Reading Quizzes (8×1.5=12%)
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 September 25 for the readings listed under Week 4) are not meant to be onerous but are intended to encourage students to review the assigned materials before the weekly meetings. Collaboration is not permitted, and late submissions are not accepted. But students are allowed to miss one week.
Discussion Posts (8×1.5=12%)
One post (100–150 words) per week (x 8) to be submitted through Canvas by the end of Mondays in anticipation of the weekly sessions. For each post, please:
- provide at the top one quotation (as short as a sentence and as long as a passage) from the weekly primary source(s) that seems to be especially pertinent to the focus question of the week (this will not count towards your word limits, but please be mindful not to quote from the translator’s introduction);
- explain how this quotation may be used to answer the focus question of the week.
The key to this short exercise is to clearly identify who the speaker of the quotation was and why we should pay attention to the speaker’s view.
Your first post is due on September 25 for the primary source (marked with [P]) listed under Week 4. Whenever possible (not possible for Week 4), please provide a page reference for the quotation selected—e.g., (Fei Hsin, p. 28). Late submissions will not be accepted, but again you are allowed to miss one 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 and participate in our weekly sessions. But please see Support if you need to miss a class.
Short Reflection Essays (2×8=16%)
Students are asked to select any two units (from Week 4 through Week 14) for which they would like to submit short reflection essays. At least one essay must be handed in before the mid-term checkup. These short essays (around 500 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 5 (“The Great Ming”) is Friday, October 6.
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 two 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 found in the secondary source (here you would need to first identify a relevant argument in the secondary source and then explain how a particular passage in the primary source[s] either confirms or challenges that argument);
- Whenever possible, provide in-text citations for all quotations and examples cited or discussed—e.g., (Waley-Cohen, p. 55), (Li Zhizao, p. 145), etc.
| 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 deducted for each day late). Students are allowed to submit up to a total of 3 essays, of which the top two scores will be used.
Mid-term Checkup (10%)
Individual meeting with the instructor (15–20 mins.) to be scheduled for the week of October 23. Details to follow.
Virtual Exhibition (5+15=20%)
Due by the end of November 17 (through Turnitin; 4 points/day late). You are an apprentice curator at the British Museum, and you have been tasked to create a mini virtual exhibition for one of the units (Week 4 through Week 14) for this course. You are expected to select at least three objects from the online collection of the British Museum, and you should compose a short exhibition essay (750–900 words) explaining how the chosen objects could help answer one of the weekly focus questions. Draft (5%) due by the end of October 22 October 29. See further instructions.
Final Essay/Project (20%)
Due by the end (23:59) of December 18. The final essay/project will take into account the full breadth of materials covered in the course. Details to follow.