History 150A History of Ancient Japan
Writing Assignments
Format Guidelines:
Each assignment should be no more than one page.
Each assignment must be typed and proofread.
Turn in at the beginning of section.
Provide a hard (paper) copy, no e-mail submissions.
Keep one copy for yourself.
The Topics:
Many of the topics below are structured as a choice between supporting or contesting a given statement. These arguments are meant to offer an entry point into, not represent the final conclusion of, discussion. The statement subject to debate is just as likely NOT to be as it is to be my (the teacher's) own position. Cases can generally be made for both sides.
You may work in pairs for the topics in the "for/against" format. You may divide up your duties with your partner however you wish, but brainstorming together on both lists will probably give you the best grasp of the materials.
The following exercises are generally in outline form to help you focus on argument construction, a skill to be employed in the midterm and final exam essays.
1. Reconstructing Japanese Prehistory (Due week of October 2)
Option 1: AMINO Yoshihiko argues that histories of Japan that treat the archipelago as isolated are woefully inadequate. List three examples from "The Maritime View of the Japanese Archipelago" that AMINO uses to support his position. Use full sentences to describe your examples and provide references to specific page numbers.
Option 2: List in sentence form three things you can surmise about early relations between the Asian continent and the Japanese Archipelago based on "Accounts of the Eastern Barbarians." Provide references to specific passages to support your statements, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
2. The Emergence of Yamato Hegemony (Due week of October 9)
List in sentence form three things you can surmise about early Japanese society, particularly but not only regarding claims to power, based on the Manyôshû poems and/or the selections from the Nihongi excerpted in the Smits textbook. Provide references to specific passages to support your statements, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
3. Building a State (Due week of October 16)
Option 1: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: The Ritsuryô state was a religious state. Provide examples from the readings to develop your argument, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
Option 2: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. What was it about Buddhism that early advocates such as KUKAI argued made it something that should be adopted in Japan? Provide references to specific passages in the primary readings to support your statements, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
4. Heian Court Life (Due week of October 23)
Option 1: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: Class distinctions were inflexible in Heian Society. Provide examples from the Tale of Genji to develop your argument, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
Option 2: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: It was terrible to be an elite woman in Heian Society. Provide examples from the readings to develop your argument, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
5. Rise of the Warrior Elites (Due week of October 30)
Option 1: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: Warriors and aristocrats constituted two different and opposed social classes at the end of the Heian Period. Provide examples from the readings, including the Tale of Heike, to develop your argument, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
Option 2: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: Being a warrior and being a Buddhist were seen as opposed during the medieval period. Provide examples from the Tale of Heike to develop your argument, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
6. On the Margins (Due week of November 13)
Option 1: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: The peoples who lived and worked on the margins acted in opposition to the powers at the center. Provide examples from the readings in support, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
Option 2: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: The new Kamakura religions became popular among commoners because they were so easy to understand and practice. Provide examples from the readings in support, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
Muromachi
Option 1: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: Noh and Kyôgen plays are opposites in their artistic spirit. Provide examples from the primary readings in support, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
Option 2: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following: Argue for or against the statement: Zen Buddhism was during the medieval period a religious philosophy about acceptance and tolerance. Provide examples from the primary readings in support, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
8. Warring States (Due week of November 20)
Option 1: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: Loyalty was the most important virtue for a warrior during the Warring States period. Provide examples from the primary readings in support, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
Option 2: Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. What was the "spirit" of the Japanese tea ceremony during the Warring States Period? Provide examples from the primary readings in support, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
8. The Tokugawa System (Due week of November 27)
Compose a sentence outline for a paper (that you will not write) on the following. Argue for or against the statement: Obedience was the most important virtue for everyone during the Tokugawa period. Provide examples from the primary readings in support, and be prepared to defend your position in section.
