This course will examine China, Japan, and India from an Asia-centered perspective. Topics will include geography, ancient empires, food and culture, creation myths, belief systems, law and social control, women in ancient Asia, cultural and scientific contributions, and early contacts with the West. There is no prerequisite. Other assigned materials include reserve readings in Founders Library and selected sites on the World Wide Web.
Students are responsible for all assigned materials.
On Wednesday, August 30, the class will meet at Founders Library to work on an assignment which will familiarize students with the various materials on Asian history available. The assignment will require students to use historical atlases to locate key sites in Ancient Asia and use the library's reference materials, books and academic journals on Asian history to answer specific questions about the countries. No W.W.W. materials may be used for the assignment . There will be five quizzes given in class this semester. See lecture schedule for dates.