April 11 and 13
(Rich) Chinese people collected art objects, and competed to get the best pieces. They showed them to their friends and colleagues, sometimes to show off, but sometimes also because they genuinely were fascinated by these works of art, their history, and their beauty. They did not always have our modern scientific methods to discern fake from genuine antiques, but they knew a few tricks! They also had different concerns and valued compared to present-day collectors.
So what happens when objects become collectibles? What are the different types of values that make an object an item worthy of inclusion in the collection? And how did the Chinese elite (scholars, officials, emperors) think about and interact with such objects and the past they represented?
- Slides
- Readings and class details
- Assignments
- Extra Credit Tasks
- Where to Get Assistance?
Slides
Readings and class details
Tuesday
Meeting in Ettinger 212, 3.30PM
- Discover: “The World of Science: Chinese Bronze Forgery” (Youtube video, 10 min)
- Can machines detect forgeries? This is a somewhat older video, but a lot of the techniques used to fake the bronze were also used in the Song and Ming.
- FYI: in the years since, the techniques of detection have only become more sophisticated. But forgers have also become more savvy!
- Clunas, Craig. Superfluous Things: Material Culture and Social Status in Early Modern China. Honolulu: Univ Of Hawai’i Press, 2016. (PDF)
- Scholars of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) were interested in things from the past. They collected them, and there was a thriving market for art as well as for forgeries. What were the reasons scholars collected things of the past? How did these change through the dynasty? How did they deal with what we would describe as fakes and forgeries?
- Note that Clunas makes explicit comparisons with the European world of the same period; and that Ricci was a Jesuit missionary working at the Ming court at the time.
- Tip: Take notes on how a buyer of objects in the Ming dynasty would think through a possible transaction, just in case you get flashed back in a time machine.
- Scholars of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) were interested in things from the past. They collected them, and there was a thriving market for art as well as for forgeries. What were the reasons scholars collected things of the past? How did these change through the dynasty? How did they deal with what we would describe as fakes and forgeries?
Thursday
Meeting in Ettinger 212, 3.30PM
For today’s content we’re moving back a bit in time to the slightly earlier Song dynasty to visit emperor Huizong.
- Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. Emperor Huizong. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press 2014.
- A short extract from a detailed biography of Emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1126), who was an avid collector and creator of art. Questions: How did this emperor influence the imperial collections? What is the role of politics in art collection, and what are some of the major differences between the emperor and the scholar-officials in seeing items worthy of inclusion in the imperial collection? (PDF)
- Arranz, Adolfo. “How China’s Forbidden City Became the Palace Museum.” South China Morning Post. December 05, 2018.
- Scroll through to see how the Imperial collection became the people’s collection.
- Remember to check out the second chapter of the series: “Forbidden City treasures survived 14 years fleeing war before being split between Beijing and Taipei“
Assignments
1. Reminder: Blog post (content week 11)
5 points, due Mon. April 10, 11:59PM
Write a blog post exploring themes or ideas based on your reading. You do not need to have all the answers. In fact, learning to ask good analytical or research questions is a skill you can develop during the semester. Remember the description of the assignment from the syllabus.
- Length: approx. 400 words. excl. list of materials consulted.
- Add the list of materials consulted at the end of the post, in Chicago notes and bibliography style.
- TOP TIP: Just copy the bibliography information from the Reading list on last week’s webpage, do not add the descriptive notes I provide for your information.
- Add the words “Week 11” in the title.
- Please use this exact phrase, so your post will show up in the blog stream.
- Indicate which Exploration Pack you chose.
- Include a relevant image, and add a caption with the source/credit, and an Alt text description
- Post on your website, and add to the category hst137.
When you’re done, read this declaration carefully and then fill out the Canvas quiz to collect your points.
| Declaration |
|---|
| – I wrote a post of approximately 400 words in response to the readings. |
| – I included the bibliographic references for the materials I used for my post. |
| – I indicated which Exploration Pack I chose. |
| – I included an image, and I provided a caption and credit (source), and an Alt text description for the image. |
| – I use the words Week 11 in the title, and added the post to category hst137 |
2. Feedback with Hypothes.is
3 points, due Tue April 11, 11:59PM
Below you find links to three blog posts from your fellow students. If one of the websites is your own, or it is twice the same person’s, refresh the page, and you should get new sites. There may be a post from an earlier week: that means it came in after I created last week’s randomizer, but still before the built-in extension of the blog post assignment.
- Post 1:
- Post 2:
- Post 3:
Leave feedback, questions, thoughts, insights about the contents of the posts of your fellow students using Hypothes.is group HST137. You can ask for clarifications, point out similarities and differences with the material you covered, or with your interpretation. This should encourage you to nose around in the other materials you did not read originally, too.
Use tags in Hypothes.is: question: If you have a question (obvious); answered: if you gave an answer to a question; info: if you provide more information, looking up additional facts, drawing on knowledge from other classes; and other tags you can think of. This will help us to navigate more quickly to the questions that still need answering.
Use the “Architect’s Model” of giving feedback, and engage with concrete issues. Go beyond “Yeah, I agree,” “I like” or “I think the same”, and instead explain why you have that reaction, or if you disagree, you can try to persuade the original poster of your idea or interpretation.
Remember that Hypothes.is allows for hyperlinks, e.g. to materials that support your argument, or you can include pictures (memes! [yes, there she is again]), videos etc. that help the original poster to learn more.
When you’re done, read this declaration carefully, and then fill out the Canvas quiz to collect your points.
| Declaration |
|---|
| – I commented on three fellow students’ weekly blog post on Week 11 materials, using the Hypothes.is group HST137. |
| – I made sure to leave substantial comments that help the writer to improve the post, or to identify their strengths. |
| – I left comments that I would like to receive myself: thoughtful, helpful, kind, but also pointing out errors so they can be fixed. |
4. Blog post (content week 12)
5 points, due Sun. April 16, 11:59PM
Write a blog post exploring themes or ideas based on your reading. You do not need to have all the answers. In fact, learning to ask good analytical or research questions is a skill you can develop during the semester. Remember the description of the assignment from the syllabus.
- Length: approx. 400 words. excl. list of materials consulted.
- Add the list of materials consulted at the end of the post, in Chicago notes and bibliography style.
- TOP TIP: Just copy the bibliography information from the Reading list on this webpage, do not add the descriptive notes I provide for your information.
- Add the words “Week 12” in the title.
- Please use this exact phrase, so your post will show up in the blog stream.
- Indicate which Exploration Pack you chose.
- Include a relevant image, and add a caption with the source/credit, and an Alt text description
- Post on your website, and add to the category hst137.
When you’re done, read this declaration carefully and then fill out the Canvas quiz to collect your points.
| Declaration |
|---|
| – I wrote a post of approximately 400 words in response to the readings. |
| – I included the bibliographic references for the materials I used for my post. |
| – I indicated which Exploration Pack I chose [if applicable]. |
| – I included an image, and I provided a caption and credit (source), and an Alt text description for the image. |
| – I use the words Week 12 in the title, and added the post to category hst137 |
Extra Credit assignments
EC12-1: Introduce an image
3 points, due by Sunday April. 16, 11.59pm
All the details on this webpage, incl. a link to declaration quiz.
EC12-2: Rewrite a blog post
2 points, due by Sunday, April. 16, 11.59pm
Unhappy about a post you wrote? Feeling you can do better now than a few weeks ago? Had a bad week and rushed to get it in but now you’re ready to do something you can be proud of? Now you can rewrite that post and get some extra credit for it!
- Pick one post from a previous weeks (not the Cat post) and use the comments you received, and your new insights, to rewrite it.
- Add a brief paragraph at the end explaining how you rewrote the post: which comments did you address, how did you go about the process (e.g. starting from new blank page vs. tinkering; focusing on structure or word choice or adding/correcting facts,…), and what you learned through the process of rewriting.
- tag the post with extra, and add “rewrite” to the title
- (Note: it should already be in the category hst137)
Read the following Declaration carefully, and then head on over to Canvas to collect your points in the Declaration Quiz:
| Declaration |
|---|
| I selected a post from a previous week and rewrote it, using feedback and insights I gained since writing it. |
| I added a brief paragraph at the end explaining what I did to rewrite the post, and what I learned about rewriting |
| I added the tag extra to the post, and added the word rewrite to the title. |
| I made sure the post is still in the category hst137. |
Where to get assistance?
- Tea Room on Discord:
- open anytime for you
- I will be hosting Tue 2PM-3PM; Wed. 1PM-2PM, or at other times by appointment via Google Calendar (usually a 15-20min appointment is enough). You can also find me in my office during Tea Room times.
- Private room for confidential chat available on request.
- Discord Text Channel #hst137
- DLAs: Digital Learning Assistants: check the schedule!
- Writing Center: Sunday – Wednesday 3:30 – 5:30 & 7 – 11 PM; Thursday 3:30 – 5:30 PM & 7 – 9 PM
- Trexler Library Course Subject Guide: our own dedicated subject guide for the course
- Safety on/around campus: report an incident
