Course syllabus

Photo of Osaka castle by Ellen Nakamura, 2009.

This course is taught concurrently with History 242, and students share a lecture time.  However, History 342 differs from History 242 in that students have separate tutorials, more extensive tutorial readings, and different expectations for 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.

 Expectations/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
• The ability to read, engage with and interpret primary sources from the period in English translation
• The ability to find, contextualise and interpret various secondary sources (in English) in the field of early modern Japanese studies
• A growing ability to engage critically with historical and historiographical topics in the field and to present ideas coherently orally and in writing.

You are expected to devote around 10 hours per week to this course (including class times). Please use this time to read the required readings before coming to class, and to research and prepare your coursework assessments. 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.

 

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: Wednesdays 2-3 and Thursdays 2-3 or by appointment.

 

Lectures: Mondays and Tuesdays 2-3. Please check SSO for the location.

Tutorials: Please enrol in one by choosing a stream on SSO.

 

Course Requirements (Assessment)

Primary source essay (1600 words) 25%

Tutorial participation 10%

Online test 20%

Final Essay (2500 words) 45%

 

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.

Tutorials

Tutorials begin in the second week and are based around discussion of the required readings. 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. For the readings outside of the textbook you can either use the list to read the readings online through the library, or you can buy a course reader from UBS and read them in hard copy. Click here for more information about tutorials and how they are assessed.

Lecture Program

PART ONE: THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

Week 1:

Monday 16 July: Introduction: Visions of Early Modern Japan

Tuesday 17 July: The Background: From Warring States to Federalism

Week 2:

Monday 23 July: The Bakuhan System

Tuesday 24 July: The Bakufu and the Court

Week 3:

Monday 30 July: Sakoku and Foreign Relations

Tuesday 31 July: The Outlawing of Christianity

Week 4:

Monday 6 August: Alternate Attendance

Tuesday 7 August: The Intellectual Arena

PART TWO: SOCIETY, ECONOMY, AND CULTURE

Week 5:

Monday 13 August: The Status System

Tuesday 14 August: Urban Life: Samurai

Week 6:

Monday 20 August: Urban Life: Townspeople

Tuesday 21 August: Village Life: The Peasants

MID-SEMESTER BREAK

Week 7:

Monday 10 September: Keeping the Peace: Punishments and Power

Tuesday 11 September: Economic Growth and Social Change

Week 8:

Monday 17 September: Popular Culture I: The Floating World

Tuesday 18 September: Popular Culture II: Travel and Popular Religion

PART THREE: TOWARDS A NEW MODERNITY

Week 9:

Monday 24 September: Popular Culture III: Culture in the Kasei Years

Tuesday 25 September: Dutch Studies and New Forms of Learning

Week 10:

Monday 1 October: Social Crisis: Famine and Unrest

Tuesday 2 October: Problems and Reforms

Week 11:

Monday 8 October: The “Opening” of the Country

Tuesday 9 October: World Renewal

Week 12:

Monday 15 October: Sakamoto Ryōma and the Restoration

Tuesday 16 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 from a doctor or university counsellor. 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. Unless you have an extension, work which is more than two weeks late will not be marked. 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.

Essays

There are two essays: one shorter essay, based around one of the primary sources in the textbook, and one longer, research essay due at the end of the course. The topics for the essay will be provided later in the semester, in the Assignments section of Canvas.

Online test

This test will require you to demonstrate your understanding of the material presented in the lectures. You will take the test using Canvas and it will consist of short answer and multiple-choice questions. This online test will be available from Wednesday 3 October at 5.00pm until the following Wednesday 10 October at 5.00pm. You can choose when and where you would like to take the test. There will be 24 questions of varying formats including multiple choice, multiple answer, true/false and matching questions. They cover material from the beginning of the course until Week 9. You will have 35 minutes to complete the test. This test is worth 20% of your total mark for the course.

 

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.

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.