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 19 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. But please see Support if you have to miss a class.
Reading Quizzes (10%)
Weekly in-class quizzes (x 8) to be completed on Canvas. The multiple-choice quizzes are not meant to be onerous but are intended to encourage students to review the assigned materials before our weekly meetings.
Short Reflection Essays (20%)
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 limitations 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 one 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.
Please submit your reflection essays through Turnitin (late policy: 4 points/day late). Students are allowed to submit up to a total of three essays, of which the top two scores will be used.
Mid-term Conversation (10%)
Individual meeting (about 20–30 minutes) to be scheduled during the week of February 24. Further information to be provided.
Museum Assignment (10%)
About 500 words. Due at noon on March 23 (through Turnitin; 4 points deducted for each day late). Students are asked to visit the China collection at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology (or—virtually—the Metropolitan Museum of Art) and write a short piece juxtaposing one of the objects on display with one they have encountered in this course. Be sure to include images of the objects discussed.
Final Take-home Exercise (25%)
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 (35%; optional)
(in lieu of the museum assignment and final take-home exercise)
Due by the end of April 22 (late policy: 4 points/day late). Topic/format to be decided in consultation with the instructor. Students interested in this option should seek approval from the instructor by January 30.