homepage  
syllabus  
course schedule
 
journal 
web assignments 
research projects 
optional assignments 
deadlines
 
password-protected  
course material  
 
 
  
  
HIS 372/572,  
THE HISTORY OF EARLY MODERN JAPAN 
COURSE EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE 

FALL SEMESTER 1999

  1. THE COURSE INTERNET WEB SITE served for students as a basic source of information related to the course. Please evaluate the utility and convenience of the site. Was it readily accessible for you personally? Why / why not? What value did it provide as you worked your way through course materials and assignments? Was the site appropriately structured and organized -- could you easily find what you needed when you needed it? How important was the availability of instructor email access? Of the discussion forum materials? Of access to your grade records?

    How often did you visit the site? What new skills, if any, were acquired as a result of having to access the Web-site? Did you take advantage of Web access to explore other Internet resources? What suggestions do you have regarding additional elements to add (or subtract) from the site?

  2. THE EXPECTATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS portion of the Course Web Site INADEQUATELY / APPROPRIATELY reflected the scope and demands required (in terms of reading, writing, research and pre-course skill preparation) for success in this course. Knowing these in advance WAS / WAS NOT useful. My expected course grade ADEQUATELY / INADEQUATELY captures the amount of time and effort expended in pursuit of course goals and objectives and the academic skill level brought to bear on course assignments in light of these expectations and assumptions.

  3. What academic skills (related to reading, writing, discussion, critical and analytical thinking, time management or conducting research) did you master or improve over the course of the last quarter as a direct result of having enrolled in this course? Which of these skills, if any, will transfer to other educational endeavors?

    Should future courses provide more explicit and detailed attention to any of these skills in praticular? Which ones? Why? How?

    The syllabus for the course listed a series of specific learning objectives for HIS 372 / 572, THE HISTORY OF EARLY MODERN JAPAN. The following statements seek your reaction to this procedure.

  4. The specific objectives listed in the syllabus were WORTHLESS/ ADEQUATE/ VALUABLE in orienting and guiding my study of the course material.

  5. The specific objectives for the course were achieved FULLY/ TO SOME DEGREE/ NOT AT ALL

    Students in HIS 372 / 572 were asked to read chapters and articles from a variety of sources collected on reserve in the CSU library. Selections from these sources served as assigned reading for the course. The following statements seek your evaluation of these readings.

  6. The readings assigned were WORTHLESS/ ADEQUATE/ VALUABLE in increasing my understanding of Early Modern Japanese civilization and culture.

  7. I would RECOMMEND/ DISCOURAGE this approach to reading assignments in future offerings of this course.

    COMMENTS (include suggestions for additional or substitute readings for the course):

    Evaluation was confined in HIS 372 / 572 to a series of five Journal Assignments, one short research essay and one extended research paper. Together with class attendance and participation in )online and in class) discussion, these exercises provided the basis for grade assignments in the course.

  8. Overall this evaluation procedure was WORTHLESS/ ADEQUATE/ VALUABLE in stimulating my study of Early Modern Japan.

  9. The journal entries were WORTHLESS/ ADEQUATE/ VALUABLE in stimulating keeping up with reading assignments on a regular basis. These assignments were WORTHLESS/ ADEQUATE/ VALUABLE as a self-evaluation and teaching tool. They provided ADEQUATE/ INADEQUATE regular feedback on my progress in the course. I have found my identified interests SUBSTANTIALLY DEEPENED / ALTERED / MODIFIED TO SOME DEGREE by the course of study I have just completed.

  10. The short research essay on an assigned topic was WORTHLESS/ ADEQUATE/ VALUABLE as a teaching tool.

  11. The extended research project on a topic of my choice stimulated and focused my interest in the subject matter of the course A GREAT DEAL / ADEQUATELY / ONLY A LITTLE. The assignment proved WORTHLESS/ ADEQUATE/ VALUABLE as a teaching tool.

  12. This evaluation procedure should be ABANDONED/ MAINTAINED/ MODIFIED in future offerings of the course.

  13. A midterm and/or final examination would have provided a BETTER/ WORSE opportunity to demonstrate my mastery of course content.

    COMMENTS:

    Please respond to each of the following statements by circling the appropriate phrase:
  14. I am more familiar now than at the beginning of the course with basic terms, personalities and concepts associated with the study of the Tokugawa Period in Japanese history STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NO OPINION DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE

  15. I am now better able to discuss with insight and illustrative detail selected patterns of economic, political, social and cultural modernization occurring in Japan between 1600 and 1868, accounting in the process particularly for the impact on those patterns of past Japanese tradition, the policies and practices of the Tokugawa and the role of internally-generated innovation.
    STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NO OPINION DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE

  16. I am now more familiar with and able to assess aspects of early modern Japanese culture gained as a result of an independent exploration of the role played by a single individual against the backdrop of urban cultural change and development between 1600 and 1868.
    STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NO OPINION DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE

  17. I can now successfully evaluate the impact of the modernization process in early modern Japan within a specific and focused area of personal interest, assessing the interaction between such influencing factors as maintained tradition and purposeful innovation.
    STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NO OPINION DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE

  18. I can now describe the lingering effects of Tokugawa era policies, formulas and institutions on both modern and contemporary Japanese life and institutions.
    STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NO OPINION DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE

  19. How many hours per week did you devote to this single course? How did this compare to the amount of time spent on other courses in which you were enrolled this semester? How much of the assigned reading did you complete? What relationship (if any) existed for you between the amount of time invested in the various subjects covered in the course and the amount you learned -- that is, when you read and studied more about a topic, did you learn more as a result or not?

  20. Have your attitudes towards and images of Japan changed as a result of this course? If so, how? Be specific.

  21. Describe briefly what you consider to be the most valuable insight you have gained as a direct result of having taken this course.

  22. I was most frustrated by the course when --

  23. Would you recommend this course to a friend? Why/ why not?

  24. Did this course meet your expectations and fulfill the purposes you intended when you initially enrolled? In what ways? In what ways did it not?

  25. I plan to take more courses in the following areas (circle those that apply): NONWESTERN STUDIES / HISTORY / ASIAN STUDIES / JAPANESE STUDIES / JAPANESE HISTORY.

  26. Comment below (use reverse side if necessary) on any other aspect(s) of the course- content, organization, teaching style, discussion opportunities-that you feel ought to be retained, replaced or modified. COMMENTS ON THE EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE ITSELF WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
 		 

This site has been prepared by Lee A. Makela (l.makela@csuohio.edu) for the use of students at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, who are enrolled in HIS 372/572, The History of Early Modern Japan during the Fall Semester of the 1999 - 2000 Academic Year; please contact him with any comments.