Northern Arizona University                                                            College of Arts and Letters

Department of History                                                                                               Spring 2016

 

HISTORY 251: MAKING OF MODERN ASIA

 

Instructor: SANJAY JOSHI                                         Meetings: Tu-Th 9:35 -10:50 am, LA 204                                                   

Office: LA 206                                                                                                      Phone: 523-6216

Office Hours: Tu-Thu 11:00 to 12:00 noon                                   E-mail: Sanjay.Joshi@nau.edu

and by appointment

Course Web page: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/makingmodernasia.html

 

A Liberal Studies Course in the Social and Political Worlds Block.  Also fulfills NAU’s Global Diversity Requirement.  Do check NAU’s Policy Statements at: http://www4.nau.edu/avpaa/policy1.html

 

A COPY OF THIS SYLLABUS CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON THE COURSE WEB PAGE

 

Course Description

This course examines transformations in the lives of people, economies, and governments in Asia from the 18th century to the mid-20th century.  We use China, India, and Japan as case studies to understand how they were, in different ways, brought in contact with, and then subordinated to the interests of more powerful Western powers.  We examine the transformations in the political economy of these three areas of Asia as a result of their interaction with Western colonialism, and the different strategies they adopted to overcome and/or adapt to the changes they confronted.  We seek to understand how and why the three polities saw such different outcomes by the middle of the 20th century.  The aim of the course is not so much a mastery of the histories of three different nation-states, but rather to understand the connections (expressed through similarity and differences) which went into the making of modern Asia until the middle of the twentieth century. 

 

Course Structure/Approach

The format of the course consists of lectures and formal and informal discussions.  Students are encouraged to raise questions and make comments throughout the course.

 

Required Books

Ranbir Vohra.  China's Path to Modernization.  Third Edition.  Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.

 

Amitav Ghosh. River of Smoke [a novel]  New York: Picador, 2012.

 

Kenneth B. Pyle.  The Making of Modern Japan.  Second Edition.  Lexington, Mass., Toronto: D. C. Heath and Company, 1996.

 

Barbara and Thomas Metcalf. Concise History of Modern India.  Second Edition.  Cambridge, 2006. Available at  http://www.apnaorg.com/books/english/concise-history-india/concise-history-india.pdf

 

IN ADDITION, other sections of books, journal articles, short stories, films or videos will be used for this course, and will be made available electronically either through the course webpage or BBLearn, as appropriate.

 

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will not only be familiar with the broad contours of the political, social, and cultural history of Asia from ca. 1750 to ca. 1945, but also be able to do the following:

a.  Critically read and interpret histories of India, China, and Japan and make arguments about the connections between these histories.

b.  Combine evidence from a variety of historical sources to get a sense of life in the times and places they are reading about.

c.  Be able to present a cogent argument well supported by evidence in exams, written discussion notes, in discussion groups, and the paper.

 

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course:

I.                   Students will have learned, through reading, attending and taking notes at lectures, and participating in discussions, a general and thematic framework for analyzing and interpreting the historical experience of the people of India, China and Japan from the 18th to the 20th century and the broad contours of the empirical historical data on and related to that experience

II.                Through the exams, students will demonstrate their knowledge of the basic historical data and the fundamental interpretive ideas that they have learned from the reading and from lectures that pertain to specific thematic topics in the historical experience of India, China and Japan in the period covered by the course

III.             Through the discussions, students will demonstrate competency in reading texts and examining ideas critically, interpreting different arguments and perspectives on Indian, Chinese and Japanese history and evaluating the merits of these historical and/or historiographical arguments

IV.             Through the term paper exercise, students will learn to synthesize evidence from a variety of sources and genres of sources to present interpretive portrayals of life experiences of the people of India, China and Japan in the historical context of the period covered by this course

V.                In writing papers, conducting research, preparing discussion notes and participation in discussions, students will present cogent arguments, listen and respond to other people’s arguments, support viewpoints by evidence, and critique as well as defend their own as well as other people’s points of view

 

Assessment of Outcomes

The course uses primarily three types of instruments to assess your achievement of the learning objectives listed above: two examinations (25% of the total points for the course, each), one medium-length paper  (25% of the total course grade), and the notes you prepare to participate in class discussions (20%).  Five percent of your course grade will be evaluated on the basis of your attendance and participation in the class and discussion groups.  The examinations may consist of short answer, essay, and map questions to test your grasp of factual details and interpretive insights into modern Asian history.  The paper is designed to test your ability to read critically and think creatively about the material on modern Asian history, and to be able to present it effectively in appropriate prose.  The discussion notes are a test of your ability to think creatively and critically about the subject, and to present your own arguments on a subject well supported by data. 

 

Assignments and Exams

I.  Term Paper: You will write one 5 to 8 page analytical paper for this course.  The paper will be assigned on March 22 and is due on April 26.

II. Mid-Term and Final Exams: There will be one final and one mid-term exam.  The exams may have an essay component, as well as other sections including short-answer or map-based questions.

III. Scheduled Discussions: TWO formal discussions have been scheduled as part of this course.  The class will be divided into small groups to facilitate discussion. You will be given specific questions or topics around which to frame the discussions a few days in advance of the discussion day.  On the day of the discussion you need to come prepared with TWO copies of your notes on the discussion topics.  You will hand one copy of that to me, and use the other to participate in the discussion.

IV. Class Participation: My subjective assessment of your attendance and participation in class activities (including the discussions) will count toward 5 points of the total course grade.

Grading System

            Grades for the course will be determined according to the following criteria:

                        Term Paper                                                                             25%

                        Final Exam                                                                            25%

                        Mid-Term Exam                                                                     25%

                        Written Discussion Notes 10 % each                                     20%

                        Class Attendance & Participation                                          05%

                                    TOTAL FOR COURSE                                             100%

            The grading scale for the course will be as follows: 

            90%+ = A; 80 - 89%= B; 70-79%= C; 60-69%= D; below 60%= F.

EVALUATION

The grading scale for the course will be as follows: 

90+ = A; 80 - 89= B; 70-79= C; 60-69= D; below 60= F.

 

Course Policies

ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE IN CLASS

PLEASE NOTE: I do not give extensions, incompletes, or make-up exams, except in cases allowed for by University Policy.

Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any of the assignments, and will result in failing the course.  Please consult the section on “Academic Integrity” in the NAU Policy Statements appended to this syllabus for further details.  IT IS THE STUDENTS' RESPONSIBILITY TO FAMILIARIZE HERSELF/HIMSELF WITH THESE MATTERS AS DEFINED BY THE UNIVERSITY.

 

Attendance and Punctuality

Regular attendance is even more crucial than usual for all courses.  Absences will be excused either based on medical documentation, or in cases allowed for by University policies.  In rare cases, I will excuse absences for personal reasons, but these need to be discussed and approved by me, ideally in advance.   I will allow for TWO unexcused absences over the semester.  Beyond that you start losing participation points.  More than FIVE unexcused absences over the semester will AUTOMATICALLY result in a failing grade, regardless of your performance in assignments.   If you think your University-related activities, such as field trips, debates, athletic competitions or training might mean you will miss more than three classes during this semester, my advice would be not to take the course.

 

Whatever your reasons for arriving late or missing a class, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to arrange to contact a classmate and find out what happened in that class.  I encourage you to form small “study groups” or at least make a “class buddy” whom you can contact for information about classes missed, study with for the exams, and discuss the proceedings of the class. 

 

In General

I expect you to come to class having done all the required reading and prepared to engage in discussion.  I also expect you to be motivated to learn about the subject and to improve your skills as a historian.  I will do my best to help you understand more about the subject.  What you make of this course however, is ultimately entirely up to you.

 

PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE (all dates, readings and assignments subject to change. Depending on how we progress, I reserve the right to change the schedule or even the assigned readings and assignments for this course)

 

Introduction

January 19                             Introduction to the Course.

 

PART I: IMPERIALISM and COLONIALISM IN ASIA

January 21-28                        India: Emergence and Consolidation of British Power

Readings:                               Metcalf and Metcalf, Concise History of Modern India.  Available at  http://www.apnaorg.com/books/english/concise-history-india/concise-history-india.pdf pp. 29-91.

Tentative Schedule:               Jan. 21: pp. 29-55 (chapter 2).  And screening of “Freedom” from The Story of India 

                                                Jan. 26: pp. 56-81.

                                                Jan. 28: pp. 81-91.

I would strongly encourage you to start reading Amitav Ghosh, River of Smoke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_of_Smoke has a useful summary of the book

 

February 2-9                          China: Traditional Chinese Society, Manchus and Western pressure

Readings:                               Vohra, chapters 1, 2, 3.

Tentative Schedule:               Feb 2: Chapter One.

                                                Feb. 4: Chapter Two.

                                                Feb. 9: Chapter Three.

 

February 11-16                      Connections between India and China: Opium Trade

Readings:                               Amitav Ghosh, River of Smoke. 

Assignment                            Discussion # 1 Questions Assigned (February 11)

 

February 18                           DISCUSSION ONE

 

February 23-March 1           Japan: The Tokugawa Shogunate and its downfall

Readings:                               Pyle, pp.  1-74.

Tentative Schedule:               Feb. 23: pp. 1-27 (ch. 1-2).

                                                Feb. 25: pp. 29-54 (ch. 3-4).

                                                March 1: pp. 57-74 (ch.5).

Assignment                            Mid Term Study Guide Assigned. (March 1)

 

March 3                                  Comparative Colonial Experiences and Early Responses

Readings:                               Revise Metcalf and Metcalf, Vohra, Pyle, and Ghosh.

 

March 8                                  MID TERM EXAMINATION

March 15-17                          SPRING BREAK

 

PART II:  COLONIALISM, REFORM, AND NATIONALISM (Please keep in mind that the reading schedule, and the overall pace of the course becomes more challenging than in part I, and remains so till the end of the semester)

March 22-24                          Colonialism and Early Response in India

Readings:                               Metcalf and Metcalf, pp. 92-166.

Tentative Schedule:               March 22: pp. 92-120.

                                                March 24: SKIM pp. 120-122 and READ pp. 123-166.

Assignment                            Term Paper Assigned March 22 (DUE April 26 in class)

 

March 29-31                          Nationalist Revolutions in China.

Readings:                               Vohra, chapters 4, 5, and 6.

Schedule                                 TBA.

Assignment                            Discussion # 2 Questions Assigned March 29

 

April 5-7                                 Meiji Nationalism in Japan. 

Readings:                               Pyle, chapters 6, 7, 8.

Schedule                                 TBA.

                                               

April 12                                  Discussion #2                        

 

PART III:   Asia in the Modern World: Revolutions and Empires

April 14-19                             India: Toward Independence.

Readings:                               Metcalf and Metcalf, pp. 167-230.

Tentative Schedule:               April 18: pp. 166-202.

                                                April 28: pp. 203-230.

No Class on April 21st as I will be out of town.

April 26-28                             Japan: Toward Authoritarianism and Imperialism.

Readings:                               Pyle, chapters 9, 10,11.

Tentative Schedule                TBA.

Assignment                            APRIL 26: TERM PAPER DUE IN CLASS!

                                                Study Guide for Final Assigned in Class

 

May 3                         China: Toward Socialist Revolution.

Readings:                               Vohra, chapter 7.

 

May 5                                     Discussion of course and End of Term Review.

TUESDAY MAY 10th           7:30-9:30 AM   FINAL EXAM

 

LIBERAL STUDIES REQUIREMENTS    

 

Liberal Studies Mission

This course reflects and supports the mission of NAU’s Liberal Studies program by providing students with a learning experience in which they will:

·         Gain a deeper understanding of the world’s peoples and their diversity

·         Learn and analyze the traditions and legacies that have given rise to dynamics that have shaped human social, political and cultural experiences in certain parts of the world

·         Learn from the past to develop an ethos of living responsibly, productively and creatively as citizens of a changing and globalizing world

 

HIS 251 fulfills the Social and Political Worlds block and supports the intent of the block by:


1.                   Engaging students in the study of political and social conditions in Asia from the 18th to the 20th century

2.                   Engage students in reflecting on, analyzing and evaluating the interaction of peoples in a political and social context and to relate the social and political experience of Asian communities as large as nations and as small as regional social organisms to macro-political and macrosocial developments on a world scale

3.                   Enhancing students’ understanding of theories and histories of social and community organization, political mobilization and participation, social mobility, education, labor, race, gender, class and cultural diversity

 

Essential Skill: Critical Thinking.  HIS 251 will foster students’ skills in Critical Thinking. The history of modern Asia challenges us to think critically about the historical precedents and formative factors of “the modern world” in different parts of the world and among different peoples and their societies; in other words, in historical, social and cultural contexts that are different in many ways from that with which we are – or assume we are – familiar, while similar and comparable in other manners. Central to the purpose of this course is to engage students in critical reflection and appreciation of these differences as well as the similarities and comparability between these separate parts of the human world, and to do so within a historical framework of understanding. This course is a tool for the students for developing explanatory, critical, analytical and interpretive thinking that is crucial to successful historical scholarship.

 

NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY  POLICY STATEMENTS

 

NAU’s Safe Working and Learning Environment Policy prohibits sexual harassment and assault, and discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status by anyone at this university. Retaliation of any kind as a result of making a complaint under the policy or participating in an investigation is also prohibited. The Director of the Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity (AA/EO) serves as the university’s compliance officer for affirmative action, civil rights, and Title IX, and is the ADA/504 Coordinator. AA/EO also assists with religious accommodations. You may obtain a copy of this policy from the college dean’s office or from the NAU’s Affirmative Action website nau.edu/diversity/. If you have questions or concerns about this policy, it is important that you contact the departmental chair, dean’s office, the Office of Student Life (928-523-5181), or NAU’s Office of Affirmative Action (928) 523- 3312 (voice), (928) 523-9977 (fax), (928) 523-1006 (TTD) or aaeo@nau.edu.

 

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:  If you have a documented disability, you can arrange for accommodations by contacting Disability Resources (DR) at 523-8773 (voice) or 523-6906 (TTY), dr@nau.edu (e-mail) or 928-523-8747 (fax). Students needing academic accommodations are required to register with DR and provide required disability related documentation. Although you may request an accommodation at any time, in order for DR to best meet your individual needs, you are urged to register and submit necessary documentation (www.nau.edu/dr) 8 weeks prior to the time you wish to receive accommodations. DR is strongly committed to the needs of student with disabilities and the promotion of Universal Design. Concerns or questions related to the accessibility of programs and facilities at NAU may be brought to the attention of DR or the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (523-3312).

 

ACADEMIC CONTACT HOUR POLICY:  Based on the Arizona Board of Regents Academic Contact Hour Policy (ABOR Handbook, 2-224), for every unit of credit, a student should expect, on average, to do a minimum of three hours of work per week, including but not limited to class time, preparation, homework, studying.

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY : Integrity is expected of every member of the NAU community in all academic undertakings. Integrity entails a firm adherence to a set of values, and the values most essential to an academic community are grounded in honesty with respect to all intellectual efforts of oneself and others. Academic integrity is expected not only in formal coursework situations, but in all University relationships and interactions connected to the educational process, including the use of University resources. An NAU student’s submission of work is an implicit declaration that the work is the student’s own. All outside assistance should be acknowledged, and the student’s academic contribution truthfully reported at all times. In addition, NAU students have a right to expect academic integrity from each of their peers. Individual students and faculty members are responsible for identifying potential violations of the university’s academic integrity policy. Instances of potential violations are adjudicated using the process found in the university Academic Integrity Policy.

 

RESEARCH INTEGRITY:  The Responsible Conduct of Research policy is intended to ensure that NAU personnel including NAU students engaged in research are adequately trained in the basic principles of ethics in research. Additionally, this policy assists NAU in meeting the RCR training and compliance requirements of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-The America COMPETES Act (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science); 42 U.S.C 18620-1, Section 7009, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy on the instruction of the RCR (NOT-OD-10-019; “Update on the Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research”). For more information on the policy and the training activities required for personnel and students conducting research, at NAU, visit: http://nau.edu/Research/Compliance/Research-Integrity/

 

SENSITIVE COURSE MATERIALS:  University education aims to expand student understanding and awareness. Thus, it necessarily involves engagement with a wide range of information, ideas, and creative representations. In the course of college studies, students can expect to encounter—and critically appraise—materials that may differ from and perhaps challenge familiar understandings, ideas, and beliefs. Students are encouraged to discuss these matters with faculty.

 

CLASSROOM DISRUPTION POLICY : Membership in the academic community places a special obligation on all participants to preserve an atmosphere conducive to a safe and positive learning environment. Part of that obligation implies the responsibility of each member of the NAU community to maintain an environment in which the behavior of any individual is not disruptive. Instructors have the authority and the responsibility to manage their classes in accordance with University regulations. Instructors have the right and obligation to confront disruptive behavior thereby promoting and enforcing standards of behavior necessary for maintaining an atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning. Instructors are responsible for establishing, communicating, and enforcing reasonable expectations and rules of classroom behavior. These expectations are to be communicated to students in the syllabus and in class discussions and activities at the outset of the course. Each student is responsible for behaving in a manner that supports a positive learning environment and that does not interrupt nor disrupt the delivery of education by instructors or receipt of education by students, within or outside a class. The complete classroom disruption policy is in Appendices of NAU’s Student Handbook.