the freeman seminar
TEACHING ABOUT EAST ASIA
The following series
of NINE 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 Tuesday, February 1, 2005.
Complete your assignment
in journal form dealing with East Asian GEOGRAPHY and submit by email
for instructor evaluation NO LATER THAN Tuesday, February 8, 2005. You
might also post comments on the topic on WebCT for your fellow teachers
to contemplate.
JOURNAL
ASSIGNMENT THREE
This week's assignment (due by Tuesday, February 15, 2005) asks a set of questions about imposing order on the East Asian historical narrative and the consequences of any such "historical arcs" on the way in whcih we think about these civilizations and cultures..
By Tuesday, February 22, 2005, this assignment provides the alternative opportunity to post to the course web site Bulletin Board your suggested appraoch to teaching about Chinese Daoism / Taoism in a classroom setting of your choice.
Before Tuesday, March 1, 2005, post to the WebCt Bulletin Board suggested resources and lesson plans for teaching about Japanese Shinto.
Pick a resource dealing with Buddhism in China or Japan from among those suggested in various course-related materials, then design a brief exercise built around that specific resource. Share your plans with other participants by posting it to the web bulletin board by Tuesday, March 8, 2005.
Devise a teaching strategy designed to explore an aspect of the Confucian impact on Chinese civilization and culture for submission to the web site Bulletin Board by Tuesday, March 22, 2005.
Submit by Tuesday, March 29, 2005 to the WebCT Bulletin Board for fellow participant consideration a comparative exploration of the Confucian impact on some aspect of Chinese and Japanese civilization and culture .
Build a classroom lesson around an artifact of some kind associated with life in contemporay China or Japan and post it to the discussion section of WebCT by Tuesday, April 5, 2005.
