Sources
Hansen, The Open Empire, chapters 4-7.
Watson, The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry, chapters 7-9.
Jacques Gernet. Daily Life in China, on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276
Assignment
For each paper, pick one of the suggested topics and write a short (800-1200 words) essay applying that theme to the relevant readings. You may take any position you feel justified, as long as you have good documentary support for your position. You will need to focus the question somewhat to keep it under 1200 words, either by applying the question specifically to the most relevant/striking texts or by posing a narrower version of the question. Papers will be graded primarily on how effectively they use historical and literary) evidence and knowledge to support your conclusions. However, standard writing forms and conventions are appreciated.
Topics
- Would it be fair to call Tang-era China a “Buddhist society?” Why, or why not?
- Looking at the family and social relations of urban Song society (aka Gernet), does it adhere to an ideal of “Confucian society?”
- Pick a poet from the Watson collection — Wang Wei, Li Po (Li Bai), Tu Fu (Du Fu), Han Yü, Po Chü-i — and discuss the degree to which they are using their poetry for political or social criticism.
- Pick a chapter from the Watson collection and use the evidence provided by the poems to describe the role of women in Chinese society at that time. Pay attention to issues of social class as well as gender.
- Consider the depiction of government in Gernet: How much (and how) does it affect the lives of most urban Chinese?
- Is Buddhism more an agent of change or a symptom of change?
- Aside from the dynastic leadership, what are the most important changes in China between the Tang and Song eras?
Guidance
- I am expecting a real essay, with introductions, thesis, paragraphs, conclusions, etc.
- Clarity is crucial; structure is essential to a clear and effective argument.
- These questions can be answered more than adequately with reference to assigned readings and lectures. You are welcome to do more research and include outside sources, but you must be sure that they are relevant and of sufficient quality to enhance your argument. Using outside sources instead of relevant course materials will be penalized.
- The grade will be based primarily on the quality of the historical arguments that you make: thesis, the use of evidence, the attention to context. You don’t need to summarize the sources — this is too short of a paper for that — but you do need to give the reader a clear idea of what you’re talking about. Secondary to the quality of your analysis is the clarity of the presentation: how easy is it for the reader to follow your line of argument and be persuaded by your evidence?
Specifics
- Length: 800-1200 words. If you use standard double-spaced pages, that’s 3-5 pages.
- No Title Page. Include your name, the course, and the assignment at the top. You may also include a title for your essay.
- Double-spacing is not required. Reasonable font, however, is: something standard and readable and a nice size. Normal margins are also a must: 1-1.5 inches.
- Don’t try to make the paper look longer or shorter by playing with font and margins.
- Spellcheck and grammarcheck your work. Don’t assume the computer is right, however: read it over yourself (reading out loud often helps). I don’t take off points for grammatical or spelling errors unless they are so numerous as to distract from the message of the paper. That doesn’t mean that I enjoy reading papers with errors, or that I won’t mark them when I notice them.
Plagiarism and citations
Plagiarism is the use of the words or ideas of another without proper attribution and will not be tolerated. For details see the plagiarism page on the website, or ask. If you cite material from course texts, you only need to note author and page number; for outside sources you must include bibliographic information, either in a note or in a works cited section. You shouldn’t need outside sources to answer these questions, however.
Don’t forget: there are three essays due 4/9
