A reminder to all students that there is a paper requirement for this class. All students must complete a 56 page essay, based on the Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook text.
–Papers should be loaded to Canvas under Assignments.
–Late papers will be penalized 10 points out of 100.
–Papers should be double-spaced.
The sourcebook text contains a wide range of types of readings and primary sources. The purpose of this assignment is to get you to read the text and use the evidence it presents to support an essay. This paper should therefore be based solely on the PRIMARY selections in sourcebook text. DO NOT USE OTHER SOURCES INCLUDING THE LECTURE MATERIAL OR THE OTHER TEXT.
Please select one of the following questions on which to write your take-home essay:
One major theme in Chinese history has been the concern for and regard for ancestors. Discuss how this concept developed. How did the Confucian school regard ancestors? How did ordinary people view their ancestors and those of others? How did Buddhist concepts deal with them? In your essay, try to include at least some material from all of the major periods of Chinese history through the Qing dynasty.
Discuss the status of women in China with particular attention to their position under Confucianism. How did their situation change in the late imperial period (the Song to Qing dynasties)? Include in your discussion their property rights, marriage rights, and their access to education. Be certain to include a discussion of the impact of foot binding on the lives of women.
Each exam counts 25% of your grade. The paper counts 25%.
AT THE TOP OF THE PAPER PUT:
1] Your name
2] Either History 181 or Political Science 171
3] One of the following: Question 1: Ancestors
Question 2: Women
Cheating: In writing the paper, use of any material without attribution which is not your own, either published or from the internet, is considered plagiarism and is grounds for an automatic grade of F. You must write your own paper. Submitting the work someone else has written or you have written together with someone is not permitted.
SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING THE PAPER
This paper is graded both in terms of its quality as a written essay and in terms of how thoroughly you have read and used the material in the text.
–Avoid slang and jargon.
–Try to divide your essay into 2-3 paragraphs per page. Avoid one sentence paragraphs. Avoid incomplete sentences. Number the pages of your essay.
–Pick the question which you find most interesting and search the sourcebook for relevant passages. A good essay should have a strong introduction and conclusion which states a thesis. The text should then cite selections from the text to support your argument.
–Much of your grade is based on how effectively you find material in the sourcebook which is relevant to your question. Some of the material is contained within selections and is not obvious without careful reading.
–When quoting or making direct references place the page number from the original text in brackets. Since you are only using one source for this text you do NOT need to use footnotes or a bibliography.
–Your essay should be supported with references from the sourcebook text but it should not simply be a string of quotes. Material from the text should be incorporated into a well organized essay.
–Distinguish between the actual historical document and the introduction to the document. Cite the document itself where possible.
–All material submitted should be your work.
