essay proposal
mikeeee
EAS380HEssayTopicsandProposal2019Winter.pdf
Writing Women in Premodern China EAS 380H1F (2019 Winter)
Essay Assignment
Below are ten topics, classified as poetry or prose. You are free to do your essay on any one of these topics (not a pair). To find specific texts, refer to readings indicated. (The L code corresponds to the readings listed in the lecture modules on Quercus.) You may use any of the texts in the readings, even those not covered in class.
Poetry Prose
Classic of Poetry (L2:1) Many of the poems in the Classic of Poetry are written in the voices of women. Choose two or three poems and use them to discuss what you feel were the challenges faced by women in Zhou China. How did these poems help women cope with these challenges?
Confucian and Daoist Classics (L1:1-6) Describe some of the constraints put on women’s behavior by Confucian Classics (Changes, Rites, Analects). What anxieties in men about women’s behavior do these texts address? How do the Daoist texts subvert or critique these constraints?
Yuefu and Old Poems (L2:2-3) Yuefu and Old Poems both speak about women, and speak in the voice of women. Choose two to four poems to contrast these differing viewpoints. How do the portrayals of women differ from the way women are shown to speak for themselves?
Ban Zhao (L4:2) Explain the tension between the “ideal” woman portrayed in Precepts for My Daughters, and how Ban Zhao expressed herself in her other writings, and lived her life as a cultural figure with authority? Why do you think she wrote Precepts?
Tang Women Poets (L5:2-4) Whose poetry do you prefer among Li Ye, Yu Xuanji, and Xue Tao? Why do you prefer it? Use examples from the other two poets to show why you think the poetry by your top choice is superior.
Women in Official History (L3:3; L4:3-4; L5:1 ) Official histories often portray women as problematic figures and sources of instability. Using at least two examples from the readings, describe how women use the means available to them to exert power.
Li Qingzhao (L8:1) We have writing in a variety of genres by Li Qingzhao—poetry, lyrics, letters, essays, and literary criticism. Identify one or more major themes in her writing, and show how she develops them in different genres.
Cross-Dressing Women (L11:1-4) Women will sometimes dress/act like men to employ the privileges and power of men. Using at least two examples from the readings, describe what women wanted to achieve by doing this, and why. What are the dangers of cross-dressing?
Late Ming Courtesans (L9:2-3) Famous courtesans had a high level of cultural authority and large audiences. Using examples from one or both Liang Xiaoyu and Liu Shi, explain how they use their writing to form their authority, and explain what goals they wanted to achieve with it.
Domesticating Extraordinary Women (L7:2; L9:1) In Chinese these stories are called chuanqi (“transmitting the marvelous”). Choose one tale and discuss what you feel is “marvelous” or “strange” in the story. How and why is that marvelous element tamed, controlled, or domesticated by the end of the story?
Writing Women in Premodern China EAS 380H1F (2019 Winter)
Essay Proposal
The Essay Proposal is due by 11:59pm on Wed 30 Jan 2019, uploaded to Quercus, where you can also view a sample and the rubric. In your submission include the following information: 1. Your name and student ID #. 2. Your topic (copied and pasted from the list above). Choose one only. 3. The primary texts from the readings that you intend to use (give author, title and page #s). 4. A thesis statement: what is the main point you want to make in the essay in response to the
topic? State it in one or two sentences in a general way. 5. A brief outline of three or more related points that will expand upon and support your thesis.
Each of these points should be one sentence. 6. Two other secondary sources you plan to use (online or in print), with a one sentence
description of why they are useful. Use the bibliography format shown in the sample. Essay
The essay itself is due by 11:59pm on Wen 20 Mar 2019, on Quercus. The penalty for lateness is minus 2% off the grade for the essay per day late. The length is a minimum of 1500 words (approx. 5-6 pages, double spaced with one inch margins and a 12 pt. font). You will be graded 25% for language (spelling, grammar); 25% for form (organization, clarity of argument); 25% for ideas (points being made); and 25% for analysis (supporting ideas with the text). See the rubric on Quercus for more detailed information.
This essay is about your interpretation of the text; it is not a research paper. The only sources you are allowed to use are the assigned readings, your lecture notes, and two other sources, either online or in print. For suggestions of other sources, see The Columbia History of Chinese Literature, individual articles in The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature, and The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature. (See course syllabus for where to find these.) To find suitable secondary sources, you may consult online databases such as “The Bibliography of Asian Studies” and JSTOR. You may use Wikipedia to guide you to academic sources, but do not cite Wikipedia itself as a source. Only use scholarly online sources, not blogs or discussion forums. You may use sources in Chinese, but you must translate anything you quote from them into English in your essay (and put the original Chinese in a footnote).
Please check to make sure your paper is free of spelling and grammatical errors. If you are uncertain, have someone read it over for you to suggest changes that you will make yourself. For extra help, see “Writing at the University of Toronto”. Refer to its list of writing centres, where staff can help you to plan, organize, write, and revise academic papers.
Do not have someone else write any part of the paper for you, buy it from an essay service or copy any part of the paper from another source (including the Internet) without proper citation; this would be plagiarism, an academic offense that will be reported to the Office of Student Academic Integrity. Talk to me or the TAs beforehand if you have any questions or doubts about your paper.
