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Fall 2016 The Department of Asian and Asian American Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences welcomes you to:

Introduction to Asian Studies (AAS118.01)

Tues/Thurs 8:30-9:50 am Humanities 3017

Lecturer: Professor Peg Christoff E-mail: peggy.christoff@stonybrook.edu Phone: 631-632-4030 Office: Humanities 1126 Office Hours: Mondays 4-5 pm; Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-11 am

Undergraduate Assistants: Qing (Michelle) Kong and Haoran Yang E-mail: qing.kong@stonybrook.edu and haoran.yang@stonybrook.edu Office: Humanities 1044 Office hours: Michelle’s office hours are Mondays and Wednesdays 11 am – 12 pm and Thursdays 1 pm – 2 pm; Haoran’s office hours TBD

Course Description: In several modules, students learn about subjects of common concern to Asian people living in Asia and/or America, including geography, language, religion, ethnicity, history, youth culture, education, and entertainment. You may be surprised to know that, as a cultured space, “Asia” includes India, southeast and southwest Asia, China, Korea, Japan and the United States. Roleplaying and in-class exercises are used to engage students in charting the development of “tongues, texts, and scripts” as well as ethnic identities. Students use a digital platform to design their own Asian collections, including original pithy paragraph descriptions, galleries, maps, word clouds, pie charts, and timelines. Course Pre/co-requisites: Since this is an introductory/gateway course, there are no pre-requisites. However, as part of peer-based learning, students need to be prepared to interact with each other online and in-class on a regular basis. This course satisfies a DEC F requirement and GLO (Engagement in Global Issues) and SBS (Observe and analyze Human Behavior and Society) Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs): This course enables students to build knowledge and skills within a series of discrete units or modules and demonstrate the various ways Asian societies and cultures were (and, are) interconnected globally. Upon completion of the eight modules in this introductory course, students will be able to:

• Define and explain the significance of population, climate, political structures, and cultural and socio-economic diversity in China, India, Korea, Japan, and southwest and southeast Asia (class participation, note taking, and assessments)

• Identify “big” historical events, religions, languages,

literary classics, social groups, and socio-economic issues in Asia (class participation and assessments)

• Using the Viewshare platform, select, classify, and

describe the significance of Asian artifacts relating to education, health, religion and values, consumer issues, family and home, mobility, children, careers and work, entertainment and leisure, etc (online digital collection project, peer-to-peer evaluation)

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• Distinguish between major and minor concentrations in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies (class participation and analysis of Echo Center lectures)

Course Requirements: This is a version of a “flipped” class. This means that you are responsible for listening to mini-lectures via Blackboard outside of class and focusing on collaborative group exercises and projects in class. To succeed, regular attendance and active participation in class discussions and group work are mandatory. You will be penalized for missing more than two classes. More than four absences will lower your class participation grade; and more than five will lower your overall course grade. Coming late to class repeatedly or leaving early will count toward absences. Getting up to leave while class is in session is prohibited and will count toward absences. You may get up to leave while class is in session only if it’s an emergency or if you’ve arranged it ahead of time with me. Course etiquette: The use of laptop computers and cell phones are prohibited during class meetings. However, you may bring your laptop computer to class if you are using it for your group presentations or to read the course texts in an electronic format. If you violate this rule, you will be asked to leave the class. Inattentiveness during class discussions/projects will negatively affect your grade. If you use your cell phone during class, you will be told to leave and your grade will be lowered. Final grades will be calculated using the following percentages: Attendance, homework, and class

participation, including reflections on Wang Center events (25%), 3 assessments (10% each, 30% total), Viewshare project (25%), and final assessment (20%). Blackboard: Email and especially email sent via Blackboard (http://blackboard.stonybrook.edu) is one of the ways we officially communicate with you in this course. It is your responsibility to make sure that you read your email in your official University email account. For most students, that is Google Apps for Education (http://www.stonybrook.edu/mycloud). Please verify your official Electronic Post Office (EPO) address at: http://it.stonybrook.edu/help/kb/checking-or-changing-your-mail-forwarding-address-in-the-epo If you choose to forward your official University email to another off campus account, we are not responsible for any undeliverable messages to your alternative personal accounts. You can set up email forwarding using these DoIT-provided instructions found at: http://it.stonybrook.edu/help/kb/setting-up-mail-forwarding-in-google-mail. If you need technical assistance, please contact Client Support at (631) 632-9800 or supportteam@stonybrook.edu Required Reading: Carolyn Brown Heinz. Asian Cultural Traditions, Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 1999. Other assigned readings, reference materials, audio lectures, and visuals will be posted on Blackboard. You are required to complete the reading on the date the assignment is due as listed on the class schedule below.

CLASS SCHEDULE Much of what we accomplish depends upon the combined mix of student talents and interests. You can help by always attending class. I not only teach collaborative, reflexive learning, I practice it, too. There will be opportunities along the way for us to decide—as a class—to modify the syllabus or shift the due dates in response to collective needs and real-world experiences. Aug 30, Sept 1 Course Introduction Promotional Asian and Asian American Studies video: https://drive.google.com/a/stonybrook.edu/file/d/0Bzw1e1twXfZwQndjSFB3UkFuOTQ/view?ts=5728a76b Introduction to Viewshare In-class: Why should we study Asia? What do visuals mean to you? http://viewshare.org/share/f2e52946-f92a-11e2-bc01-4040e007d488/ Homework: Sign up for a Viewshare account (www.viewshare.org) Practice writing paragraphs NO CLASS ON SEPTEMBER 6

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Sept 8, 13 MODULE #1: ASIAN CONNECTIONS TO AMERICA Homework: http://www.asiamattersforamerica.org In-class: Evaluate primary sources by placing examples into themes; and selecting favorites; Guest lecture/small discussion on the significance of food to Asian/Asian American culture Confirm with Michelle or Haoran receipt of your Viewshare account

September 13 is the last day to process enrollment changes (adds, swaps, credit changes) via SOLAR without a

"W" (withdraw) recorded on your transcript. Full/Part time statuses will be locked in after this date. Sept 15, 20, 22 MODULE #2: MAPPING ASIA Homework:

• The Geopolitics of Asia (Echo Center Lecture) • Carolyn Brown Heinz. Asian Cultural Traditions, Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 1999,

pp. 1-38 • Country Readings, as assigned

In-class: Guest lecturer, “How to write powerful paragraphs” In your group, develop and implement a Jeopardy quiz on your assigned country’s geography and topography (https://jeopardylabs.com) Optional assignment (to be used for class discussion): For your assigned country, with your group answer the following questions: What might a ruler might do to attract people to his/her kingdom? What might entice people to settle there? Remember to consider economic reasons such as taxes, security reasons, and social reasons. Another alternative is for your group develop a draft advertisement and tourist pamphlet for your assigned country. Sept 27 ASSESSMENT (MODULES 1 & 2) Submit via Blackboard round one (first four) Viewshare paragraphs, and your first view to Michelle and Haoran Sept 29, Oct 4, 6, 11 MODULE #3: RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY, AND SPIRITUALITY PLEASE NOTE THAT CLASS FOR THE ENTIRE MODULE WILL MEET IN THE BLACK BOX THEATRE, STALLER CENTER, THE TABLER PERFORMANCE AREA 110 Homework:

• http://ackland.org/five-faiths-project/ (Complete handout on visuals) • Gary Mar. A Philosophy of Story (From PHI 378 Philosophical Issues in Asian American

History) • Huston Smith. The Illustrated World Religions, San Francisco, CA: Harper San

Francisco, 1994. (Optional assigned selections for each group on Hinduism (Chapter II), Buddhism (Chapter III), Confucianism (Chapter IV), Taoism (Chapter V), and Islam (Chapter VI) are on reserve in Melville Library In-class: Discuss the “Five Faiths Project” and review “The Magic Washcloth” play format. With your group, construct a story board and write a ten-minute story or play (approximately two-pages in length) based on your assigned faith. Practice performing your play with your group.

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Oct 13, 18, 20 MODULE #4: THE DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSMISSION OF LANGUAGE Homework:

• Heinz, pp. 39-76 and know the terms and concepts below • Professor Agnes He lecture and power point, Chinese Heritage and World Citizenry

(Echo Center) • With SBU professors, learn a simple sentence or phrase construction of one language in

your assigned country In-class: Discussion of Professor He’s lecture; in your group, develop a presentation and prepare a class handout of the simple sentence of phrase construction (above); practice the phrases presented by other groups.

Terms/people Important concepts Hindi Sino-Tibetan Dravidian Tibetan-Burmese Sanskrit Mandarin Chinese Cognates Mnemonic Loan words Xuanzang PIE (Proto-Indo-European) Faxian Vernacular language Dunhuang Vedic James Prinsen Vedas scripts Hangul Paleo-linguistics Kana

Language versus dialect Politics of language Tonal language Divine symbol Diamond Sutra Syllabic system

Oct 25 ASSESSMENT (MODULES 3 & 4) Submit via Blackboard round two (second set of four) Viewshare paragraphs and the Excel spreadsheet to Michelle and Haoran Oct 27, Nov 1, 3 MODULE #5: ETHNICITY AND ECOLOGY Homework: Heinz, pp. 77-116 Reference Materials: FRD Country Profiles under the headings, “Climate,” “Natural Resources,” “Environmental Factors,” “Population,” “Ethnic Groups,” “Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing,” “Energy,” “Tourism,” “Labor, and Human Rights” (Posted on Blackboard) In-class: With your group, prepare an outline of a 10 minute speech you would give at the United Nations to explain the challenges of ethnic diversity (that is, the social, economic, environmental, and political factors that differentiate ethnic groups. I will record your speeches and we will evaluate and vote on the top speech. Nov 8, 10, 15, 17 MODULE #6: CIVILIZATION, MODERNIZATION, AND TECHNOLOGY Homework: Part IV in Asia in Western and World History (ed. Ainslee T. Embree and Carol Gluck). (Assigned chapters on Blackboard for each group, including “South Asian History: A Cursory Review,” Themes in Southeast Asian History,” “Themes in Chinese History,” “Some Misconceptions about Chinese History,” “Patterns of the Past: Themes in Japanese History,” “Themes in Korean History.”) In-class: Using poster paper distributed in class, prepare the following 1) a timeline (with visuals) to illustrate periodization for your assigned country and 2) a diagram of major and related themes

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Nov 22 ASSESSMENT (MODULES 5 & 6) Submit via Blackboard round three (third set of four) Viewshare paragraphs and the Excel spreadsheet to Michelle and Haoran NO CLASS ON NOVEMBER 24 -- THANKSGIVING Nov 29, Dec 1, 6, 8 MODULE #7: YOUTH CULTURE, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, SOCIAL MEDIA Homework: Explore youth culture in your assigned country on the internet as it is represented on social media; Research Asia Society programs, books, lectures as assigned by Professor Christoff In-class: Listen to lecture on youth culture, review the table handed out in class, and develop research questions. Placing yourself in the role of a young person living in the assigned Asian country:

• What personal information would you want to put on social media? • Would you use social media to find friends and/or someone to date? • What would be your criteria?

Justify your view from the standpoint of the culture you represent. Present one audiovisual power point slide on your country/region. (Also, submit this via Blackboard)

FINAL EXAM TUESDAY, December 13, 2016 11:15 AM-1:45 PM Submit final Viewshare link and the spreadsheet with all 16 artifacts (including

the last set of four) to Michelle and Haoran via Blackboard Homework: Place your completed assignments in your folders and hand in before each of the 3 assessments. Grading scale: A (94-100) A- (90-93) B+ (87-89) B (84-86) B- (80-83) C+ (77-79) C (74-76) C- (70-73) D+ (69-68), D (67-65), F (64 and below) Additional class resources: Library resources: Melville Library has an excellent collection of Asian and Asian American resources. This link will be very useful: http://guides.library.stonybrook.edu/aas Blackboard: To access grades, announcements, and reading, see https://blackboard.stonybrook.edu/webapps/login/ Writing Center: For help with writing papers and composing essays, please use our writing center: http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/writrhet/writing_center/writing.html Career Center: To talk with someone about career options, http://career.stonybrook.edu/ Other places to seek advice: http://stonybrook.edu/aadvising/tut.html Disability Support Services (DSS): If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services at 631-632-6748; http://studentaffairs.stonybrook.edu/dss/. They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary

and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential. Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and DSS. For procedures and information: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/fire/disabilities Academic Integrity: Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty members are required to report any suspected instance of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/ Critical Incident Management: Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, and/or inhibits students' ability to learn. For further questions about student or instructor responsibilities, please see the Academic Policies and Regulations section of the on-line Undergraduate Bulletin: http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/bulletin/current/policiesandregulations/policies_expectations/min_instructional_student_resp.php