Course syllabus

Photo by Ellen Nakamura, 2014.

This course is taught concurrently with History 342, and students share a lecture time.  However, History 242 differs from History 342 in that students have separate tutorials, fewer and/or shorter tutorial readings, and different assessment.

 

Overview

Early modern Japan was a dynamic era of great peace, when the Shoguns of the Tokugawa family ruled from their towering castle in Edo, great military lords swept up and down the highways in spectacular processions, and the residents of its cities came to enjoy a flourishing urban popular culture. This course explores the voices and lives of Edo Japanese through the reading of primary sources in translation and a selection of secondary readings. We will take a generally chronological approach, but the course is also divided into three thematic parts: a general overview of the political situation in the early modern era, an examination of representative aspects of Tokugawa society and culture, and finally an exploration of the rising tensions that were a precursor to major social change in the nineteenth century. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 will be briefly introduced, but will not be the major focus of study. Knowledge of the Japanese language is not required for this course. You will, however, benefit from engaging with a number of important Japanese names and terms in their Romanised forms. There is a glossary of terms provided in the text book.

 

Class Format and Expectations

The course consists of two lectures and one group discussion tutorial per week, and a programme of reading and assignments which you are expected to complete in your own time. You need to engage with all elements of the course in order to complete it successfully. You are expected to devote around 10 hours per week to this course (including class times). Lecture notes will be uploaded to Canvas prior to each lecture. You should add your own notes to these. You are expected to show common courtesy towards your lecturer and fellow students. This means attending/leaving class on time, not talking privately/ sleeping/ eating/ texting/browsing the web during classes and turning off your mobile phone. Teaching staff are here to help you. You are welcome to contact the teaching staff by email and phone, but please identify yourself when you do so. Please be sure to read your university email regularly, as important messages about the course are sometimes sent via email. 

Objectives

By the end of this course, you are expected to gain:

• A good general knowledge of the institutions, policies, major figures and periods that shaped early modern Japan
• An understanding of the main social, cultural and economic forces and tensions operating during this period and how they played out in the lives of Japanese people
• A growing ability to read, engage with and interpret primary sources from the period in English translation
• The ability to find and interpret various secondary sources (in English) in the field of early modern Japanese studies
• A growing ability to engage critically with historical topics in the field and to present ideas coherently orally and in writing.

 

Lecturer and Tutor: (Dr) Ellen Nakamura, Asian Studies and History, Faculty of Arts

Room 423 Arts 2 Building Phone x87518; Email: e.nakamura@auckland.ac.nz

Office Hours: Thursdays 12-1 and Fridays 1.30-2.30, or by appointment.

 

Lectures: Wednesdays 2-3 and Fridays 3-4. Please check SSO for the location.

Discussion tutorials: Please enrol in one on SSO.

 

Course Requirements (Assessment)

Tutorial assignment  20%

Class participation and leadership assignments 10% (2x 5% each)

Essay 30%

Compulsory Final Exam (two hours) 40%

 

Course Text

Vaporis, Constantine Nomikos, Voices of Early Modern Japan : Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life During the Age of the Shoguns, Santa Barbara, Calif., 2012.

Please ensure that you have access to the textbook both inside and outside the classroom. Paperback copies are available from the UBS bookshop for purchase and can also be purchased online. You can also access the E-book from the library, and in hard copy in the Short Loan Collection. The essential readings for each week are laid in the tutorial schedule on Canvas. An extended list of other recommended readings and resources is also available on the TALIS list for this course. The text book also includes a substantial bibliography. Please make use of these lists when preparing your essays and assignments.

Discussion tutorial classes

Tutorials begin in the second week and are based around discussion of the required readings in small groups and as a whole class. Required readings include sections of the textbook as well as other readings. You can view the required readings for each week by clicking on the readings in each module in Canvas. You are expected to prepare for every discussion class. You should also sign up for two tutorials in the semester for which you would like to be formally assessed. For these assessments you should take a role in leading the group discussion and reporting back to the larger group. Detailed assessment criteria are available under the assignment pages on Canvas. Please note that in order to be eligible for these participation marks you need to attend a minimum of 8 out of 11 tutorials.

 

Lecture Program

PART ONE: THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

Week 1:

Wednesday 26 July: Introduction: Visions of Early Modern Japan

Friday 28 July: The Background: From Warring States to Federalism

Week 2:

Wednesday 2 August: The Bakuhan System

Friday 4 August: The Bakufu and the Court

Week 3:

Wednesday 9 August: Sakoku and Foreign Relations

Friday 11 August: The Outlawing of Christianity

Week 4:

Wednesday 16 August: Alternate Attendance

Friday 18 August: The Intellectual Arena

PART TWO: SOCIETY, ECONOMY, AND CULTURE

Week 5:

Wednesday 23 August: The Status System

Friday 25 August: Urban Life: Samurai

Week 6:

Wednesday 30 August: Urban Life: Townspeople

Friday 1 September: Village Life: The Peasants

MID-SEMESTER BREAK

Week 7:

Wednesday 20 September: Keeping the Peace: Punishments and Power

Friday 22 September: Economic Growth and Social Change

Week 8:

Wednesday 27 September: Popular Culture I: The Floating World

Friday 29 September: Popular Culture II: Travel and Popular Religion

PART THREE: TOWARDS A NEW MODERNITY

Week 9:

Wednesday 4 October: Popular Culture III: Culture in the Kasei Years

Friday 6 October: Dutch Studies and New Forms of Learning

Week 10:

Wednesday 11 October: Social Crisis: Famine and Unrest

Friday 13 October: Problems and Reforms

Week 11:

Wednesday 18 October: The “Opening” of the Country

Friday 20 October: World Renewal

Week 12:

Wednesday 25 October: Sakamoto Ryōma and the Restoration

Friday 27 October: Restoration and Beyond

 

Academic Honesty at The University of Auckland

The University of Auckland takes academic honesty very seriously. Make sure you are fully informed about what constitutes plagiarism and how to reference appropriately. The penalties for plagiarism are severe and can range from gaining no marks for the assignment to disciplinary action under the terms of the Examination Regulations. Please be sure to read the information here:

All assignments in this course will be checked against the Turnitin.com database. Turnitin.com is an electronic plagiarism detection service that is used by universities world-wide. When a student’s assignment is turned in to the system it is matched against millions of Internet pages, databases and a constantly increasing database of all previously and concurrently submitted assignments. Teaching staff receive a report from Turnitin that can be used as a resource to assist staff in making a judgement as to whether a student’s work is plagiarised.

 

Use of Information and Communications Technology eg Class Facebook Pages.

Sometimes students wish to set up a Facebook page for the course. Participating in such pages is completely optional and will not be monitored by teaching staff. Student who choose to participate should be aware that University regulations regarding the acceptable use of IT will apply, as outlined in the  policy documents here.

Policy on Late Work

Managing your workload is part of becoming a successful student. Plan ahead to complete your assignments on time. All students are expected to hand in work by the due date and time. If this is not possible, you must contact your tutor before the work is due and apply for an extension. If the extension is sought on medical grounds you may be required to provide a supporting medical certificate. At the very least you must have an email from your tutor confirming that you have an extension until a set time and date. If you have not secured an extension and you hand your work in after the due date and time, or if you hand in your work after the due date and time of your extension, you will, in the first instance, lose 5% for the first day your work is overdue, and 1% for every day after that, including weekends. In principle, work which is more than two weeks late will not be marked. Nor will it be accepted after work has been marked and returned to the other students. It will, however, be taken into account in the final assessment of the course, so it is always better to hand in something rather than nothing.

Tutorial Assignment

The tutorial assignment is a written assignment of around 1000 words and is based on the essential readings for the course.

Essay Assignment

The essay assignment (1800- 2000 words) requires extra research outside of the essential readings. The topics for the essay will be provided later in the semester, via the Assignments section of Canvas.

 

SUBMISSION OF COURSEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

In this course, we will follow a paperless method and all assignments should be submitted electronically to Canvas. Your work will be marked and returned to you online. You do not need submit a hard copy or use a coversheet. It’s very helpful if you could please include your chosen TOPIC for your essay/assignment in the title of your submission. And be sure to include your name and ID number on the assignment somewhere. For the best compatibility with Canvas, please use either a pdf or doc file format for your assignment. 

 

Further Resources for History Students

History Society

The Society has been in existence since the 1950s and is open to all history students. During the course of the year the Society holds discussion evenings, film screenings and lunch-time get-togethers. For more information and to get involved, contact history.society.auckland@gmail.com.

Histeria!

History publishes an edited collection of the best student essays submitted in History courses during the previous year. By showcasing student work in the Department, this publication offers you opportunities to read examples of successful essays, to set a high standard for your own work, and to potentially publish your own essay in next year’s edition. Get your copy here:

Departmental Prizes

The Department awards prizes every year, recognising student achievement in History ranging from the best student in History to accomplishments in specific fields of history, such as New Zealand, European, United States, or Asian history.  For full information on prizes and awards, click here (and scroll down to History).

 

Tuakana Mentors

The Tuakana programme and the History Discipline provide a mentoring service for Māori and Pacific Island students to help them achieve their full academic potential. Mentors are high achieving students who share their pathways to success to help you on the road to yours. Please feel free to email or contact them via email or phone, or make an appointment. Click here for more details.