HIST 516:231 Fall 2013
Tu Th 1.30-2.50 @ 319 Cooper St
Victoria Lee
toril@princeton.edu
Office hours: Tu 11-12 @ Room 107, 429 Cooper St
East Asia I
This course focuses on China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, from the earliest written records to 1600. By
examining topics such as religion, philosophy, gender, technology, trade, and imperial expansion, we will
learn about the indigenous aspects of each of these civilizations, how they interacted with each other, and
their historical significance for contemporary concerns. In addition to using secondary sources, we will
examine a variety of primary sources including inscriptions, journals, and literature.
Course prerequisites: None
Required texts (available for purchase at University District Bookstore)
Valerie Hansen, The Open Empire: A History of China Through 1600 (New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 2000). ISBN-13: 978-0393973747
Karl F. Friday, ed., Japan Emerging: Premodern History to 1850 (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2012).
ISBN-13: 978-0813344836
Wm. Theodore de Bary, ed., Sources of East Asian Tradition. Volume 1: Premodern Asia (New York:
Columbia University Press, 2008). ISBN-13: 978-0231143059
Course requirements
Class participation
Map quiz
2 short papers
Midterm quiz
Final exam
20%
5%
40%
15%
20%
Suggestion for class preparation
The exams and quizzes will be based primarily on the lectures. But you will need to read the textbook
assignments at least once in order to understand the material. Class discussion will be based on the
primary sources (from Sources of East Asian Tradition), and so you will need to come to class having
read the primary sources and be ready to talk about them.
Class participation
You are expected to attend every class and to participate actively. If you are unable to attend, please
notify the instructor in advance. We may be able to arrange a make-up assignment, usually a short written
response based on the readings for that class.
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Short papers
You will be asked to write 2 papers of 5-6 double-spaced pages each. For each paper, you will choose
one topic from a list of possible topics that I will distribute well in advance. A paper should develop a
clear argument that is supported by evidence from primary and secondary sources (further guidelines will
be distributed in class). You have the option of handing in a draft for comments before submitting the
final version. Feel free to come to my office hours to discuss your paper with me.
Map quiz
There will be one short quiz to check basic knowledge of geography and chronology early in the course.
Midterm quiz
The in-class midterm quiz will consist of term identification questions. The purpose is to test your factual
knowledge. Your answers need not be too long or detailed, but they should be long enough to
demonstrate that you know the essential relevant information (2-4 sentences).
Final exam
The in-class final exam will consist of two sections. The term ID section will be closed-book (about 1/3
of the exam). This will be followed by an essay section, which will be open-book (about 2/3 of the exam).
You will be asked to answer two questions from a choice of questions. The essays ask you to demonstrate
your ability to approach key questions in East Asian history critically, and to synthesize material into an
effective argument.
Note on plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or
other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. You are responsible
for ensuring that you acknowledge clearly anything you include in your work that is not written by you.
Plagiarism will be taken very seriously. If you submit plagiarized work, you risk failing the assignment
and the course and being subjected to the university’s official adjudication process. If you are unclear
about what constitutes plagiarism or about how to cite in a paper, speak to the instructor.
Office hours
If you have any questions or want to discuss aspects of the course material further, my office hours are
Tuesdays 11am-12pm at Room 107, 429 Cooper St (History Department building), or email
toril@princeton.edu.
Schedule of lectures
Week 1 (Sep 3, 5)
Introduction
- No reading
Shang and Western Zhou
- Open Empire, Ch1, 17-53
- Sources, 13-21
Week 2 (Sep 10, 12)
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Eastern Zhou and the philosophical schools
- Open Empire, Ch2, 55-79 (first class), 79-95 (second class)
- Sources, 26-7, 29-40, 49-68, 119-125 (first class), 71-105 (second class)
Week 3 (Sep 17, 19)
*MAP QUIZ; Qin unification
Han dynasty
- Open Empire, Ch3, 97-149
- Sources, 107-119 (first class), 126-30, 157-70 (second class)
Week 4 (Sep 24, 26)
Invasions from the north
The transplanting of Buddhism
- Open Empire, Ch4, 153-189 (first class)
- Sources, 217-37 (second class)
Week 5 (Oct 1, 3)
Early Japan
Early Korea
- Japan Emerging, 55-107 (first class); Peterson, Korea, 1-31 (pdf, second class)
- Sources, 621-55 (first class), 485-507 (second class)
Week 6 (Oct 8, 10)
China in the Tang dynasty
- Open Empire, Ch5, 191-219 (first class), Ch6, 221-58 (second class)
- Sources, 290-307
Week 7 (Oct 15, 17)
Nara and Heian Japan
Silla unification of Korea
- Japan Emerging, 111-77 (first class); Peterson, Korea, 32-50 (pdf, second class)
- Sources, 656-71 (first class), 508-27 (second class)
Week 8 (Oct 22, 24)
*MIDTERM QUIZ
Commerce and culture in Song China
- Open Empire, Ch7, 261-97
- Sources, 308-33
Week 9 (Oct 29, 31)
*FIRST PAPER DUE IN CLASS Oct 29; Neo-Confucianism
Non-Chinese states on the northern frontier
- Sources, 361-86 (first class)
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Open Empire, Ch8, 299-333 (second class)
Week 10 (Nov 5, 7)
Kamakura Japan
Koryo Korea
- Japan Emerging, 178-212 (first class); Peterson, Korea, 50-73 (pdf, second class)
- Sources, 754-65 (first class), 534-49 (second class)
Week 11 (Nov 12, 14)
Vietnam from Ly to Later Le
The Mongol empire
- Open Empire, Ch9, 335-67 (second class)
Week 12 (Nov 19, 21)
Muromachi Japan
Choson Korea
- Japan Emerging, 213-23, 254-77 (first class); Peterson, Korea, 74-93 (pdf, second class)
- Sources, 815-23, 829-35 (first class), 563-89 (second class)
Week 13 (Nov 26, 28)
*SECOND PAPER DUE IN CLASS Nov 26; China in the Ming dynasty
- Open Empire, Ch10, 369-407
- Sources, 428-51
*THANKSGIVING RECESS
Week 14 (Dec 3, 5)
Japan in the Warring States period
Late Ming problems and Hideyoshi’s invasion of Korea
- Japan Emerging, 233-53, 311-20 (first class); Spence, Search for Modern China, Ch1 7-25 (pdf,
second class); Peterson, Korea, 93-100 (pdf, second class)
- Sources, 845-58 (first class), 859-61 (second class)
Week 15 (Dec 10)
Review session
* FINAL EXAM to be held on Tuesday, December 17, 2-5pm.
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