D. Fix History 323 Sp 2022 1 Rice, in East Asia I. Course description: This course examines the history of rice in East Asia as crop, food, commodity, genetic resource and symbol. How were institutions of social cohesion in China and Japan influenced by the particular demands of, and a commitment to, small-scale, labor-intensive riziculture? When and how were relations between consumer tastes and rice markets mediated by "rice masters"? What roles has rice played in linking the histories of East Asia, Southeast Asia and the world between 1000 and the present? How did the "green revolution" alter that regional regime of rice cultivation, exchange and consumption? These and other questions will be explored in multi-disciplinary fashion with a broad range of original data and recent historiography. II. Course requirements: • Read, ponder, and prepare to discuss all weekly reading assignments prior to conference meetings. This preparation will include the submission of weekly exercises (reading notes, discussion questions, reading responses, worksheets, maps, visual exploratories, etc.) before public discussion begins. Weekly exercises are designed to enhance your preparation prior to seminar discussions. • Attend and actively participate in all seminar discussions. This class will be run as a discussion seminar, and that format makes all of us responsible for the quality of our discussions. That engagement includes listening to and responding to the ideas and comments of colleagues. • Keep a course notebook that records your regular explorations of historiographical issues in course readings and sources for your independent research project. Use this same notebook to build up your knowledge of riziculture in East Asia. • Write précis (critical summaries) of two of the assigned historiographical articles or book chapters; each précis is limited to two pages (double-spaced) and must be submitted before the summarized reading is discussed in class. One is due during Week 3; the second is due in either week 8 or 10. • Write three short analytical papers (5 pages, double-spaced, plus end notes), each of which examines a fundamental question explored in the readings for three different weeks. Each seminar participant will be assigned to one of three "paper-writing group," with paper deadlines that are staggered in three-week intervals. Each paper is due before the end of the assigned week (i.e., 5pm, Saturday of the specified week). Three handouts on the Course moodle will help you plan and write these papers; no paper proposals are required, but I would be pleased to discuss your proposed paper(s) with you. • Working with a classmate, research an important aspect of one of the fundamental topics of this course on rice in East Asia. Then design, compose, edit and present a ten-minute presentation on your results. A research project proposal and annotated bibliography of useful sources is required (due before the end of Week Nine), as well as a handout to go with your presentation (due before the end of Week Twelve). Presentations will take place during Week Thirteen. My formal office hours this semester are: Monday 3-4pm; Tuesday 2-3pm However, if you have classes or work during those office hours, I am on campus every weekday, and I am normally in my office (Eliot Hall 423) when I'm not in the classroom.