Week 4: Building the First Empire

Sept. 19 – Sept. 25

This week we move into the beginnings of what we think of as “China” in many ways: a large state under the rule of a single emperor. The First Emperor of Qin created a state that would endure as a model for centuries to come.

Unless otherwise noted, all assignments and tasks are due by 11:59PM. I strongly suggest you keep a healthy life-work balance and make sure to get enough sleep. Check the “best-before dates” policy in the syllabus.

Monday
  • □ Look ahead at the readings and tasks for this week, and plan in when you will do them.
  • – This prevents last minute panic, and means you can make the most of our time together in class.
  • □ Keep thinking about that Show and Tell project if you haven’t started yet:
  • – Specific to this time: webpage with details and suggestions;
  • – General information (incl. some suggestions for format etc)
Tuesday
  • □ Last day to pitch in the Discord chat channel #hst269 your Show and Tell:
  • – Topic?
  • – Format?
  • – Do you have sources ready or do you need a hand?
  • I’m happy to help you look!
  • □ Feedback on your fellow students’ posts:
  • – Read through and use Hypothes.is (Group HST269)  to comment on your fellow students’ posts: everybody likes some encouragement! Here is a random selection of three posts. If two or more posts are the same, or one is your own, just refresh the page for a different set. It’s all random, it’s all good! 
  • * Post 1:
  • * Post 2:
  • * Post 3:
Wednesday
  • □ Prepare before class: Readings
    • Primary source: Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1: From Earliest Times to 1600. Edited by Wm. de Bary and Irene Bloom. Second Edition. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 1999.“Legalists and Militarists”
      • various short selections marked in red brackets (PDF)
    • Primary source: Han Fei, “The Two Handles”. In The Complete Works of Han Fei Tzu: A Classic of Chinese Political Science. Translated by Wengui Liao. Probsthain’s Oriental Series, 25-26. London: Arthur Probsthain, 1959.
      • Click on that blue link to take you to the online version of the text.
        • Questions to ponder: what is the basic idea of these thinkers about human nature? What does their viewpoint tell us about the time they lived in? What made them attractive to the rulers of states? And what made them less attractive?
    •  Textbook for background: Hansen, Valerie. The Open Empire: A History of China to 1800. Section “Legalists State” in Chapter 3, pp. 94-97.
    • Textbook for background: Schneewind, Sarah. An Outline History of East Asia to 1200. Third edition. Open Textbook Library. Oakland, California: eScholarship, 2021. Chapter 3, section pp. 42-52. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9d699767
  •  
  • □ Meeting in Ettinger 213, 9.30AM (Slides)
Thursday
  • □ Today’s a great day to work on your Show and Tell, and to prepare for tomorrow’s class about the First Emperor.
Friday
  • □ Prepare before class: Readings:
  • “The Terracotta Army.” You’re Dead to Me, with Greg Jenner, Julia Lovell, and Phil Wang. BBC Radio 4 Podcasts. Aug. 12, 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0cshgzq
        • Greg and his team research everything carefully so this is a great way to learn all about the First Emperor, while having a laugh too.
        • How does this information connect to/contrast with what we learned on Wednesday?
  • Alternative for the podcast: Ledderose, Lothar. “”A Magic Army for the Emperor.” In Ten Thousand Things: Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art. The A.W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts, 1998, 50-73. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000.
        • PDF– If you prefer reading over listening, same information as the podcast.
        • How does this information connect to/contrast with what we learned on Wednesday?
  • Primary source: “Penal Servitude in Qin Law.” In Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook. Second Edition. Edited by Patricia Buckley Ebrey. New York: Free Press, 1993. (PDF)
        • Later in the course we will see other penal codes, from later dynasties. What is characteristic of the Qin code, in your informed opinion? We can use that knowledge for later comparisons.
  • Optional extras (fun/ if you have time/want to dive deeper)
    • Sima Qian. “Chapter 6: “The Basic Annals of the First Emperor of the Qin.” In Records of the Grand Historian. Translated by Burton Watson. Revised edition. Columbia Univ. Press, 1993. (PDF)
        • (section headings included to break up the text)
    • Dedicated webpage with more materials
  • □ Meeting in Ettinger 213, 9.30AM (Slides)
  • □ Show and Tell 1 (due 11.59PM): Submit as a blog post in category HST269. All details on the dedicated webpage
Saturday
  • □ Rest day
Sunday

Where to get help:

  • Tea Room on Discord:
    • open anytime for you
    • I will be hosting Tue 2PM-3PM; Wed. 11AM-12PM, or at other times by appointment via Google Calendar. You can also find me in my office during Tea Room times.
    • Private room for confidential chat available on request.
  • Discord Channel #hst269 and the (anonymous) Padlet (both also useful for chatting, sharing fun stuff)
  • DLAs: Digital Learning Assistants: schedule coming soon!
  • Writing Center: Sunday-Wednesday: 3:30 – 5:30 pm and 7-11 pm; Thursday: 3:30 – 5:30 pm and 7-9 pm; drop in or make an appointment
  • Trexler Library Course Subject Guide: our own dedicated subject guide for the course 
  • Safety on/around campus: report an incident