Reading Quizzes (10%)
Weekly quizzes (x 8) to be completed on Canvas by the end (23:59) of Mondays. The multiple-choice quizzes (the first one is due on January 22 for the readings listed under Week 3) are not meant to be onerous but are intended to encourage students to review the assigned materials before our weekly meetings. Collaboration is not permitted, and late submissions are not accepted. But students are allowed to miss one week.
Discussion Posts (15%)
One post (150–200 words) per week (x 8). To be submitted through Canvas by the end (23:59) of Mondays in anticipation of our weekly sessions. For each post, please:
- provide at the top two quotations (each as short as a sentence or as long as a passage) from the weekly primary source(s) that are especially pertinent to the focus question of the week (these will not count towards your word limit, but please be mindful not to quote from the editor/translator’s introduction);
- explain how the quotations (to be selected from two different sources, if applicable), together or separately, could help answer the focus question of the week.
The key to this short exercise is to pay attention to who the speakers of the quotations were and to what extent the speakers’ views were representative.
Your first post is due on January 22 for the primary sources listed under Week 3. Whenever possible, please provide page references for the quotations selected—e.g., (“Memorial to the Emperor Renzong,” p. 614), (Yuan Cai, p. 180). Late submissions will not be accepted, but you are allowed to miss a week. You are encouraged to read—and respond to—each other’s posts, but you are not permitted to edit your original posts once they have been submitted.
Attendance/Participation (10%)
Students are expected to attend all weekly sessions (especially since we meet only once a week) and take an active part in class discussion. But please see Support if you have to miss a class.
| Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Did all the required readings, attended every session, raised and discussed issues; fully engaged with the class. | Did most of the readings, came to nearly every session, raised and discussed issues most of the time; engaged with the class. | Did some of the readings, came to most of the sessions, remained interested but hardly ever spoke. | I came, I heard, but I didn’t really participate in the proceedings. |
Short Reflection Essays (15%)
Students are asked to select two units (Week 3 through Week 12) for which they would like to submit short reflection essays. These short essays (about 600 words each) are due by the end of the Friday following the session for the topic in question. For example, the deadline for submission for a reflection essay for Week 4 (“Society in Transition”) is Friday, February 2.
For each short essay, you should:
- Reflect on the context as well as limitation of the primary source(s) in question (for this purpose, please review “How to Read a Document“);
- Consider the utility of the primary source(s): please identify and discuss three quotations/examples from the primary source(s) and explain how they may be used to answer the focus question of the week;
- Take into consideration the secondary source of the week and provide an example of how the primary source(s) may be used to confirm or challenge a particular argument or claim found in the secondary source;
- Whenever possible, provide in-text citations for all quotations and examples cited or discussed.
| Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Context | Context and limitation of the primary source(s) are particularly well explained. | Context and limitation of the primary source(s) are generally clearly explained. | Context and limitation of the primary source(s) are not clearly explained. | Context and limitation of the primary source(s) remain unclear. |
| Utility | Utility of the primary source(s) is particularly well explained. | Utility of the primary source(s) is generally clearly explained. | Utility of the primary source(s) is not clearly explained. | Utility of the primary source(s) remains unclear. |
| Connection | Connection between the primary and secondary sources is particularly well explained. | Connection between the primary and secondary sources is generally clearly explained. | Connection between the primary and secondary sources is not clearly explained. | Connection between the primary and secondary sources remains unclear. |
| Clarity | Ideas are organized and presented with clarity. | Ideas are generally well organized and presented. | Ideas are not well organized or presented. | Ideas lack clarity. |
Please submit your reflection essays through Turnitin (late policy: 4 points/day late). Students are allowed to submit up to a total of 3 essays, of which the top two scores will be used.
Midterm Checkup (10%)
Individual meeting (~20 mins.) to be scheduled for the Week of February 12.
Book Review (5+15=20%)
About 1,500 words. Due by the end of March 31 (through Turnitin; late policy: 4 points/day late). Write a review of two scholarly books on a topic relevant to this course.
- Step 1: Identify five keywords based on a topic of your own interest (for example, “China,” “Ming dynasty,” “porcelain,” “technology,” “trade”). Search the following catalogs for secondary scholarship using a combination of your keywords. Identify five of the most authoritative books and locate them. Create a bibliography using one of the standard citation formats. A bibliography/proposal (5%; see further instructions) is due on March 1.
- Step 2: Select two books from your list (one of which could be written in a language other than English) and submit a review by March 31. Further instructions to follow.
Final Take-home Exercise (20%)
Due by the end of April 22 (late policy: 4 points/day late). The final exercise will take into account the full breadth of materials covered in the course. Details to follow.
Research Project (40%; optional)
(in lieu of book review and final take-home exercise)
About 3,500 words. Due by the end of April 22 (late policy: 4 points/day late). Topic to be decided in consultation with the instructor. Students interested in this option must submit a proposal by February 16.