Thematic/Historiographical Paper

Description

You will use primary and secondary sources to analyze one thematic/historiographical issue we have discussed in the class. That is the social status and life of Song women. This topic is a broad theme, and you are supposed to identify a more specific issue that lends well to the scope of 5 pages. For example, instead of discussing Song women’s social life in a general sense, you can focus on their legal rights—or even more specifically, their property rights. You are strongly encouraged to come up with a thesis on your own. Original and interesting topics will be awarded extra credits. Your papers should have an informative title and a brief introductory paragraph with a thesis statement placed at the end. All references should be made using footnotes in the body of your paper in accordance with the “Notes and Bibliography” style in the Chicago Manual of Style.  Use of Sources: In addition to the use of two primary sources, you will cite at least three secondary sources (journal articles/academic monographs) which are closely related to your topic and support your analysis. You should do some independent research and choose scholarly work.  I encourage you to build this paper on the foundation of a Think Piece (uploaded) of yours precisely because I want you to benefit from continuous thinking and progressive intellectual engagement. You are certainly allowed to paraphrase some of your ideas from the Think Piece (and make them better!). You should not, however, use your Think Piece verbatim (in however small portions, even just a few sentences), which constitutes self-plagiarism. Course readings – primary sources pdfs: 1. Patricia Ebrey, “Introduction,” The Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993), 1-44 2. “Women and the Problems They Create,” Ebrey, Chinese Civilization: A Source Book, 164-168 Think Piece readings: “Interlude: Li Qing-Zhao’s Epilogue to Records on Metal and Stone,” in An Anthology of Chinese Literature, ed. Stephen Owen (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997), 591-596