HIS 354: Traditional China

Spring 2021, MW 3:30-4:45, DHC 204 (starting Feb. 22) with simulcast over Zoom

Professor Jonathan Skaff

Personal website: http://webspace.ship.edu/jkskaf/

E-mail: jkskaf@ship.edu Telephone: 717-477-1255

Virtual Office Hours by appointment: MW 2:00-3:00, T 1:00-1:50, Th 1:00-3:15, and other times depending on my availability. Contact me via email to set up a Zoom appointment.

I. Course Description

This course provides a sophisticated introduction to Chinese history from prehistoric to early modern times (ca. 1600). It investigates the major events and trends that contributed to the development of traditional Chinese society, government, economy, and culture. Some of the topics that we will cover are the formation and development of Chinese culture, creation of the imperial state system, periodic rebellions and political divisions, gender roles, elite and peasant society, native religion and philosophy, and the impact of Inner Asian peoples and Buddhist religion. The only prerequisite is HIS 105 Historical Foundation of Global Cultures.

The class also will concentrate on developing writing, public speaking and critical thinking skills that are transferrable to professional careers. Each class will include discussion, so it is imperative that students do assigned reading when scheduled. All writing assignments are expected to be well argued and written. Writing mechanics, such as grammar and spelling, will be 20% of the grade on each paper.

The course is offered online from February 8 to 17. From February 22 onward, the course will be in hybrid face-to-face/virtual mode. FACE-TO-FACE is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED except for students with underlying conditions or living with others susceptible to COVID-19. In fall 2020, the average final grade of my face-to-face students was 5 points higher than remote ones.

II. Requirements

1. Write 3 papers (45%).

2. Midterm exam (20%)

3. Cumulative final exam (20%).

4. Lead a 15-minute discussion during one class session this semester (see Part IV below, 5%).

5. Complete assigned readings, attend class, and participate in class discussion (10%). This grade will be based on attendance and contribution to discussions. Grades will be awarded for each class session according to the following standards:

90-100: Student demonstrates mastery of readings by making thoughtful and insightful comments.

80-89: Student shows that he/she has completed reading assignments.

65-79: Student participates in discussion without giving evidence of having completed the reading.

60: Student attends class without speaking.

0: Student has an unexcused absence, sleeps in class, or uses unauthorized electronic device. Remote student turns off camera and/or is unresponsive to questions.

III. Policies

1. Health and safety are of primary importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students attending face-to-face class MUST wear a face mask and practice social distancing. Any student who violates this policy and refuses to depart the classroom will be reported to university authorities immediately, and referred to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.

ALL Face-to-face students who live off campus are STRONGLY encouraged to take part in the weekly R3 testing program. For information: https://raiderrespect.shipnews.org/r3-testing-students/
Face-to-face students exposed to people without masks in public for 5 minutes or more MUST attend remotely for 10 days, or 7 days with a negative asymptomatic COVID test on day 6 (excepting exposure to family or roommates). COVID-19 is a tricky virus because infected asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals can pass the virus to other people. Young people are less likely to have symptoms, so those who do not practice social distancing are particularly dangerous individuals because they are more likely to contract COVID-19 and become invisible super spreaders of the disease.
Face-to-face students who feel ill MUST attend class remotely until receiving a negative symptomatic COVID-19 test. Free tests are available at Etter Health Center. COVID-19 is also a tricky virus because symptoms vary from person to person and can include one or more of the following: loss of taste or smell, skin rashes, fatigue, tightness in chest, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, muscle or body aches, headaches, fever, chills, cough, sore throat, sinus congestion, and runny nose.
If Professor Skaff is feeling ill, he plans to inform students via email that he will be teaching remotely over Zoom or canceling class. He will not resume face-to-face instruction until receiving a negative COVID-19 test.

2. Attendance is mandatory. Starting February 22, students MUST choose to attend face-to-face or remotely.

Remote students MUST inform Dr. Skaff before changing to face-to-face instruction to assure that seating is available.
Face-to-face students will have assigned seats to facilitate contact tracing. Face-to-face students may switch temporarily or permanently to virtual if they begin to feel unsafe in the classroom, but MUST inform Dr. Skaff.
Dr. Skaff reserves the right to switch the entire class to online delivery over Zoom if he feels unsafe in the classroom or his elderly parents in Florida need his assistance.

3. Absences will be excused if you can document a serious illness, family emergency, varsity athletic event, military duty or religious observance. Only students with documented excuses can make up exams and discussant assignments. Students who were sick must submit a doctor’s note. For a family emergency, I require a phone call from a parent or guardian, or a death notice. Athletes should provide a memo from the head coach with the team schedule. If you have military duty, inform your dean’s office. They will send notification to all of your professors. The university’s policy on religious observances is the following: “At the beginning of each academic session (fall, spring, summer), the student will be required (in writing) to provide his/her faculty with the dates of scheduled religious observances.”

4. Technology requirements for all students: Classes will be simulcast live over Zoom to remote learners. Face-to-face students also must be prepared for remote learning at any time because a COVID-19 outbreak may require class members to quarantine or the entire university to close.

· Examity system requirements are:

o macOS X 10.5 or higher, Windows Vista or higher (No Linux or Chrome OS)

o Desktop computer or laptop (No tablets, Chromebooks or cell phones)

o Webcam and microphone (built-in or external)

o Internet speed of 2+ Mbps download and upload: Hot spots NOT recommended

o Browser with pop-up blocker disabled

o Chrome browser extension installed less than 24 hours BEFORE EVERY EXAM

· Examity computer readiness check (does not check for Chrome browser extension):

o https://prod.examity.com/systemcheck/check.aspx

· Remote students MUST attend every class session using Zoom with WEBCAM TURNED ON because facial expressions transmit important visual cues to the class. Any remote learner without webcam enabled will be marked absent on that day.

· High-speed cable internet and a direct ethernet connection or high-speed wireless router are needed to effectively connect to Examity and Zoom. Remote students experiencing connection problems must upgrade equipment and/or internet service within one week or will begin to be marked absent.

o For those students needing computer equipment, the university is offering free technology through the conclusion of the semester. (Hot spots are not recommended for Examity): Request access to technology equipment form .

o Comcast/Xfinity is offering discounted Internet service to students. Please visit https://www.xfinity.com/student for more information.

o The university offers free Microsoft Office software to all students: http://www.ship.edu/technology/student/office/

o Shippensburg tech support: https://www.ship.edu/about/offices/technology/student/resources/

5. “Smartphones make you dumb in class.” All cell phones are banned during class sessions, except for those used to view course readings. Educational research has shown that electronic communications, including text messaging, create distractions that interfere with learning. Violations of this policy will result in being marked absent on that day.

6. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. I encourage you to study together with other students, but all papers and exams must be written in your own words without the assistance of others. Cases of academic dishonesty will be dealt with according to the policies in the “Academic Policies and Procedures” chapter of the Undergraduate Catalog (catalog.ship.edu). Students who intentionally violate university policies on academic dishonesty will receive a penalty of a grade of “F” for the course.

· To prevent plagiarism, all papers must be submitted to the D2L Dropbox.

· To prevent cheating, Examity will proctor students taking the exams online, and I will proctor in-class exams. No cell phones, notes, papers, books or other objects may be handled or looked at during exams. Students looking at or handling electronic devices or other objects during exams will receive a grade of “F.”

7. I comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Title IX requirements to “report incidents of sexual violence shared by students.” To read my full Title IX syllabus statement, click on this link: https://www.ship.edu/EIC/title_ix_statement/

8. I assign letter grades used in the Shippensburg University grading system to the following numerical scores:

IV. Discussion Leader Assignment (5% of final grade)

FIRST Draft of Questions Due: 8:30 p.m. on the day before you lead the discussion OR at least 24 hours earlier if you are not available to send me revisions on the evening and morning before class. Send me drafts of questions via email (jkskaf@ship.edu) in MS Word format. I will respond with suggested revisions using the MS Word “track changes” and “comment” features. Plan to revise your questions based on my feedback at least 2 or 3 times.

My FIRST Draft Deadline: Sun./Tues._______________________by 8:30 p.m.

FINAL Draft Due before class: Upload to D2L>Discussion Leader Assignment Dropbox

Directions for developing questions: The class discussion should last 15 minutes.

· Through February 24, compare and contrast the perspectives of our two textbook authors, Li Feng and Valerie Hansen, on the history of “Early China.”

· From March 1 onward, questions should be primarily based upon the supplementary reading. Only use the main textbook as a basis for comparison with the supplementary reading.

Develop 3 or 4 main questions with additional follow-up questions to be used only as needed. Some main questions should be factual, asking classmates to summarize main themes and arguments of the reading. At least one question should be open-ended, asking classmates to share their interpretations and opinions of the reading.

Your grade will be based on the effectiveness of your written questions and oral delivery:

“A” grades will be awarded for thoughtful, well-written and organized questions and follow-ups that are read aloud in a clear voice, and encourage classmates to summarize major point(s) of the reading and share opinions.
“B” grades will be awarded for clear, well-organized questions that lead classmates to summarize the main points of the reading.
If your questions are unclear, incoherent, irrelevant or not submitted on time, you will receive a grade of “C,” “D,” or “F,” depending on the extent of the problems.

Some hints on developing good questions (adapted from former professor Vera Reber):

Prepare: Thoroughly read all assigned material. Review past readings and class notes that may be relevant.
Organize your ideas by noting major themes and historical debates discussed in the reading.
Develop factual questions that stimulate classmates to refresh their memories about the main points of the reading. Keep in mind that this is not enough for a good discussion.
Devise open-ended questions that provoke classmates to think critically about the reading’s main point(s) or argument(s). Good discussions often involve debates and differences of opinion.
Prepare: To ask follow-up questions to keep the discussion moving.

· Be creative: A stimulating question can be related to a quotation, picture, chart, map, controversial statement, information previously covered in class, or anything else of your choosing.

V. Readings

A. Main Textbooks (Available at university bookstore and online sellers)

Hansen, Valerie. The Open Empire: A History of China to 1600. 2^nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2015.

Li Feng. Early China: A Social and Cultural History. NY: Cambridge University Press, 2013.

B. Supplementary readings for class discussions:

1. Books (Available at university bookstore and library, and online sellers)

Brook, Timothy. The Troubled Empire: China in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2010. Also available in Ship library electronic edition: PERMALINK

Hinsch, Bret. Women in Early Imperial China. 2nd ed. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011. Also available in Ship library electronic edition: PERMALINK

Rothschild, N. Harry. Wu Zhao: China's Only Female Emperor. NY: Pearson Longman, 2008.

2. Electronic Reserves Readings: https://ares.ship.edu/ares/

“Confucius and the Birth of Chinese Philosophy,” in Mair, Victor H. et al, eds. Hawai'i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press, 2005, 45-50.

“Han Fei Zi and His Antecedents,” in Hawai'i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture, 137-42.

Goodman, Howard L. "Lives and Times of the Political Public at the End of the Han." In The Human Tradition in Premodern China, edited by Kenneth James Hammond. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 2002, 27-55.

Lin Hu. “A Tale of Five Capitals: Contests for Legitimacy between the Liao and Its Rivals.” Journal of Asian History 44, no. 2 (2010): 99-127.

Pearce, Scott. "A King’s Two Bodies: The Northern Wei Emperor Wencheng and Representations of the Power of His Monarchy." Frontiers of History in China 7, no. 1 (2012): 90-105.

“The Tradition of the Daode jing” in Hawai'i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture, 78-86.

Wong, Dorothy C. “The Origins of Buddhist Steles under the Northern Wei.” In Chinese Steles: Pre-Buddhist and Buddhist Use of a Symbolic Form. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2004, 43-60.

Zhang Ling. “Changing with the Yellow River: An Environmental History of Hebei, 1048-1128.” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 69, no. 1 (2009): 1-36.

3. Online Reading

Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. nd. A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization: University of Washington. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/index.htm.

VI. Schedule

1. Early “China” in Legend and Archaeology

M 2/8: Introductions; China’s Land, Peoples and Language, Chinese pinyin 拼音 romanization system

Online Reading: Ebrey: “Geography”

“Land”

“China Proper”

“People”

W 2/10: Origins of China: Ancient Legends and Modern Archaeology

Reading: Hansen xvii, 3-15; Li Feng, 1-7, 41-65

M 2/15: Early Shang Dynasty (ca. 1554-1046 BCE): Archaeology and History

Reading: Hansen 19-34; Li Feng, 66-89

2. Early “China” in History and Archaeology

W 2/17: Shang Dynasty at Anyang: History

Reading: Hansen 34-43; Li Feng, 90-111

M 2/22: Western Zhou Dynasty (1045-771 BCE)

Reading: Hansen 43-55; Li Feng, 112-38, 143-52, 156-60

W 2/24: Spring and Autumn Period (770-481 BCE): Political and Social Change

Zoom Recording (check D2L for password)

Reading: Hansen 57-68; Li Feng, 160-82

M 3/1: The Golden Age of Chinese Thought: Confucianism and Daoism

Reading: Hansen 68-87; Li Feng, 220-24

Electronic Reserves: “Confucius and the Birth of Chinese Philosophy” & “The Tradition of the Daode jing”

Paper 1 Assigned

W 3/3: Warring States (481-221 BCE) and Legalism

Reading: Hansen 87-97; Li Feng, 183-202, 224-26

Electronic Reserves: “Han Fei Zi and His Antecedents”

3. Early Imperial China

M 3/8: The Kingdom of Qin and the First Empire (221-207 BCE)

Reading: Hansen 97-105; Li Feng, 229-56 (Supplementary reading)

W 3/10: Fall of the Qin and Founding of the Han Dynasty (206/202 BCE-220 CE)

Reading: Hansen 106-10; Li Feng, 257-60; Hinsch 1-14, 35-60 (Intro, Chap. 2)

M 3/15: Western Han Dynasty (202 BCE-9 CE): Internal Consolidation

External Challenges

Reading: Hansen, 118-26; Li Feng, 260-76; Hinsch 61-95 (Chap. 3)

Paper 1 Due

W 3/17:

Reading: Hansen 126-9; Li Feng, 276-82; Hinsch, 97-135 (Chaps. 5-6)

M 3/22: Han Ideology and Historical Writing

Reading: Hansen 110-18, 129-31; Li Feng, 304-18; Hinsch 137-76 (Chaps. 7-8, Conc.)

W 3/24: Midterm Exam: Blue book exam in person or Examity remote

4. Early Medieval China

M 3/29: Wang Mang’s Usurpation (9-23) and Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220)

Reading: Hansen 133-37, 144-46; Li Feng, 295-303

Electronic Reserves: Goodman, “Lives and Times of the Political Public at the End of the Han”

Paper 2 Assigned

W 3/31: Fall of the Han and Period of Disunity (220-589); Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Impact of Inner Asia

Reading: Hansen 157-66

Electronic Reserves: Pearce, “A King’s Two Bodies”

M 4/5: Buddhism in China

Reading: Hansen 141-3, 146-57, 167-71

Electronic Reserves: Wong, “The Origins of Buddhist Steles under the Northern Wei” Chinese Steles, 43-60

W 4/7: Sui Dynasty (589-618): Reconsolidation of the Imperial State System

Reading: Hansen 173-78; Rothschild ix-xiv, 1-48 (Intro., Chaps. 1-4)

M 4/12: Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Reading: Hansen 178-199; Rothschild 49-102 (Chaps. 5-7)

Paper 2 Due

W 4/14: Tang Cosmopolitan Culture

Reading: Hansen 201-22; Rothschild 103-156 (Chaps. 8-10)

5. Late Medieval China

M 4/19: Late Tang Disunity and the Five Dynasties Period (907-960)

Reading: Hansen 222-34; Rothschild 157-214 (Chaps. 11-12, Conclusion)

Paper 3 Assigned

W 4/21: Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126)

Reading: Hansen 237-62

Electronic Reserves: Zhang, “Changing with the Yellow River”

M 4/26: Resurgence of Northern Dynasties: Liao (Khitan, 916-1125) and Xi Xia (Tangut, 1038-1227)

Reading: Hansen 275-89

Electronic Reserves: Lin Hu, “A Tale of Five Capitals”

W 4/28: Southern Song (1127-1279) and Jin (Jurchen, 1115-1234)

Reading: Hansen 262-73, 289-307; Brook 1-23 (Intro., Chap. 1)

6. Late Imperial China

M 5/3: Mongol Conquests

Reading: Hansen 309-24; Brook 24-49 (Chap. 2)

Paper 3 Due

W 5/5: Mongol Rule of China: Yuan Dynasty (1260-1368)

Reading: Hansen 324-41; Brook 50-78 (Chap. 3)

M 5/10: Founding the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

Reading: Hansen 341-52, 371-79; Brook, 186-212 (Chap. 8)

Online Reading: Ebrey, “Furniture”

“Yuan Landscape Painting”

“Calligraphy”

W 5/12: Ming Dynasty and the Wider World (1400-1600)

Reading: Hansen 352-71; Brook, 213-37 (Chap. 9)

W 5/19: Final Exam, 3:30-5:30