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Keywords |
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Keywords |
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What's so key about Keywords?
The following keywords will show up in readings and/or lecture & discussion throughout the course. You should pay attention for them in the readings and lectures and learn enough about them to be able to identify each and, in a brief paragraph, place each in a meaningful context that illuminates its historical significance. By "historical significance" I mean the way in which it is meaningful in a broader social, political, cultural, and/or economic context. I would recommend keeping a notebook dedicated to these and other terms you may come across in the course of the course (of course).
You should not view these keywords as simply things to memorize for the exams; they should become part of your vocabulary for the discussion of Japanese history and civilization in general. Becoming conversant with these and other terms throughout the course will aid your overall comprehension and appreciation of the course material as well as prepare you for the keywords section and essay section of the exams.
Keywords for the Midterm
I will ask you to respond to FOUR of the following from a choice of six as part of your midterm exam.
Jômon
kofun
haniwa
Yamato
shikinen sengû
kami
Izanami & Izanagi
Three imperial regalia
Amaterasu
uji
be
Soga
Prince Shôtoku
Taika Reforms
Taihô Code
Kojiki
Nihon shoki (Nihongi)
matsurigoto
Tôdaiji
Emperor Kammu
Heian
kugyô
Sekkanke
Fujiwara no Michinaga
shôen
mono no aware
insei
Keywords for the Endterm
I will ask you to respond to FIVE of the following items from a choice of twelve as part of your endterm exam.
buke ("warrior families")
kuge ("court families")
Gempei War
seii-tai-shôgun
Taira Kiyomori
Minamoto Yoritomo
bakufu
nenbutsu
rokudô
mappô
mujô
gaki
Amida
hijiri
kamikaze
kôan
Go-Daigo
Ashikaga Takauji
Onin War
Zeami (Seami)
Oda Nobunaga
daimyô
St. Francis Xavier
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Sword Hunt Edict
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Yoshiwara
sankin-kôtai
shi-nô-kô-shô
Basho
Tôkaidô
Hiroshige
Commodore Perry
Your endterm exam will consist of two parts:
1. 4 keywords (40%)
2. 1 interpretive essay drawn from material throughout the term (60%)
For the essay you should consider such themes as:
• The interaction between the Japanese islands and the East Asian continent in the realms of political institutions, religious/philosophical ideas, and cultural productions. What are examples of such imports from abroad and how have they helped or hindered the formation of "Japanese civilization"? How were they adapted and why?
• The relationship between "politics" and "culture" in ancient Japan. How can these concepts be defined? To what extent are they interrelated and how?
• How can we use certain documents from the time to form a picture of the people and the period they lived in? Such documents might include myths, law codes, poetry, novels, images, and the like which have appeared in Topics, Electronic Readings, The Tale of Genji, and even Engaging Visions #1 and #2.
Your endterm exam will consist of three parts:1. 5 keywords since the midterm in class on Monday, Dec. 9 (30%)
2. 1 document commentary drawn from Heike and Electronic Readings since midterm in class on Wednesday, Dec. 11 (30%)
3. 1 interpretive take-home essay drawn from material throughout the term, handed out in class on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and due via email by High Noon on Wednesday, Dec. 18. (40%)
For the essay you should consider such themes as:
• the nature and role of Buddhism before and after 1180
• the sources and dynamics of authority and legitimation of power pre- and post-1180
• the role of art in politics (and vice versa)--where do they intersect and why?
• the cultural and political relations between buke (warriors) and kuge (court nobility)
• the position and social/cultural/economic significance of non-buke, non-kuge persons
• the position and role of women (elite and commoner) pre- and post-1180
For the document commentary, anything assigned from The Tale of the Heike and Electronic Readings is fair game. You will be asked to identify the excerpt and comment on its meaning and significance within the historical context of its writing. This will involve a consideration of such things as whose thoughts and interests are being represented, to what events or developments does it allude, what goals or purposes does it promote and why. In a sense, this exercise is an expanded "keyword response," but asks you to pay attention and make explicit reference to things mentioned in the document itself.