PRESENTATION COLLEGE

 

HISTORY OF THE FAR EAST I (HS340)

 

Three Semester Hours

Fall 2010

PC/LC/FM  MWF 1:00-1:50 pm (CST)

 

Welcoming people of all faiths, Presentation College challenges learners toward academic excellence and, in the Catholic tradition, the development of the whole person.

 

Instructor:      Dr. Brad Tennant, Associate Professor, Department of Arts & Sciences

Office Hours: C333 MWF 7:00-8:45 am; TR 7:00-11:00 am CST (or by appointment).

                        (605) 229-8577 or 1-800-437-6060 ext. 577 

E-mail:  Brad.Tennant@presentation.edu

                                   

Text:   East Asia – A New History (Fifth Edition) by Rhoads Murphey.  Pearson, Longman, 2010.
            ISBN: 9780205695225

 

Course Description:

            History of the Far East I (HS340) is a general survey of early East Asian civilizations through the nineteenth century.   HS340 fulfills the requirements for a social science/human culture core elective.

 

Instructional Techniques:

             Although the course is largely lecture-based, students are encouraged to be active learners.  Supplemental materials will be posted via Blackboard.  Please feel free to ask questions and make comments.

 

Presentation College General Education Course Goals and Outcomes for HS340:

Goals

Outcomes

1. Graduates will read with understanding and think critically.

1.a.  Read and analyze a short written work concerning a topic of interest.

1.b.  Demonstrate the critical thinking skills of comprehension, understanding, analysis, application, synthesis and evaluation that pertain to general academic disciplines.

2. Graduates will express themselves clearly, correctly, and succinctly in writing.

2.d. Compose a research-based essay correctly using multiple resource types.

5. Graduates will develop a critical awareness of the diversity of human cultures found in the historical or contemporary world.

5.a. Analyze historical events from a multi-cultural perspective.

5.b. Articulate interrelationships of individuals, societies, and historical/cultural context.

5.c. Comprehend the diversity of perspectives among people of differing religious beliefs, backgrounds, races, genders, ages, sexual orientations, physical capabilities, and ethnicities.

5.d. Demonstrate reading and critical thinking skills in the context of the social sciences.

7. Graduates will understand and appreciate the range and/or depth of creative achievement in human thought and works, as found in the traditional humanities disciplines.

7.b.  Demonstrate competence in contextualizing creative works and ideas.

7.c. Demonstrate reading and critical thinking skills in the context of the Humanities.

9. Graduates will show proficiency in the use of technology.

9.a. Use the computer as a word processing tool.

9.b. Use the Internet as a research tool.

 

Specific Instructor Objective:

To gain a broad understanding of the people, events, and geographic regions significant to the development of early Far Eastern civilizations and the notable changes that have occurred throughout history through the 19th century.

 

ADA Statement:

            Presentation College is committed to ensuring equal learning opportunities for all students and provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities in accordance with the College’s procedures.  If you are a student requiring accommodations or services, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 1-800-437-6060, Ext. 581.

 

Assessment and Grading:

            Students should be familiar with Presentation College's policies regarding academic integrity.  These are found in the college catalog under "Academic Policies."

 

Student assessment will be based on the following:

             Four exams (50 points each)              =          200

            One paper (30 points)                         =            30

                                                                                    230 points possible

 

EXAMS will consist of five essay questions.  You will be given your choice of five questions from no fewer than eight possible choices.  Each question will be marked 0/3/5/8/10 points.  Please see the rubric below for point values.

 

The PAPER is open to any aspect of civilization as it applies to the Far East prior to the end of the 19th century.  The paper should be typed, double-spaced, and approximately five pages in length.  A bibliography should also be included.

 

Rubric for assessing history examinations and papers:

  • Advanced: Student includes accurate and specific information in the appropriate historical context with virtually no significant mistakes.
  • Above Average: Student uses relevant and accurate information but either has minor mistakes or lacks specifics.
  • Average: Student provides a general understanding of the topic but is limited in specifics or contains a significant mistake.
  • Below Average: Student demonstrates a vague or poorly developed understanding of the topic with several significant mistakes.
  • Unsatisfactory: Student does not demonstrate any accurate and specific information in the appropriate historical context.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Letter grades for the course will be assigned according to the following scale based on the highest total number of points earned by a student.

 

                                    96% and above           =          A

                                    90 - 95%                      =          A-

                                    87 - 89%                      =          B+

                                    83 - 86%                      =          B

                                    80 - 82%                      =          B-

                                    70 - 79%                      =          C

                                    60 - 69%                      =          D

                                    59% and below           =          Failing

 

Attendance:

            As stated in the Presentation College catalog, "Each student is expected to attend every class session and be on time.  If for any reason a student must be absent from class, the responsibility of making up work rests entirely upon the student."

--- Topics covered will include a great deal of information NOT necessarily found in the text.

--- Students are expected to contact the instructor AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if an absence will result in missing any graded work.  I do not give "incompletes."

--- Students should take exams ahead of time if they know they will be absent.

--- All weather-related closings are the decision of the administration.  Local radio and television stations will announce these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HISTORY OF THE FAR EAST I (HS340)

THREE SEMESTER HOURS

FALL 2010

 

 

Sept. 1/3                      -           Course Introduction;  Ch. 1 “East Asia: Common Ground and
                         Regional Differences”

 

Sept. 6/8/10                 -           Sept. 6th  – No Class (Labor Day); Sept. 10th – No Class
                        (SDSHS BOT); Ch. 2 “Prehistory, Beginnings in China, and the
                        Shang Dynasty”

 

Sept. 13/15/17             -           Chapter 3 “The Zhou: Its Decline and the Age of the Philosophers”

 

Sept. 20/22/24             -           Test #1; Sept. 24th – No Class (West River History Conference)

 

Sept. 27/29/1               -           Chapter 5 “Buddhism and the Cosmopolitan Tang Dynasty”

 

Oct. 4/6/8                    -           Chapter 7 “New Imperial Splendor in China: The Ming Dynasty”

 

Oct. 11/13/15              -           Oct. 11th  – NO CLASS (Native American Day – Fall Break); 
            Chapter 8 “The Qing in Prosperity and Decline”

 

Oct. 18/20/22              -           Test #2;  Chapter 9 “Early Korea”

 

Oct. 25/27/29              -           Chapter 10 “Premodern Vietnam”

 

Nov. 1/3/5                   -           Chapter 11 – “Beginnings in Japan: Patterns and Origins”

 

Nov. 8/10/12               -           Chapter 12 “Warriors, Monks, and Conflict: Medieval Japan”

 

Nov. 15/17/19             -           Test #3; Chapter 13 “The West Arrives in Asia”

 

Nov. 22/24/26             -           Paper Due ; Nov. 26th – No Class (Thanksgiving Break)

 

Nov. 29/1/3                 -           Chapter 15 “China’s Nineteenth-Century Crises”

 

Dec. 6/8/10                  -           Dec. 10th – No Class (SDSHS BOT)

 

Dec. 13-16 (MTWR)   -           Finals Week/Test #4 TBA