East Asia

East Asian Geography

In this first cluster of the East Asia unit, students discover the distinctive geographic and environmental features of this region. Students at this point have had exposure to various geographical terms and approaches for over a year of social studies; the East Asia lessons offer opportunities for them to apply some of their geographical skills as they make inferences from maps. They also identify how human-environment interactions work as a two-way process — a concept familiar from Unit 1. Along the way, students gain a bird's-eye view of topographic features of East Asia through image study, and consider how these features mattered to people on the ground. A theme running through the lessons is how and why students should think critically about sources such as maps, considering their credibility and accuracy so that the sources’ biases and limitations are clear. The Supporting Question uniting the lessons is, How do maps and images reveal information about human geography and development? What are some limits of these sources?

Bronze Age China

Clusters 2-4 focus on the early history of China addressing over 2,500 years of history, from the early Bronze Age Shang dynasty to the medieval Tang dynasty. For much of this period, the existence of written texts and the continual archaeological discovery of artifacts offer a window into the lives and ideas of early people. Cluster 2 focuses on “The Concerns and Contributions of Bronze Age China,” in which students ask, What do artifacts and texts tell us about people’s lives in early China? Lessons throughout all three Early China clusters highlight the skills of historical source analysis, especially PS 3 and PS 5.

Early China: Ideas about Governing

In Cluster 3 students will continue focusing on early China history by exploring political philosophy, and asking What kind of government did the ancient Chinese feel would best keep order and harmony? Students answer this question by reading source materials and considering the political approach of the First Emperor of Qin and later dynasties.

Early China: Foundational Belief Systems and Innovations

Cluster 4 is the last of the three clusters focused on Early China history. This cluster looks at “Foundational Belief Systems and Innovations,” asking What were the foundational belief systems and innovations of China, and why did they spread across the region? The core ethical ideas of Confucianism and Buddhism, and cosmic ideas of Daoism (and Indigenous Chinese Beliefs broadly), are each introduced here, along with the idea of religious syncretism.

Early Korea: Three Kingdoms to Koryo

Early Korean history is a story of indigenous cultural development, shaped by geographic circumstances, and of selective borrowing through encounters with neighbors. In this part of our East Asia unit, we will explore how each of these factors influenced Korean identity. Through a guided research activity, students will delve into features that made Korea’s Three Kingdoms — Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla — distinctive, as well as what they shared in common. They will also gain practice in explaining particular aspects of the histories of these kingdoms through selected images.

Early Korea Supplemental Lessons: A Single Shard

The three Korea lessons in Cluster 6 are supplemental but highly recommended. They are based on Linda Sue Park’s novel A Single Shard, set in the Koryo kingdom a few centuries later. Park’s compelling novel allows students to analyze how powerful narrative writing can enliven our sense of the past while motivating us to care about what happened. The lessons cultivate students’ knowledge about Korean social structures, artistic production and patronage, religious institutions, foreign relations, culture, and daily life. The story lends itself particularly well to reflection on Essential Question 2. The lessons are supplemental as they require schools to access class sets of A Single Shard.

Power in Classical and Early Medieval Japan

In Clusters 7 and 8 students learn about classical and early medieval Japan. Creating a centralized state in premodern Japan was a challenging project. Japan is mountainous except for the Kanto plain and coasts, stretches in an arc of 1200 miles, and is geographically divided across four main islands and about 6,800 smaller islands. In these circumstances, political unity took many centuries to achieve (indeed Hokkaido and Okinawa were only incorporated into the central state in the late 19th century.) Then, roughly six centuries after its first centralization, Japan devolved to a feudal system of government. To understand early Japan, it is vital to grasp which forces supported centralization and which benefited from decentralization, and how the various parties tried to hold power. Cluster 7 focuses on these dynamics and the supporting question, How did different groups compete for power in early Japan? We explore the approaches and means used by aristocratic clans, monarchs, officials, Buddhist priests, and warriors to gain influence and advantage. We explore literary texts that capture the spirit of very different eras in Japan’s governance. Because continental ideas played a central role in this story — Japan’s centralization was modeled on Tang Chinese centralization measures, for instance — we also examine sources that show the nature of Chinese and Korean influence through missions, trade and sustained contact.

Art in Classical and Early Medieval Japan

Cluster 8 turns to Japanese aesthetics, which derive from and depart from artistic styles and ideas common across East Asia. We ask, How did Japanese art reflect Japanese values?, and use Japanese gardens as a case study. Students learn some basic principles of Japanese aesthetics, and apply them through their own design of a Japanese garden. Over tea and poetry, common cultural pleasures throughout East Asia, students finish the unit by reflecting on the Essential Questions and reviewing key concepts they have learned.