Instructions for Response Papers.

From time to time throughout the semester I will be assigning short response papers, basically a one-to-two-page response to one of the assigned texts in Wm. DeBary’s Sources of Japanese Tradition.

What I will be looking for in these papers is:

1. evidence that you read the text: a brief summary (no longer than a sentence or two) of what the text is about, with some attention to who wrote it and why.
2. evidence that you thought about the text in relation to the art and architecture featured in the week’s readings in Mason’s History of Japanese Art and/or concepts that are raised in other readings (whether for this class or another class).
3. good writing.

Within these parameters, you can go in any direction you want with these papers. If the text makes you think about the nature of Japanese religion, the politics of the time, or contemporary society, please write about it. I am hoping that these papers will stimulate your thinking about Japanese culture and that this will deepen your understanding of Japanese art. Please note, though, that I am not interested in thoughtless criticism of Japanese art or culture. If you have a strongly negative reaction to the text, you need to stop to reflect on how the values of Japanese society in a particular period might differ from modern values, and try to understand the author’s reasons for writing as he did. If you find the text confusing, you might focus on one part of it, or you might try to puzzle out what the author is trying to convey.

Please refer to the notes in your syllabus about appropriate formats for written work and about plagiarism. (Yes, plagiarism even matters here: if you quote from the text in your paper, please use a parenthetical reference.)

If you have further questions about writing response papers, you might visit the HWS Writes website.

Assignments.

1. "Legends Concerning Shinto Deities" (De Bary 17-31, 36), due Friday, Jan. 28.

2. "Proclamation of the Emperor Shomu on the Erection of the Great Buddha Image" (De Bary 114-15), due Wednesday, Feb. 16.

3. "The Way of Tea" (De Bary 388-98), due Friday, Apr. 1.