topics in the textbook. Class time is reserved for relatively sophisticated topics; you are expected to learn the basic political narrative of Japanese history through your own reading of the textbook. Of course, if anything is unclear to you in your reading, be sure to ask about it. Also, feel free to ask about anything that interests you even if we do not cover it in this course. There is one rule of conduct: do anything you want (e.g., pay attention, sleep, read a magazine, meditate, etc.) as long as it does not bother other students and interfere with their ability to concentrate (e.g., chattering, playing music, loud snoring, et cetera).

Disabilities:

If you require accommodation for a disability, you must first identify yourself as disabled to the Office for Disability Services (click here for details). This office will make a determination of your disability and appropriate accommodations based on medical information. The instructor of the course cannot and will not make such determinations, but he will be happy to help you contact the appropriate people for assistance.

Academic Honesty:

Basic fairness to all requires reasonable standards of academic honesty. Specifically, plagiarism (use of another's ideas and/or words as if they are your own without proper acknowledgment) and other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. Although circumstances may vary, ordinarily, cases of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of zero for the test or assignment in question and referral of the case to the appropriate university disciplinary unit. When writing the book review paper, do not use the words of the book's author as if they are your own.

For reference, the official policy of PSU regarding academic integrity is as follows:

49-20 Academic Integrity

Definition and expectations: Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner. Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at The Pennsylvania State University, and all members of the University community are expected to act in accordance with this principle. Consistent with this expectation, the University's Code of Conduct states that all students should act with personal integrity, respect other students' dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts.

Academic integrity includes a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception. Such acts of dishonesty violate the fundamental ethical principles of the University community and compromise the worth of work completed by others.

To protect the rights and maintain the trust of honest students and support appropriate behavior, faculty and administrators should regularly communicate high standards of integrity and reinforce them by taking reasonable steps to anticipate and deter acts of dishonesty in all assignments (Senate Policy 44-40: Proctoring of Examinations). At the beginning of each course, it is the responsibility of the instructor to provide students with a statement clarifying the application of University and College academic integrity policies to that course.

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