Posted: September 17th, 2017

STUDIES.OF ASIA FOR TEACHERS: PREMODERN ASIAN SOCIETIES & CULTURES

STUDIES.OF ASIA FOR TEACHERS: GRADUATE TOPICS
PREMODERN ASIAN SOCIETIES & CULTURES

Assignment 1
Depth study of a selected aspect of a pre-modem Asian society
Highest level of academic achievement expected
Demonstrates in-depth knowledge
Combines subject matter with creative and original thinking.
Critical or analytical thinking very evident
Extensive wider reading evident
Well cited references
High quality work
2500 words

Assignment checklist
Use the information below as a checklist to assist you to evaluate your assignment before you submit it, by considering the criteria regarded as important by those who will assess the assignment. You also may need to consider specific requirements for assessment indicated by the lecturer.
Content/ideas
For example: clear understanding of issues; topic covered in depth; wider context considered; own opinion offered appropriately; insight; originality;’ analysis supported by data; pertinent research; evidence from texts
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Organization
For example: logical development of argument; ideas linked meaningfully; hypothesis, topic or issue(s) clearly stated in introduction; appendices used effectively
Presentation
For example: legible; clearly set out; headings; graphics/tables inserted appropriately; clear and easy to read; pages numbered; margins; line spacing
Expression
For example: succinct; fluent; clear; appropriate word use
Mechanics
For example: spelling; grammar; paragraphing; punctuation; correct use of units and quantities; accurate citation of sources/references

Assignment 1
Depth study of a selected aspect of a pre-modern Asian society

Introduction
This assessment comprises a depth study of one or two selected aspects of a pre-modem Asian society. It is a research assignment designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the selected aspect or aspects of interest/relevance to you and your teaching. The study should be approximately 2500 words in total.

Scope of Assessment
For purposes of this assessment, ‘pre-modem’ is taken to indicate the period before the rise of independence/nationalist movements or economic modernization. This varies from society to society across Asia, but as a rough rule of thumb may be interpreted as prior to about 1850.
Aspects for selection include the following:
• geography and the environment • art and architecture
• needs and resources • literature
• history • philosophy and religion
• people and society • science and technology
• culture

Process
1. Research your selected aspect or aspects in relation to a particular period in the pre-modem era. For example:
• People and society in Japan during the Fujiwara period
• Art and architecture of Mughal India
• History and culture of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty
• Needs and resources: pre-European trade patterns in s.E. Asia ….
2. Develop 4-5 inquiry questions that address the most significant issues in your depth study
3. Develop a list of the most useful academic references for each inquiry question.
Note: The number of references will vary according to the question but 3-
5 references per question will generally suffice. References may take any form and include books, book chapters, journal articles, videos/films, relevant web sites, etc. Your list should only include the most informative and valuable references for each question.14
4. Using the references you have located, research each inquiry question and prepare a concisely written answer to the question. You should support your argument with evidence and research, incorporating different perspectives or interpretations where possible.
5.• Remember to include the list of references used at the end of your assignment (as a single composite Reference List).

Premodern Asian Societies & Cultures
Assignment 1 examples (choose 1 from the following)
Architectural influences of the Mughals
The growth ofKhajuraho (temple region in Madhya Pradesh)
Government & society in Japan during the Tokugawa period
The introduction ofIslam into the Malay peninsula
The changing role of Hindu women with the introduction of the Mughal Empire
The Tokugawa Shogunate
Marco Polo in Mongol China
Li Bai, poet of the Tang dynasty
Exploring female heroes in pre-modem Asia
Angkor Wat – the jewel in the crown
Villages in pre-modern Vietnam
The significance ofHimeji Castle in feudal Japan
The bronze work of the Shang dynasty – what the bronzes reveal about Shang life
Chingis Khan- a name that resonates through time
The Borobudur
History of China during the Qin dynasty
Rituals within the Indonesian textile tradition
The Spice Trade – Cleaving to Cloves
The Macassarese of Southern Sulawesi and their links to Australia in the pre-modem period
Reflection on a smooth sea: Haeinsa Temple
Key aspects of Japan’s foundation
Mahayana Buddhism & Borobudur in 8th & 9th century Java
Castles of Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama period: Osaka Castle
The Great Wall of China
Akbar the Great: MughalEmperor 1556 – 1605
Japanese Society in the Nara-Heian period
Ayudhya – its rise and fall
The Taj Mahal – behind the wonder
Srivijaya & SE Asian trade routes
History & culture of China during the Han dynasty
The politics and culture of the Qing dynasty of China
History of Bagan, Myanmar
Society in East Java duringthe Majapahit era
Traditional Japanese tansu and links to society, aesthetics, environment & technology
The ancient Sri Lankan kingdom of Anuraradhapura
Exploring the Uyghur civilisation
Reading tea leaves – the history and cultural influences of tea
The origins of kimono
The impact ofIslam on Indian society & culture – Mughal period
Chinese migration & settlement in the Malay world in the 19th century
Needs & Resources: pre-European trade in SE Asia
lbn Battuta: Muslim traveller and commentator
History & culture of Vietnam to 939 CE
Cults & kingdoms – deconstructing Angkor Wat as a means to understanding pre-modem Khmer
society and environment
Korea and the early development of Taekwondo
The dynastic cycle in China
Li Bo: Banished immortal – Exiled spirit
China’s first emperor
The rise and fall of the Song dynasty
The decline of pre-modem trading centres in SE Asia
Tomb building in India during medieval times
The rise and flourishing of the Han dynasty
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The process oflslamisation in Indonesia
East Asian mounded tomb cultures
. The artefacts and apparel of the Ainu, 1400 – 1700
The Indus Valley civilisation
Japan: the Tokugawa period, 1603 – 1868
The bronze work of the Shang dynasty
The Qianlong Emperor in the Qing dynasty
Great Wall of China: Barricade of war or shield of conformity?
The Great Wall of China and the Ming Dynasty
Religion & Philosophy of Indonesia: Old kingdoms and the coming of Islam
Genghis Khan
East meets West: the Silk Route
Footbinding: Beautification or mutilation?
Tea and the art of Zen
Origins, development and influence ofDaoism
The Opium Wars: Trade, Tricks, Treaties and Tragedies
Inland and by Sea: Angkor and Srivijaya
Malacca & the Moluccas – Spice, Trade and Religion
Terracotta Warriors
Prambanan: largest Hindu temple in Indonesia
History & Significance of the Majapahit Empire
Influences on Thai Society in the Sukbothai period
The Silk Road