EAST ASIAN STUDIES 205 – Spring 2008

EAST ASIAN RESEARCH AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC METHODS

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:45 a.m.-1:05 p.m. in Humanities 128

 

Instructors:

Anthony DeBlasi                      

Office: Humanities 210

Office Hours: Tuesday 10:00-11:30 a.m.; Thursday 1:30-3:00 p.m.; and by appointment

Phone:  442-5316

e-mail: deblasi@albany.edu

 

Susanna Fessler

Office: Humanities 243

Office Hours: T Th 1:30-2:30 and by appt.

Phone: 442-4119

e-mail: fessler@albany.edu

 

Course Description:

            This course will cover research and bibliographic methods in East Asian Studies.  Students will learn how to navigate library catalogs and the internet with specific emphasis on East Asian databases and resources. Students will also learn how to use East Asian reference materials, such as character dictionaries. Students will have a choice of which language--Japanese, Korean or Chinese--they will focus on for the written and practical assignments. This course has a strict prerequisite of at least one year of an East Asian language (Mandarin, Japanese, or Korean).  Students who do not have this prerequisite are not qualified or prepared for the course.

 

General Education Information

This course fulfills the “New” General Education requirement of “Information Literacy”

Characteristics of all General Education Courses:

1.      General Education courses offer introductions to the central topics of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields.

2.      General Education courses offer explicit rather than tacit understandings of the procedures, practices, methodology and fundamental assumptions of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields.

3.      General Education courses recognize multiple perspectives on the subject matter.

4.      General Education courses emphasize active learning in an engaged environment that enables students to be producers as well as consumers of knowledge.

5.      General Education courses promote critical inquiry into the assumptions, goals, and methods of various fields of academic study; they aim to develop the interpretive, analytic, and evaluative competencies characteristic of critical thinking.

Learning Objectives for General Education Information Literacy Courses:

Approved courses introduce students to various ways in which information is organized and structured and to the process of finding, using, producing, and distributing information in a variety of media formats, including traditional print as well as computer databases. Students acquire experience with resources available on the Internet and learn to evaluate the quality of information, to use information ethically and professionally, and to adjust to rapidly changing technology tools. Students must complete this requirement within the freshman or sophomore year.

Courses that satisfy the Information Literacy requirement will have three characteristics:

1)      Classroom activities on finding, evaluating, citing, and using information in print and electronic sources from the University Libraries, World Wide Web, and other sources. Courses should address questions concerning the ethical use of information, copyrights, and other related issues that promote critical reflection.

2)      Assignments, course work, or tutorials that make extensive use of the University Libraries, World Wide Web, and other information sources. Assignments should include finding, evaluating, and citing information sources.

3)      At least one research project that requires students to find, evaluate, cite, and use information presented in diverse formats from multiple sources and to integrate this information within a single textual, visual, or digital document.

 

 

Required Texts:

1) Students should choose the appropriate dictionary, depending on their language of choice.  Dictionaries will be discussed on the first day of class; students will be given two weeks in which to acquire an appropriate dictionary.

 

2) Depending on the area of the student’s interest, he/she will be required to buy the following:

  • China:   Chinese History: A Manual (Revised and Enlarged) by Endymion Wilkinson
  • Japan:   The Princeton Companion to Classical Japanese Literature by Earl Miner

Research in Japanese Sources: a Guide by Herschel Webb and Marleigh Ryan

  • Korea:  Korea: a Historical and Cultural Dictionary by Keith Pratt and Richard Rutt,

                  with additional material by James Hoare.

[Lee, Ki-baik (1984).  A New History of Korea is recommended]

 

3) Students also need one of the following:

            A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) by Kate L. Turabian

            MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi

 

4) Students must have an active e-mail account, from which they can send and receive attachments.  They also must have a valid student ID that allows them to access UAlbany library materials.  An ID invalidated because of unpaid fines, etc. is NOT an excuse for late/incomplete work.  It is also recommended that students bring a CD-RW disk or flash memory drive with them to class on the days that involve computer use.

 

5) A CD-ROM of A Sino-Western Calendar for Two Thousand Years.  This will be provided at cost by the instructors (not the bookstore), probably about $1.00.

 

6) This course uses two important internet resources:

  • An extensive web page at http://www.albany.edu/eas/205/index.html.  You should ALWAYS check the web page before class and “surf” the links for each unit.  All homework assignments will be on this site, as well as reference materials and useful links.
  • ERES (Electronic Reserves).  The course password will be announced in class; if you forget your password, please e-mail the instructor.  There are not many ERES materials, but in the event that we want you to read a small portion of a copyrighted text, we will use ERES.

Testing and Grading:

Attendance will be taken regularly; students are expected to attend class unless extenuating circumstances prevent it.  Students are also expected to be active participants in this class.  Class format will be largely hands-on activities aimed at developing good research skills. There will be weekly in-class assignments and/or homework.  Late assignments will receive a penalty.  The capstone project for this class will be an annotated bibliography.  There will be a mid-term exam.  Grading is as follows:

 

            Attendance/participation:           20%

            Homework:                              25%

            Midterm:                                  25%

            Annotated Bibliography:            30%

 

This syllabus is a contract.  The instructor(s) agree to teach the topics listed below, and to grade you on the criteria listed above.  The instructor(s) consider a grade of "Incomplete" to be for emergencies (death in the family, extreme illness, etc.), not for students who fail to plan ahead.  The instructor(s) do not curve grades or give extra credit assignments.  The grading scale is as follows: 93-100%=A; 90-92%=A-; 87-89%=B+; 83-86%=B; 80-82%=B-; 77-79%=C+; 73-76%=C; 70-72%=C-; 67-69%=D+; 63-66%=D; 60-62%=D-; 0-59%=E.

 

If you want to check on your performance at any point in the semester, feel free to come to the instructor(s) office(s) and we'll run through the numbers.  If there are extenuating circumstances that you anticipate will unduly affect your grade, it is your responsibility to speak with the instructor(s) IN ADVANCE.

 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

 

 

 

 

Topic

Reading (do before class)

Homework (due on that day) /Notes

January

24

Th

Course Introduction;

Dictionaries, required texts, etc.

None

None

 

29

Tu

Navigating the University Library

Physically

Take the Virtual Tour at http://library.albany.edu/usered/tour/index.html

 and read the International Students’ Guide to the Libraries

Class will meet in Humanities 128, then proceed to the main library. DO NOT BE LATE!

 

31

Th

Navigating the University Library

Electronically

Read the Introduction to Minerva

None

February

5

Tu

Word Processing

Read Word Processing basics and Inputting symbols and CJK characters

Homework: Finding things in the library

 

 

7

Th

EAS databases and online resources (JSTOR; BAS; Project Muse)

Take Library Tutorial on Finding Scholarly Articles; Read about JSTOR, Project Muse and BAS

Homework: Word Processing in CJK

 

 

12

Tu

EAS databases and online resources (NACSIS; OCLC)

Review packet on FirstSearch/Webcat/OCLC

Homework: Electronic databases on East Asia

 

 

14

Th

Radicals

►All: Read “Radicals of Chinese Characters”

►Chinese: Read “How to Use a Chinese Dictionary” and “The 214 Kangxi Radicals”

►Japanese: Read Nelson’s pp. 1002-1013 “How to Determine the Radical…” and “Kanji Radicals”

►Korean: Review Radicals

Homework: First Search

 

19

Tu

WINTER BREAK

NONE

 

 

21

Th

Electronic and Online Dictionaries

NONE

Homework: Radicals

 

26

Tu

Romanization

►Read “Romanization of CJK Languages”

►Browse Course material on romanization

Homework: Electronic and Online Dictionaries

 

28

Th

Simplification

Course material on simplification

Homework: Romanization

March

4

Tu

Calligraphy

Review packet on calligraphy and fonts

Korean: Pratt & Rutt: “Hangul (all)” (pp. 158-162)

Homework: Simplification

 

6

Th

Development and History of Dictionaries

►Chinese, Japanese & Korean (all): Manual, pp. 17-93, esp, pp. 60ff on dicts.

(J. and K.: see ERES for this reading)

Homework: Calligraphy

 

11

Tu

Morohashi’s Dictionary

Course material on Morohashi’s Dictionary

No dictionary homework—Morohashi’s will be incorporated in the midterm, though!

 

13

Th

Citation

Read packet on citing from the MLA Style Guide

MIDTERM EXAMINATION due at BEGINNING of class.

Bring your citation text to class on this day!

 

18

Tu

Annotated Bibliographies

Read packet on writing an annotated bibliography

Homework: Citation

 

20

Th

Structuring a paper (putting everything together)

Library reading on research papers

 

 

25

Tu

SPRING BREAK

NONE

 

 

27

Th

SPRING BREAK

NONE

 

April

1

Tu

Chronology; telling time

►Chinese: Manual, pp. 10-14; 170-219

►Japanese: Companion, pp. 113-127; 399-414

►Korean: Pratt & Rutt, “Kapcha Characters” and “Kapcha Year Numbers” (pp. 199-203); “Twenty-Four Solar Terms”; “Hours of the Day”;

All: look Dates in Chinese History and A Practical Guide to Chinese date conversion

 

 

3

Th

Eras

Chinese: Manual, pp. 10-14; 170-219

►Japanese: Companion pp. 113-127

►Korean: New History, pp. 387-394 (ERES); chart in Pratt & Rutt on p. xx

Review course materials on eras

Homework: Chronology; telling time

 

8

Tu

Units of Measure/Statistics

All: CJK Cardinal/Ordinal systems

CJK weights and measures

►China: Manual, pp. 220-253

►Japan: Research in Japanese Sources, Ch. 3

►Korea: TBA

Homework: Eras

 

10

Th

Biographical Resources

CJK: Course material on Names

►Chinese: Manual, pp. 94-130

►Japanese: Ch. 4 of Research in Japanese Sources

►Korean: Pratt & Rutt: “Surnames”; “Names (all)” (pp. 307-309)

Homework: Units of Measure

 

15

Tu

Historical Resources—Ranks

Course Materials on Rank

►Chinese: Manual, pp. 530-531

►Japanese: Companion, pp. 443-478

►Korean: A New History of Korea pp. 175-178 (ERES); Pratt & Rutt: “Government, Central”; “Government Organs of the Chosŏn Dynasty”

Homework: Who’s Who?

 

17

Th

Historical Resources: China

All: Course materials on Historical Research

►Chinese: Manual, skim sections II-V.  Course materials on Chinese History

►Japanese: Research in Japanese Sources, ch. 8

►Korean: Review Korean History: a Bibliography

 

 

22

Tu

Historical Resources: Japan and Korea

Japan: Course Materials

Korea: Course Materials

Homework: Historical Resources Part I

 

24

Th

Literature Resources

►Chinese: Manual, pp. 593-600

►Japanese: Companion, skim pts. 3-6

►Korean: Review UHBibliography

Homework: Historical Resources Part II

 

29

Tu

Geographical Resources

►All: Course Materials on Geography

►Chinese: Manual, pp. 131-169

►Japanese: Companion, pp. 415-442; Ch. 5 of Research in Japanese Sources

►Korean: Review UHBibliography on Geography

 

May

1

Th

Religion/Philosophy Resources

►Chinese: Manual, pp. 567-592

►Japanese: Companion, pp. 368-397

►Korean: Pratt & Rutt, “Religions, New”; “Confucianism”; “Buddhism”; “Shamanism”; “Protestants”

Homework: Geography

 

6

Tu

 

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE