the freeman seminar
TEACHING ABOUT EAST ASIA
The
following series of TEN assignments is to be completed in journal form
and submitted for instructor evaluation on the specific dates assigned
for each individual portion.
Your completed journal will be reviewed with the following criteria in mind:
the intelligence
with which the topics covered are addressed; the thoroughness
with which the assignments are completed; the depth
of insight expressed in your confrontation with the subjects
considered; the thoughtfulness
with which the assignments are approached.
Although effective written communication is essential, the journal WILL NOT be evaluated with respect to "correct" English and/or punctuation -- the ideas, in this instance, are the most important ingredient, not the form in which they are expressed.
The result of this series of assignments is meant to be an informal JOURNAL, not a classroom exercise nor a series of answers to the specific questions posed. Don't merely "answer the questions" or "follow the directions" indicated; don't number your responses as if completing a "fill-in-the-blanks" exercise; don't try to complete any one series of assignments at one sitting -- instead tell me (at various intervals over the course of the coming ten weeks) about what peaks your interest about Chinese and Japanese civilization and culture as you examine the material assigned for the seminar and as you participate in the opening sessions; then consider how those interests change and evolve as you think about them over time.
CLICK
ON UNDERLINED TITLES BELOW
FOR EACH SPECIFIC JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT
JOURNAL
ASSIGNMENT ONE
This set of FOUR specific assignments is to be completed in journal form
and submitted by email for instructor
evaluation NO LATER THAN Wednesday, January 26, 2000.
Choose between two
possible topics, one on GEOGRAPHY and the other on HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY.
Complete your assignment in journal form and submit by email
for instructor evaluation NO LATER THAN Wednesday, February 2, 2000. If
the password-protected portion of the web site is accessible, you might
post comments on the other topic there for your fellow teachers to contemplate.
JOURNAL
ASSIGNMENT THREE
This week's assignment (due by Wednesday, February 9, 2000) asks a single set of questions about our last seminar session but gives you the choice between submitting them to me directly or posting them on the course web site bulletin board (assuming it eventually gets added to the site as part of the password-protected course material).
By Wednesday, February 16, 2000, this assignment asks you to post to the course web site Bulletin Board an annotated bibliography of resources useful in preparation for and in teaching one or more of the topics touched upon in our seminar discussion of Chinese history and culture during the Classical Era.
For Wednesday, February 23, 2000, take one of the resources assigned for our consideration of Traditional China and the Barbarian Challenge and construct a lesson plan around your chosen material.
Design a brief introductory exercise built around a specific Japanese artifact (or other contemporary cultural resource) you might use to begin a series of lessons utilizing Japan in some meaningful and specific way. Share your plans with other participants by posting it to the web bulletin board by Wednesday, March 1, 2000. Click on the underlined link above for more information.
Devise a teaching strategy designed to explore aspects of Japan's geographical setting or chronological development for submission to the web site Bulletin Board by Wednesday, March 15, 2000.
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT EIGHT
Instructor negligence means no assignment this week!
Using the same strategy employed in this week's seminar session, identify an aspect of Japanese history, civilization and / or culture to explore in the classroom in terms of some (or all) of the various "codes of conduct" we have discussed. Please post the result on the web site bulletin board by Wednesday, March 29, 2000.
