Course Description
The world of Japan's late classical age, focusing on the culture, the social structure, and the political evolution of the imperial court.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be challenged to read more extensively
and to integrate the materials more thoroughly, and will be
graded with higher standards and expectations than
undergraduate students. This will entail integrated reviews of
primary research in the field that is extended and applied
towards a topic of the students' choosing, and synthesis and
critique of the material as evidenced through more extensive
essay. Graduate students will produce a series of book reviews
and historiographical essays in lieu of the short papers and
exams required of the undergraduate students.
Athena Title
JPN: IMPERIAL COURT
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The principal objectives of the course are to introduce students to the world of late classical Japan, and to teach students to think critically for themselves about the relationships between the past and the present, to learn to ask questions of the past that enable them to understand the present and mold the future, and to become attuned to both the limitations and possibilities of change. The course seeks to acquaint students with the ways in which past societies and peoples have defined the relationships between community and individual needs and goals, and between ethical norms and decision-making. In general students will be expected to: 1. read a wide range of primary and secondary sources critically. 2. polish skills in critical thinking, including the ability to recognize the difference between opinion and evidence, and the ability to evaluate--and support or refute--arguments effectively. 3. write stylistically appropriate and mature papers and essays using processes that include discovering ideas and evidence, organizing that material, and revising, editing, and polishing the finished papers.
Topical Outline
Introduction The Invention of the Court From Kingship to Empire The Imperial State The Capital City The Fujiwara Regency Rule of Retired Emperors? Miyabi, Mono-no-aware, and the Canons of Court Aesthetics Poetry & Literature Marriage & Romance Superstition & Ritual Religion & Rites Center & Periphery The Rise of Private Warriors When Did the Classical Age End?
Syllabus