PLEASE NOTE: This course will be conducted as an upper-level seminar with a strong emphasis on classroom discussion and student presentations. I expect all students to attend and participate in all discussion sections. Moreover, the completion of all written assignments is necessary for a passing grade. It is important to note that more than three (3) missed classes will result in a failing grade in this course. No further excuses, for any reason, will be permitted. I also wish to note that no "incompletes" will be given for this class. Please remember to plan ahead!
I will require that all students establish e-mail accounts with Internet access. This course will occasionally involve interaction between the instructor and students outside of the lecture period. Please set up these accounts as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Annotated bibliography (5-7 pages) 20%
Class presentation 10%
Historiographical essay (10-12 pages) 40%
Class participation 30%
Historiographical essay (20-25 pages) 50%
Class presentation 20%
Class participation 30%
All undergraduate students will produce short annotated bibliographies as their first written assignments. All graduate students will supply annotated bibliographies with their final historiographical essays. An annotated bibliography is a list of books, articles, and documents, in which each entry is followed by a brief description of the source itself. These descriptions, or annotations, are provided to advise the reader on the accuracy and usefulness of the materials you have cited in your bibliography. For a better sense of what it entails to create an annotated bibliography, I urge everyone to visit the Cornell University Library's web site at http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill28.htm. This page contains a very good overview of the process.
I have created a Web site for this classroom, which you and I will continue to expand as the semester progresses. Together we will discuss options for the expansion of the course web site during the first weeks of class. Students also can access course information, such as scheduled events (i.e. the syllabus you now hold in your hand), as well as terms mentioned in lecture. I will also list links to web sites of interest to our class. I urge everyone to visit the site Critical Thinking on the Web: A Directory of Quality Online Resources (http://www.philosophy.unimelb.edu.au/reason/critical/) before "surfing" through these on-line materials. Moreover, I may include additional materials on the library's Electronic Reserve list. Please refer to the class Web site periodically for such materials.
All students will be required to present to the class a short summary and salient points from their final essays. We will discuss the nature of these presentations later on in the course.
An historiographical essay is a critical overview of a variety of historical interpretations of an oftentimes narrowly focused topic. Such essays can take different forms, and we will discuss these forms during this course. As an example, I will place one of my own historiographical essays from graduate student days on reserve at the library.
Please remember that the quality of your writing, particularly the clarity and persuasiveness of your argument, will factor into the final grading. Late papers will be penalized half a letter grade for each day beyond the original due date.
Discussion and the exchange of ideas are very important components of this course. Everyone will be required to participate, and you should feel free to ask questions in every class. Each student will come to class having read the texts and prepared to discuss them. I will not hesitate to call on all students to participate. However, you should feel free to speak with me before class, if you find it difficult to speak in a public setting. In that case, you may submit your questions before each class in writing.
Required Reading
The following books are required reading for this course, and may be purchased at the UNCG Bookstore:
1. Steinberg, David J. (ed.). In Search of Southeast Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1988. Revised edition. ISBN: 0824811100.
2. Day, Tony. Fluid Iron: State Formation in Southeast Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2002. ISBN: 0824826175.
3. Shaffer, Lynda N. Maritime Southeast Asia to 1500. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1996.
ISBN: 1563241447.
4. Abu-Lughod, Janet L. Before European Hegemony: The World System A.D. 1250-1350. New York: Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (February 1991) ISBN: 0195067746.
5. Reid, Anthony. Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce 1450-1680
Volume Two: Expansion and Crisis. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
Reprint
ISBN: 0300065167.
All other materials for this course will be available on reserve (or on electronic reserve) at the library.