Non-bCourse links to Wallace's courses (the old "Start Page")

Feb 2014: I am currently not using this page for announcements. All announcements are going out through bCourse.

Earlier announcements

FOR EA105 ONLY — Mon, 20 Jan 2014: Hello EA105ers, As you will see when you look at it, the bCourse pages are not completely finished. It is, however, a workable version of the course. Please visit the site before class tomorrow. See you tomorrow!!

FOR EA105 ONLY — Sun, 19 Jan 2014:

Hello EA105ers, I hope to publish our bCourse website sometime tomorrow. It won't be entirely finished but the basics will be there (schedule, assignments, many of the files, syllabus, etc).

The first assignment is due Jan 23, 2AM. It is a set of online pages that need to be read, then you simply certify that you have done so. I am still writing most of those pages, but it will come in at about 3,000 words -- 30 minutes to an hour of reading, going slowly and sorting through the ideas.

The first book we will read (and you need to complete it by Feb 11) is Story of the Stone and it should be available already at the bookstore. If not and if you want to purchase it today rather than wait for details on the syllabus in the next day or two, it is the first volume, the Penguin edition. Here's the Amazon link: Story of the Stone: Vol 1. There are other translations, and you can read in another language if you want. But if you are dealing with English, it is really worth the few dollars. It is a major text of Chinese literature and probably should be on your bookshelf (virtual or real). We will not read all of it, but much of it.

FOR J159 ONLY — Thu, 17 Jan 2014: Published the draft version of J159. I will starting working on EA105 Sunday and publish Monday or Tuesday morning.

FOR J159 ONLY — Thu, 16 Jan 2014:

I hope to publish our bCourse website today or tomorrow. It will be in draft form but more or less functional.

This is just a heads up that Nip The Buds, Shoot the Kids (Memushiri kouchi, English translation), pages 1–122 will be due Jan 28 will full expectation that you have read those pages completely and with care. There are shorter assignments due before that, and you will be able to see them on the course website. However, I worried that some of you might put off purchasing this book until the first day of class and then be forced to purchase it through our bookstore instead of online, to finish it in time. So this is a friendly notice to perhaps save you a bit of money.

Thu, 9 Jan 2014: The bCourse web site for J170Sp14 is now up and running. I am now working on J159Sp14. The last class I will do is EA105Sp14.

Mon, 6 Jan 2014: Happy New Year to everyone! ... I am in the process of creating bCourse sites for J170 and J159. In the second week of Dec., I requested a bCourse URL for EA105 but for some reason that hasn't yet happened yet. bCourse sites are labor-intensive and it is going to take some time to get them up and running. Until I announce otherwise, J170, J159 and EA105 students should watch this announcement page for announcements and information. J170 students: We will be reading Enchi Fumiko's MASKS early in the course. I have not ordered this book through any local bookstore. You will need to obtain it on your own. There will be no other required purchases.

Mon, 23 Dec 2013: I reported grades for all classes to the University yesterday. I enjoyed sharing Japanese premodern literature and notions of beauty in J7A, the story of tea (and yours stories of tea!) in EA109, and lots of fine poems in the waka/haiku class (and random rambling discussions) in J130. I wish everyone a wonderful Winter Break and I hope to see many of you again next year. Congratulations to the several who I know are graduating. I will miss you. This was a good semester, although I never feel I succeed well enough in conveying the beauty of the content of these classes. You guys and gals were great! I won't be making announcements relevant to these classes here, anymore. I'll reach you through bSpace if needed.

Sun, 22 Dec 2013: I will be reporting to the University grades for all classes today and perhaps tomorrow.

Sun, 22 Dec 2013: Posted essay grades to bSpace.

Sat, 21 Dec 2013: Posted Final Exam grades and stats. No doubt there are way too many typos in the comments. I need to end for the day and thought you would rather see these than have them get bumped until tomorrow just for the spell check. Email me if something doesn't make sense.

Fri, 20 Dec 2013: Posted Final Exam grades and stats.

Fri, 20 Dec 2013: Posted essay grades to bSpace. They are in three components: Research (graded by your mentor), Form (graded by your mentor) and Content (graded by the instructor who is not your mentor and did not know the identities of the essays he graded). Each grade has comments attached. Please read them! The averages that bSpace provides are inaccurate since we have a number of students on the roster who have dropped the class; zeros are recorded for them. Grade scale conversion: A+ 4.2 • A 4 • A- 3.7 • B+ 3.3 • B 3 • B- 2.7 • C+ 2.3 • C 2 • C- 1.7 • D+ 1.5 • D 1 • D- 0.7 • F 0.

Thurs, 19 Dec 2013: I have posted the essay grades to bSpace. The average scores was 3.45. There were many excellent essays, making for a competitive grading environment. I read in random order. I deducted slightly for non-informative titles (they were required). I deducted more aggressively for desciptions of basic information that was introductory (since the instructions say to avoid an "all about ..." essay, to work at a high level) or for repetition of course information (what is the point in not doing some new research?). There were, actually, 8 A+s initially but I reread these essays to select one from each of the general categories of science, culture, history or commerce. There was a tie in one of the categories.

Thurs, 19 Dec 2013: A student wrote asking about the "Final Day Form" (the nominations) that s/he submitted and worried that, since there was no receipt acknowledgment, that I had not received the form. .... Typically with extra credit while I want to process these quickly they often lack enough priority in the daily business of running a class to be attended to, thus the importance of keywords. At the end of the term (for the work list I put out, this is during the "wrap" portion) I review all EC and gradeissues. So, in short, often in the case of EC you have to just trust me that I've successfully tracked the work. I used to report to bSpace what I've collected for you but it adds a couple of administrative hours to the grade submissions process and I just can't make the time for it. Still here's the initials (classname lastname) of the final forms I have: BD, KM, RS, KT, JC, YL, JM, EC, AH, RY, HM. ... And yes, there were four of you who submitted LYRPPR way back at the end of Sept (initials: JC, AJ, JA, and JL). I have those. Two were probably good enough for major credit or close to it; two were not sufficient but will receive some credit.

Wed, 18 Dec 2013: Reminder that our final exam begins tomorrow at 3:10 PM, LeConte 1.

Wed, 18 Dec 2013: (Repeat) If you are interested when I might be grading what, when I might be reporting those grades and when I might be reporting grades to the University, here's my approximate schedule [updated]: Fall 2013 End of term grading schedule

Tues, 17 Dec 2013: I have processed all requests for the scans of Midterm 03. (See the announcement dated Fri, Dec 13.) It is too late now to make a request. I have moved on to other work. However, after grades are submitted, I can send things. Contact me over the break, please.

Tues, 17 Dec 2013: Posted final exam grades.

Tues, 17 Dec 2013: If you are interested when I might be grading what, when I might be reporting those grades and when I might be reporting grades to the University, here's my approximate schedule: Fall 2013 End of term grading schedule

Tues, 17 Dec 2013: I have received tea essays from all students.
Reminder that our final is in LeConte, Rm 1 NOT our usual Moffitt room.

Mon, 16 Dec 2013: Students should continue to check these announcements on a daily basis.

Fri, 13 Dec 2013: I will be releasing these things later today: 1) Your Midterm 03 grades 2) Your Presentation grade 3) the three PowerPoints used for the three sessions this week. I received only three permissions to release photos so I won't be doing that. Please let me know by Sunday morning 2AM if you would like a scan of your Midterm 03. Use the keyword MT03SAN. Question 1 has extensive comments on it for most students. Question 2 usually does not have comments. I will do this work on Sunday.

Wed, 11 Dec 2013: A student asked today to take MT01 Part C but I denied this request as past the deadline for making the request (which was Dec 5). Now, thinking it over, I hope there are no students who were thinking they could just come to class yesterday and take Part C. I have only two students who requested the redo by the deadline, and moved them to Thursday.

Wed, 11 Dec 2013: A student asked me today about when I would respond to essay drafts that were submitted. In fact I had responsed to those drafts and had no idea that I has missed her submission. If there are any other students who submitted a draft and did not hear back from me, please email me!

Tues, 10 Dec 2013: Permissions: 1) I would like to upload the PPTs for each session. If you do not want your PPT to be part of that upload, let me know by Friday, Dec 13, 11 PM. So, the default is I WILL upload unless I hear from you. 2) I would like to upload the pics from the last day of class (Culture Sharing Day). If this is OK with you, I'd like to hear from you by Friday, Dec 13, 11 PM. So, the default is I WILL NOT upload unless I hear from you. Sorry but I can't show you the pic for your decision since others are in it.

Mon, 9 Dec 2013: I have posted the details for our final exam. You can find them at J7A Course Guide > Assignments and tests > Final. You might need to refresh your browser. Good luck!

Mon, 9 Dec 2013: I won't be releasing Midterm 03 grades, or presentation grades, or portrait grades until after all presentations are complete. That is only fair.

Sun, 8 Dec 2013: Reminder. As the syllabus says: "Presentations will be video recorded by me, to help in grading. The recording has no other use."

Sun, 8 Dec 2013, 11:32 AM: I have posted the RRR week presentation schedule. Please read the details at EA109 Course Guide > Assignments & Tests > Brief presentation of term essay content during RRR week > Presentation Days (Fall 2013). There is important information there for everyone. You should read this immediately. Don't forget to refresh your browser!

Fri, 6 Dec 2013: I have posted the details for the final. They are on the Assignments & Tests page.

Fri, 6 Dec 2013: I have posted my available times for meeting during RRR week.

Fri, 6 Dec 2013: Tea Short Videos Submitted by Students (YouTube playlist)

Thu, 5 Dec 2013: Reminder: We meet in Dwinelle 370. I will have water boilers and cup. Water is in the room already. If you want to bring tea, bring whatever you use to steep tea and the tea. You can bring food if you want.

Thu, 5 Dec 2013: I have added the following language to the essay submission instructions, based on questions put to be by students after class today: "*If there is the option to submit a draft before the official ESSAY TWO deadline, follow exactly the submission guidelines below for ESSAY TWO except that both file a) both the subject line and file title should be J7AFa13 LASTNAME classname ESS02 earlydft, b) there is no need for scanned material that supports your cited sources, and c) there is no need, of course, for the additional copy of your essay that would have only your codename, not real name."

Thu, 5 Dec 2013: Use this link to vote after we have gone through all the slides: http://doodle.com/rg6798zxxb2zaymc

Wed, 4 Dec 2013:

I have updated the essay instructions. Please go there now to make sure you can properly view the new information. Contact me ASAP if you cannot. Contacting me shortly before the deadline will be too late.

I have also added a button at the top of the Course Guide as a shortcut to the J7A Essay page.

There are important changes for how to submit, how to footnote (see under J7A Essay > Container ... > Additional special components for the footnote), and how to make the bibliography list ((see under J7A Essay > Container ... > Additional special components for the bibliography).

The very short version of these changes: Essay Two is submitted in two forms, one with your name on it and one with a codename on it. We check footnotes and will look at exactly what part of a text you are using. Therefore, if your source is not electronic, you will be submitting appropriate scans. I ask for exact location information for each footnote. I ask you to answer a set of questions for each bibliography source, and list those responses under each source on the bibliography.

All of this takes time, start early and be very careful about working close to the deadline.

I very much want to see successful, on-time submissions from each of you. If there are problems, please contact me early. I will try to work with your situation when there are emergencies involved.

Tue, 3 Dec 2013:

The Consulate General of Japan presents:

NIHONTO

A Lecture and Showcase of Japanese Swords

by Frederick Weissberg

Where: Consulate General of Japan, Japan Information Center

50 Fremont St. Suite 2200, San Francisco

When: Thursday, December 5th, 6-7:30 PM

Admission: Free and Open to the Public

RSVPs are appreciated

Please e-mail ryan.okada@sr.mofa.go.jp to RSVP

Lecture: Japanese swords, or Nihonto, are an iconic symbol of Japan's history and culture. Fred Weissberg will share his expertise on the subject by giving a brief overview on the history of Nihonto and discussing the stylistic changes and evolution of the sword from tool of war to work of art.

Speaker: Fred Weissberg has been collecting Japanese Swords and related items for over thirty years. He is a member of the Nihon Bijitsu Token Hozon Kyokai (NBTHK, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) in Japan, a member of the board of directors of the American Branch of the NBTHK in the USA, and the president of the Northern California Japanese Sword Club. Weissberg is also the founder of www.nihonto.com, a website specializing in Japanese sword commerce and information.

Tue, 3 Dec 2013: I have added a short, extra credit assignment: Final Day Form. The deadline is now on the Important Dates & Deadlines page. Read details at the session page for the last day, and on Assignments & Tests: Final Day Form.

Tue, 3 Dec 2013:

THE LAST REGULAR CLASS (FRIDAY) MEETS IN DWINELLE 370, THE ROOM WHERE WE DID TEA TASTING EARLIER IN THE TERM. Please be on time.
This final class has a short, but required assignment associated with it. Read the details by going to the session page for this day.
You are invited to bring tea to brew and share. I will provide boilers and cups, but we will use tap water unless you bring water. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU PLAN TO DO THIS (because I don't want to bring the equipment if there is no one planning on brewing tea.
This is an informal class but does has some structure. Further, we must be out of the room by 3 PM and leave the room clean and organized. There is an event in the room from 3 - 6 PM.

Sun, 1 Dec 2013:

I have added a short exercise, if you want to practice making bibliographic entries and footnotes. I have also improved the links to Web pages that provide examples for various sources. These changes are on the J7A Essay page. Go to Assignments & Tests > Essay (then click on the link). Once on the J7A Essay page, go to Container > Documentation. The new content that is there is also pasted in here directly, for your convenience (but the link to the practice page won't work):

Footnotes are going out-of-fashion and it is not as easy to find Web-based examples of footnote form. Here is a good Web site that has examples of most types of source material, giving for the first and sub-sesequent citation forms: Footnote/Endnote Citation Form: A Short Guide by Steve Volk. This is based on the Chicago Manual style, not MLA, which has a clean, simple approach. Feel free to use it. ... Here is a link to an old MLA style sheet (—by the way, please do not underline titles; please italicize them. Underlining was the required form before the days of word-processing): MLA Style Sheet for Bibliography and Footnote/Endnote Citations. ... If you want to practice converting raw bibliographic information as you would encounter it online in various locations (Amazon, JSTOR, etc) I have a short exercise: Practice Making Citations.

Sat, 30 Nov 2013: The new film scenes PDF just uploaded simply corrected all those 16xx dates to the correct 15xx dates. Sorry about that. That was a complicated project and I missed the obvious in the process.

Thu, 28 Nov 2013: I have added support material to bSpace for Midterm 03. It is in the newly created Midterm 03 folder. I have given information about the test content on our Course Guide page. Please refer to the "Assignments & Tests" section. — Happy Thanksgiving to all! ... It is my policy not to make announcement on holidays but I uploaded the bSpace doc and, without thinking, used the "notice to all" option. Since the doc was there, I thought I better explain it. I hope no one is reading this announcement today...But I do hope you see it tomorrow :)

Tue, 26 Nov 2013: Posted to bSpace the RQ09 grades.

Tue, 26 Nov 2013: As you might recall, I have offered to all students the chance to redo Part C of the first midterm. This redo will occur on Tuesday of RRR week, at the usual time and in the usual room. I will not take the highest score between the two tries. If you retake the exam, that is the grade that will be used. The coverage is the same, the approach will be somewhat similar but not exactly so. If you are interested you need to register that interest with me by Thursday, Dec 5, 5 PM. Use the usual subject line and the keyword MT01C. If you do not use the regular subject line and keyword, it is possible that you will miss the opportunity for a retake. I will not be able to answer questions about the content of the final as information for making this decision, but I am happy to talk with you, in office hours, about other things.

Mon, 25 Nov 2013: All of these comments are about the new Rikyu module on bSpace: I have uploaded a new version of the Rikyu powerpoint and the Rikyu docx that matches to it. (These two documents have new material at various places. You should switch to them;—the additions are not minor.) I have added a PowerPoint that comments on some of the film scenes. I have added videos on tea service (Omotesenke usucha service, Sukiya Origins and Modern Examples). — All of these actions are done with the concern that some of you might miss today's film screening or Wednesday's final presentation of the module of Rikyu. There will be other Wednesday material that I cannot reproduce for you. Try you best to be in class. I did these things this morning based on a student who wrote yesterday that she would be missing class on Wednesday and was wondering what to do. I've tried to build a bridge to the material, but it is limited.

Mon, 25 Nov 2013: I have posted to bSpace the category grade for the two presentations for each student...There is no change from what was mentioned in class about a week ago.

Mon, 25 Nov 2013: RQ09 will be returned to you Tuesday. As a reminder, RQs are part of this course category grade (from the syllabus): "Engaging materials and lecture content—Various methods will be used to check a student's preparation for and participation in the lecture sessions. This includes pop quizzes on materials assigned, irregular (random) taking of attendance, participation in lecture session discussions when they occur, and so on." ... So RQ grades are one element I use in determining this category grade.

Fri, 22 Nov 2013: I have finished the basic essay modules that I wanted to make, and distributed them to all three of my classes. They are required reading for J7A and just there for those interested in J130 and EA109. I have a few more miscellaneous items that I may or may not post over the weekend.

Thu, 21 Nov 2013: The Iki and sui powerpoint is on bSpace. The reference for the text I was reading from Tuesday (about self-mutilation as proof of loyalty, titles "Shikido") is on the mini-dictionary, at "shinju". Apologies for today's tech problems. Ever since campus upgraded its smart panels on campus (about three years ago) I have had PowerPoint presentation issues now and then. It seems to be related to when QuickTime and PowerPoint are open, and used, while connected to the panel. I don't have a good fix for this except to remember to close PowerPoint fully before opening QuickTime, often tricky with some file sequences I use.

"Right Place" (YouTube link / the second video on "form" that I did not screen because there was no sound)

Precision Movement (YouTube link, the first video on "form" that did not have sound, and which I skipped through)

Thu, 21 Nov 2013: I have created a very brief teaching module on footnote placement and the fair and accurate quoting of sources. While I developed this for J7A, it might be useful to students in EA109 or J130, so I have put the same folder in all three bSpace course site. J7A students should treat this as required reading. Other students might find it helps them with footnotes.

Wed, 20 Nov 2013: Posted details for Midterm 02. They can be found at the Assignments & Tests page.

Tue, 19 Nov 2013: EVENT NOTICE (this Thursday, 4 PM): Terunobu Fujimoro's Tearoom Studies (Center for Japanese Studies)

Tue, 19 Nov 2013: I have completed the instructions for the RRR presentation and the essay portrait that you submit at the same time. I have also uploaded the necessary files to bSpace. Included in those are several PowerPoints for last year, to give you a sense of what students did.

Tue, 19 Nov 2013: I have updated our Course guide to reflect the changes in scheduling discussed today. The changes are on the "Important Dates" page as well.

Mon, 18 Nov 2013: Posted Midterm 02 grades to bSpace.

Sat, 16 Nov 2013: I have uploaded to bSpace a set of files in a new resources folder titles "Module: Sen Rikyu". The idea is to pair an open lecture notes document with a powerpoint that would be covered, not in full but in parts, in class. What to do ahead of class is at the top of the docx. (This would be for the session you just finished on Friday. The assignment is not EXACTLY for you but this is the official document that covers Friday and Monday and will be tested at midterm and/or final exam time. I am curious to get feedback. This is something of a template I am thinking of using with my bCourse sites. Of course this takes a huge amount of time to make but I would like to get to something like this for all the tea sessions that are detail intensive. ... The movies are NOT embedded into the PowerPoint. If you want to view them as part of the PowerPoint, download them and put them in the same folder as the PowerPoint. That should probably work. Otherwise, just view them independently. Both will probably be screened in class on Monday. We'll see.

Sat, 16 Nov 2013: The "white background" not-updated session page indicates that there is no reading for Monday. That is true. Enjoy your weekend!

Sat, 16 Nov 2013: Posted to the Course Guide the due date for the term essay (see "Important Dates") and the instructions for the essay (see "Assignments & Tests"). Enjoy!

Sat, 16 Nov 2013:

1) Posted to our Course Guide the due dates for Essay Two on the Important Dates page. (NOTE: Essay Two takes longer than Essay One because it is for a grade and because of the additional information you must supply to the footnotes and bibliography and because of the additional files that some of you will need to submit.) You have the option to submit a draft of your essay about 10 days before the final version is due. I recommend that everyone submit a draft but it is not graded. There will be details later but this must be a COMPLETE draft or your mentor is not required to respond to it. This time, the responses will be specific and limited, strictly according to a checklist that I will make and you will have soon.

2) Also posted bSpace the topic assignments for Essay Two. You have been given a number, as before, and the list is in the same location it was for Essay One, that is, on the Essay instructions page. Mentors are the same as before.

3) I will be publishing further details on the grading process and so forth. I just wanted you to know ASAP your topic and due dates, so you can get started. Enjoy! — There were some interesting essays in the first round.

Thur, 14 Nov 2013, 10:18 AM: There is a reading assignment for tomorrow: Sen Rikyu (on bSpace). The Friday session page has been re-constructed and uploaded.

Wed, 13 Nov 2013:

The following is from a colleage of mine:

As you may know by now, the Philippines was hit by typhoon Haiyan (also known as Yolanda) and an estimated 10,000 are feared to have lost their lives. Whole towns have been totally devastated. Haiyan is considered to be stronger than hurricanes Katrina and Sandy combined. (The homes of my family members in tAklan province, Panay island --western visayas -- have been severely damaged -- but this pales in comparison to the havoc in Eastern Visayas)

Please send the following information to people you know who might want to help.

There are many relief efforts. I can personally vouch for two groups: 1. National Alliance for Filipino Concerns-USA (NAFCON), working closely with BALSA (Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan [literally, helping each other, offering to the people]/Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN -- New Patriotic Alliance) and 2. Citizen's Disaster Response Center.

These groups are working on the ground. No bureaucracy. No politicians doing photo opportunities.

To donate to the relief efforts on the ground by BALSA (Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan) through NAFCON: please go to: http://nafconusa.org/ <

See long BALSA/Bayan report below. For updated info, please go to: http://www.bayan.ph/site/2013/11/bayan-calls-for-mass-mobilization-for-relief-efforts-for-typhoon-yolanda-victims/ . I have attached this report because I want you to know specific details on how the relief operations will be conducted should you contribute to this fund. In the Philippines, I was women's desk coordinator for Bayan.

Alternatively, people can also donate to Citizen's Disaster Reponse Center -- this is the NGO we have set up for disaster preparedness and relief. very reliable. licensed and accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. has worked also with the UN. : http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-survivors-of-typhoon-haiyan

To know more about CDRC, please go to: http://www.cdrc-phil.com/about/

Tue, 12 Nov 2013: Posted RQ06, RQ07 and RQ08 grades to bSpace.

Wed, 6 Nov 2013: I have posted details on the Assignments & Tests page relevant to our museum visit. It includes the following sentence, so you might want to go check those details soon because the link is live — "First twenty to sign up are eligible to attend. The link to the sign-up page will be here, when available: ..." The details about the essay, by the way, are in process and not yet accurate. Ignore them.

Tues, 5 Nov 2013: I have returned to my Cross-Course resources an older page I had on "Stress". Check it out.

Mon, 4 Nov 2013: I have completed the session page for tomorrow. You already had the poems. The session page now requests a certain number of image searches, and such.

Mon, 4 Nov 2013: Please review the special session rules for tomorrow, at the session page for that date.

Sat, 2 Nov 2013: Just so everyone is clear: I do not grant extensions on essays, whether I am the mentor or Chris. Please get the work done unless there is a truly exceptional situation.

Sat, 2 Nov 2013: I reposted Songtea-relatedliteratureexercise just now in error. There are no changes to the version that is already in the misc. folder. Sorry about that.

Sat, 2 Nov 2013: I have posted to Assignments & Tests the details for Midterm 02.

Sat, 2 Nov 2013: I have encoded onto our Course Guide page the changes in team membership. Please check to see if I got it right. Jason, I made you the leader of the new team. If you guys/gals would like to give your team a name other than "Tea n/a" let me know :-)

Sat, 2 Nov 2013: I have posted to bSpace the questions for Monday's midterm. This is not a cumulative midterm but in some essay cases you will need to make a brief visit of Midterm 01 material to give a full answer. Focus, though, on post Midterm 01 material.

Sat, 2 Nov 2013: I have started a Google Doc where some of the grading comments for student essays will reside. It also has a grading rubic, partial, in comments I am making directly to Chris. You are welcome to read thos comments. Here's the doc: J7AFa13 ESS01 General grading comments.

Sat, 2 Nov 2013: When you submit your essay I will either send you an ACCEPTED email or a NOT YET ACCEPTED email. Watch for that. Since most of you will submit just before the deadline, and since that deadline is in the middle of the night, I will work with the emails in the morning. It takes me about 1-2 hours to check-in all students. So my response to you will be, probably, before 11 AM on Sunday. Many of you will need to resubmit because something wasn't right in the submission. These are the reasons I might reject your submission: 1) the document doesn't open, 2) the document file has an incorrect title, 3) the subject line is incorrect, 4) it was not sent to your mentor and me at the same time. IT IS MUCH BETTER TO GET THIS CORRECT THE FIRST TIME. If you are submitting early we have a chance to fix things. But if you are submitting last minute you might send the email, go to bed, and then learn in the morning that your document is not accepted. Avoid that. Sometimes I assess late penalties in that scenario, sometimes not. By the way, remember that clocks move back an hour at 2 AM on Sunday morning. That is a lucky coincidence for last minute-ers. BUT, also remember that email delivery is not necessarily immediate. I have received more than a thousand essay submissions since I began requiring electronic submission. Now and then emails are definitely delayed by the email server but whatever stamp the server gives, that is the official one. At this end I can't distinguish between student and server in terms of time sent. ALLOW A 10 MINUTE BUFFER. SUBMIT 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE DEADLINE. We are indeed practicing, as one component of the essay, whether or not you can meet a hard deadline.

Fri, 1 Nov 2013: Sent out via bSpace Tuesday's assignment, just in case I don't have time to type it into the Web site.

Fri, 1 Nov 2013: Posted a new and improved set of notes on Korea to bSpace. The session now says that the document is required reading but, for this class that only means required for the midterm. It is too late to read this for today. But if you have a chance to access that might be helpful. .... By the way, about using laptops. I have allowed that loosely in this class because of how we have done exercises and such. But I am able, from the podium, to determine whether you are using your laptop for class or not. This class does not have a participation grade per se, and you are free to do as you choose, but please be aware multitasking is very likely to soften or reduce your grade somewhat in this course in those many instances when I need to make a judgment call as to how engaged with the material you are. My recommendation is that you use your laptops and other devices, during class time, for this course alone.

Wed, 30 Oct 2013: I have completed the essay instructions. They are accessible via the Assignments & Tests page. The PDF noted below is now accessible via those instructions (the title has changed to "The working parts of an essay".)

Wed, 30 Oct 2013: I have posted to bSpace in the essay folder a file titled Essay expectations - overview v131030. I recommend that you look at it carefully.

Tu, 29 Oct 2013: There are now specific instructions on how to submit your essay to us. Go to Assignments & Tests > Essay > Overview. You should see a 7 step check list that starts out "1. You will be submitting a digital version of your essay." Contact me if you cannot find that instructions. This is the ONLY pathway for submission.

Fri, 25 Oct 2013: Use this for today's exercise (it will be explained in class, wait for that): Taking a step back ...

Mon, 21 Oct 2013: Posted MT01 grades to bSpace.

Mon, 21 Oct 2013: Earlier today I posted MT01 grades to bSpace, and stats.

Sun, 20 Oct 2013: I have adjusted the assignment on the session page for Tuesday.

Thurs, 17 Oct 2013: I have posted to bSpace the student-mentor pairings for Essay One. All essay questions should be directed to your mentor, no one else, as that person will be assigning the "grade".

Thurs, 17 Oct 2013: Just to be clear: the essay deadline is firm. No exceptions. Plan accordingly. Use this weekend. I pushed to announce details by yesterday because I believe you need this weekend. Also, not on the PDF: Although rarely do I receive late essays, mentors are not required to write comments on late essays. So, if you want feedback, get your essay in by the deadline.

Thurs, 17 Oct 2013: Clarification. "Other" on a session page does not mean "Other things to do" it means "Other things" only. You of course do not have to read Chalu or Chalun in Chinese! (But there they are for those read Chinese and are interested.) And if there are good English translations of these, I am unaware of them. I will give a description of contents in lecture but I am only assigning what is in the "Required" section of the session page.

Thurs, 17 Oct 2013: Updated the two session pages on Heike to accurately describe the difficulty level of the assignment. Your GSI noticed this on Tuesday. Sorry I couldn't get to fixing it until now. (At the time I wrote the pages, I didn't have the book at hand and left the "paste in" from another page untouched.)

Wed, 16 Oct 2013: I have posted to bSpace some details on Essay One titled J7AFa13 Essay One early instructions and your topic assignment on a PDF titled J7AFa13 Topic assigments for Essay One. (The number on the topic assignment PDF matches the number on a list at the bottom of the early instructions PDF. This essay will be due Nov 3, Sunday morning, EARLY Sunday morning, 2 AM. That's Sunday, not Monday morning. The GSI and I need Sunday to get the grading started.

Wed, 16 Oct 2013: Posted to bSpace this: J130Fa13 MT01 advice and poet list.

Tue, 15 Oct 2013: Sorry all. I had forgotten to mark the GoogleDoc as editable for public access. It should be workable now. I'll check again in the morning just to be sure.

Tue, 15 Oct 2013: I have posted details about the Genji Reading Circle on our Course Guide page > Assignments & Tests. Please read that ASAP if you want to join the circle.

Tue, 15 Oct 2013: Remember that BART still might go on strike overnight. Plan accordingly.

Mon, 14 Oct 2013: Released details about the midterm via email and on the Course Guide > Assignments & Tests page.

Not dated (new announcements will appear below this one for a while) bSpace, syllabus tab is not redirecting to my Start Page for any of my classes—if the browser is Chrome. I don't know when this problem started but the problem has persisted for a while now. I suggest you bookmark this page if you use Chrome. The Chrome-bSpace combination has had other glitches in the past (missing files in the directory, for example) so you might want to keep that in mind whenever something seems not right on bSpace.

Mon, 14 Oct 2013: I have finished updating session pages through next Monday, so for the four sessions devoted to Song. There is quite a bit to be done for the Song dynasty. I suggest you look ahead now at these sessions to see what the workload is like, and how it is distributed. There is a small team project among the other assignments, and some work to be done at home before one of the sessions, too, and quite a bit of reading. This is our most intense China dynasty.

Mon, 14 Oct 2013: I have updated the session page for today, pulling it over onto our regular web page and making some slight changes in the English to clarify things, and rewriting under "Required" to clarify what to do with the Song notes. Etc. I plan to continue to work on the Web pages this morning, transferring all for this week, at least. I won't announce the updates until I finish all of them.

Mon, 14 Oct 2013, 7:22 AM: Released the "Song Notes" on bSpace for today. Sorry I couldn't get to this yesterday. I was giving a lecture in the city. I think you might find these helpful. Take a look.

Thu, 10 Oct 2013: Uploaded to bSpace the corrected data for Midterm 01 (that is, the "C+" that was persistent on many of the Part C decriptions).

Thu, 10 Oct 2013, 6:45 AM: Musing on a student's comment after class: I gave the class a quick projection on screen of at last spring's midterm two yesterday. That glimpse caused her to be concerned about what graphics / videos she should study, since there seemed to be so many visual items on the test. Well, by midterm two we have looked at a LOT of Song dynasty paintings, lots of ceramics, architectural details and some other graphic items—far more than what we cover for midterm one. Thus, yesterday's glimpse shows the layout, but isn't a fair representative of a ratio between textual items and visual items. For midterm one, maps, a couple of paintings maybe, the coffee video maybe come to mind. The documentary about David Hoffman is to situate us; it won't be tested. Yesterday's video probably will be identified with a screen capture of the boat with everyone standing on it. I definitely want a strong Japan presence on the test so I have to go to that one session intensely to help balance the China material.

Wed, 9 Oct 2013: Posted the questions I projected today to bSpace. Study hard!

Wed, 9 Oct 2013: In response to a student's email asking what dynasties she should know for the exam, I have added to bSpace a simple dynasty chart (not the best) relevant to the midterm. I have also typed into the explanation box there the following:

The yellow boxes are dubious claims of tea events.
The red boxes are dynasties relevant to Midterm 01.
The purple boxes are dynasties relevant to Midterm 02 and the final.
I have tossed a few dates or generalities pointing to dates into a margin.
Sorry for the messy PDF, this was made very quickly.

Tue, 8 Oct 2013, 6:45 AM: I am very grateful indeed to the half-dozen who have responded to the ideas I have floated about J170. Your comments are deeply appreciated! I will leave this poll open for one more day. I'll pull it down sometime tomorrow (Wednesday). Please share your ideas. I am still all ears.

Tue, 8 Oct 2013: About Thursday's reading—I added to bSpace Genji, Chpt 15. Sorry for the confusion. I had not noticed that when switching to Genji & Heike as the book to purchase, I had selected a version of Genji that didn't include the chapter. The details are on the session page for Thursday.

Sat, 5 Oct 2013: In a few days I will decide the content of a Spring 2014 class the falls under the title J170 — Readings in Premodern Japanese Literature in Translation." If satisfies various requirements. I have several ideas. Below are some of them. I am very interested in your reactions. Do you prefer some more than others? Are none interesting enough? I would greatly appreciate your email, or, if you prefer, I have a simple poll at Doddle where you can "vote" for none, some, or all of them (without using your real name). I need to make a decision very soon so, although I know you are busy, I am truly interested in understanding your course interests (or even if you care whether or not you are asked your course interests) so, if you can take a couple minutes now, it would be very instructive to me. You can answer from the perspective of "not me but some students" or "me, even though in truth I have no time to take any of these classes" or "me, weighing in on something I hope you offer next semester". Go here: Musings on the Spring 2014 course J170.

Friday, 4 Oct 2013: Posted to bSpace RQ05 scores. Contact your grader (initials are in the comments box) if something doesn't seem right.

Thurs, 3 Oct 2013: I have updated the Pillow Book further selections file to include a new list "Moving Things" that I might read from today. I also added bookmarks to that document, for those who like to navigate that way.

Wed, 2 Oct 2013: Our class will meet as scheduled, in its usual room.

Wed, 2 Oct 2013: I have posted details for Midterm 01. You can find them via the Assignments & Tests button. If "Midterm 01" on that page has not turned into a click-able button, refresh your browser. ... A student asked about the exam after class today and through that conversation I realized that this upcoming weekend is the last weekend before the exam, thus the early release of the details.

Wed, 2 Oct 2013: We found a tablet in the room yesterday after class.

Tues, 1 Oct 2013, 2:15 PM: Based on current information, this is my present thinking for my courses. EA109 is not directly affected by the outage and will continue to meet as usual. J7A is no longer directly affected by the outage. We completed an RQ today and, yes, I am aware that some of you live in units that lacked power. I have kept that in mind but, on the other hand, the reading assignment was not very long. J130 is directly affected by the outage and closure of Dwinelle. Unless Dwinelle reopens we will not meet on Thursday. But you should be ready if, for example, we learn by 9 AM on Thursday that Dwinelle is open. This is especially true of whomever is to present. If the announcement is later than that (not my announcement, but the official campus announcements) we will again cancel and consider our options later. If it has not been announced by Thursday 6:30 AM that Dwinelle is open, my Thursday office hours are canceled. I will make announcements here as I deem appropriate, but you should not consider this an official source, except for actions related directly to my courses.

Tues, 1 Oct 2013, 7:30 AM: Today's discussion section with your GSI will meet as usual.

Tues, 1 Oct 2013, 6 AM: This class is cancelled for today. The presenter for today will not have to present later. Please show me your notes and such at a later time. Class content will follow the Web site schedule so, for Thursday, prepare the Thursday content. On Thursday we will discuss rescheduling this missed day.

Tues, 1 Oct 2013, 6 AM: Our class will meet as scheduled, in its usual classroom in Barrows.

Mon, 30 Sep 2013: I have posted the additional reading assignment for Pillow Book here in a lower quality: ❖ Pillow Book further selections since bSpace has been knocked out due to the power failure. ... I will check in the morning to see if classes have been cancelled. I might put a post here, but it is your responsibility to check the information independently, not relying on this Web page.

Wed, 25 Sep 2013: There are technical difficulties with the PowerPoint for tomorrow Some non-Han tea practices v130220. It was uploaded earlier in the semester, but doesn't appear. I reuploaded it, and you have a notice from bSpace about that, but it still doesn't appear. In the meantime, you can go into the "Readings from before 2013" folder and find it as 07A Some non-Han tea practices v130220.

Wed, 25 Sep 2013: I have posted to bSpace previews of Part B and Part C for tomorrow's exam. Good luck everyone!

Wed, 25 Sep 2013: I have selected the poems for Part C. Each of you will have three poems, one each from the KKS and SKKS and one haiku. I would suggest that you reconsider / review the concept of Kokin wit. I think that will give you another tool for commenting on the poem, although the primary question remains "How do the top and bottom relate to each other?" Remember to think with you senses (sense relationships and sense-like relationships) not just logical, semantic connections. Also, you will not be able to ask the meaning of words in the poems. If you don't understand a meaning now, you should look it up.

Wed, 25 Sep 2013: Posted to bSpace "grades" for the reading check done 9/23. The number "999" just gives me a way to upload into the comments box. It has no particular meaning.

Wed, 25 Sep 2013: Uploaded a new version of Very Early Encounters that might be useful for today's group work.

Tues, 24 Sep 2013: Your GSI has written to me, saying that several of you are worried about dates. As a working principle, I am very interested in relationships (Nara before Heian, if something is in the 8th century it couldn't have been written in hiragana, etc.) rather than specific dates. But there are 10 "facts" questions (who wrote what and so forth) so some dates, obviously are almost inevitable. Although the selection of the 10 questions is more or less random (led by my computer) I would substitute out a dates questions if the computer presented to me more than one. Hopefully this helps clarify things. And, as Chris has said surely, whether it is 905 or 907 doesn't matter. Actually we don't really know hard-fast dates in many cases, certain dates just become conventional knowledge. I want you to have read over and worried over the green font material, yes. Taken as a whole it gives a lot of texture to the course's content. But, as I said, the questions will be straight-forward.

Tues, 24 Sep 2013: I have written the Part B question. In part, it reads: "Use some aspect of how we have discussed soto-uchi or kotoba-kokoro to give us an interesting and perhaps more accurate* interpretation of XXXXXX than we might have if we did not consider the soto-uchi or kotoba-kokoro framework. . . . Avoid summary as much as possible. Make sure you ideas are clear and easy to identify. Consider underlining main points. Paragraph!! (Do not save space by putting everything in one paragraph.) Also, leave at least one of the margins open. Consider what you want to say, then write with clarity and with easy to read hand-writing, to the extent that you can. You can use only this one sheet of paper. You may write on every line. I can visualize excellent answers that are only three or so sentences long, if the core idea is strong.

Tues, 24 Sep 2013: I will state what is already said elsewhere—if you are trying to figure out what texts are "testable", remember that they will be marked with a ❖.

Tues, 24 Sep 2013: I have decided that Thursday's midterm will remain a closed-book exam, as stated on the Course Guide > Assignments & Tests page. If you want to see my reasoning, go here.

Tues, 24 Sep 2013: I have posted the details for today's session. It might be helpful to take a quick look at that page before class begins today.

Mon, 23 Sep 2013: The MT01 seating chart is finished and printed. The deadline for requesting a seat change was yesterday.

Mon, 23 Sep 2013: Posted "grades" for RA04 (haiku composition; analysis of poems' tops & bottoms). This is not graded except that you need to be present, and you need to make some effort. I enjoyed the haiku—great job given the writing environment (noisy, crowded, little time, new rules). "999" is a meaningless grade; bSpace just needs a number to allow me to upload comments.

Fri, 20 Sep 2013: I have posted the details for Midterm 01. I suggest you read them very soon. They can be found at Course Guide > Assignments & Tests You might need to refresh your browser. There should be a button there titled "Midterm 01".

Thur, 19 Sep 2013: Added required steps to the "How to Prep Poems" instructions. Check them and do them.

Wed, 18 Sep 2013: Updated the topics for yesterday's session. That list includes now terms and people I did and did not (and will not) cover but will be tested. The topics list includes links to the mini-dictionary entries, which are new. The Kokin entry has been slightly updated. The Shin Kokin entry is untouched.

Wed, 18 Sep 2013:

"The Disabled Students' Program (DSP) is looking for a note-taker [for J7A]! If you take detailed, well-organized notes, this is a good opportunity for you to assist a fellow student and be paid for your effort. If you are interested in helping out, please download an application [http://dsp.berkeley.edu/notetakers.html]. Please email your application along with one page of sample notes to dspnotes@berkeley.edu or bring your applications materials to the Disabled Students' Program, 260 Cesar Chavez Center (located near the Golden Bear Cafe). Except in the case of math- and science-based classes, we give preference to those willing to take typed notes. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at dspnotes@berkeley.edu. Go Bears!"

Please keep in mind that the student's identity, if it has been made known to you, is confidential. It is important to refrain from making direct reference to your knowledge of the student's identity or disability in class as the student may be uncomfortable with others learning of their disability.

Absences are not excused (unless they are medical absences) since the student is receiving notes that are not to be used in lieu of attending class.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, and thank you for your assistance.

Best,
Mara Constantine Note-Taking Services Assistant
Disabled Students' Program

Wed, 18 Sep 2013: Added a note after the "To do list" at Assignments & Tests > Poem Presentations.

Wed, 18 Sep 2013: J130 students, you can skip class 9/24 if you need to go to the JET meeting.

Wed, 18 Sep 2013: JET Program 説明会 / Building: HEARST GYM / Room: 0242 / Seats: 58
Dates/Times: Tuesday, September 24, 2013; 3:00 PM-4:30 PM

Wed, 18 Sep 2013: Posted RQ02 and RQ03 grades to bSpace.

Sun, 15 Sep 2013:

How to Live as a Full-time Writer in Japan
Colloquium | September 17 | 4:30 p.m. | Institute of East Asian Studies (2223 Fulton, 6th Floor)

Speaker/Performer: Toh Enjoe
Sponsor: Center for Japanese Studies (CJS)

In this colloquium, award-winning author Toh Enjoe will explain the system behind modern Japanese literature from his point of view as a writer. From the peculiarities of the modern Japanese written language, to the way Japanese writers balance their household finances, to their relationships with publishers, and to the trends of modern Japanese literature, the topic will extend from the micro (Japanese characters) to the macro (social life).

More ...

Sun, 15 Sep 2013: If it is your team's turn to come to class tomorrow, arrive on time and sit with your team. You will be completing an answer sheet (one for each individual, an extra one for the group as a whole) so bring something to write with. This is an open book exercise but you have very little time to work with your notes.

Thurs, 12 Sep 2013: I have added to the GoogleDoc green highlight sections with instructions for most of the volunteers on that sheet. Please go now to the document and read what special instructions I have given you. Thanks for all the volunteer work! And thanks, Alex G., for taking over for puer. That is really really helpful to me. Reminder: tomorrow we meet in Dwinelle 370!

Wed, 11 Sep 2013: Added to yesterday's session page the main points of the lecture given.

Wed, 11 Sep 2013: Posted team memberships. Access: Course Guide page (button in page header: "Team Memberships"). Sit with your group today. If you have a (name) on your list, it means the person is new to the class. Team Leader, find him or her and invite them to join.

Tue, 10 Sep 2013: The Webcast team continues to have publishing challenges for the podcasts. If my lectures are not being posted (I haven't checked), then the delay is the result of a technical difficulty that, at this time, doesn't have a solution date but it seems the problem is short term.

Tue, 10 Sep 2013: Just as general information: I have Thursday morning OH appointsment at 9:30 and 10 (with "C" and "Z") and so if you were planning on dropping by, you might get stuck in the hall. I'm around, try writing me for an appointment.

Mon, 9 Sep 2013:

Talking with students after class today I sorted out a confusion that my instructions were causing.

There are two types of tea days: one day for flavor profiling (wet day/brewing day) and two days for tea identification (dry day/teas are in ziplock bags). *There are two identification days but you attend only one; the other is a holiday for you.

Flavor profiling needs lots of volunteers, including those who will bring tea. I requested volunteers for this day via a GoogleDrive doc. Looking over the sheet it looks like we are in great shape for that one day.

BUT, the tea identification day(s) also need tea and it is unrelated to the flavor profiling day. So, even if the volunteer sheet is full, as it is, this has nothting to do with the two tea identification days.

Tea identification days need tea, in bags. This is optional but without tea there will be not much to do on those days.

How to bring tea is explained on the Assignments & Tests page but essentially you bring tea in a coded ziploc bag on Friday and email me the details for that tea using the form provided on bSpace and called EA109Fa13 LASTNAME classname IDTEA. As stated on the Important Dates page and on the session page, the deadline for bringing tea to me is Friday of this week (it was Wednesday but I've given an extension). That means that on the same confusing day that we are bringing in tea to brew, you will be bringing in tea for me to organize over the weekend for the tea identification days (Monday & Wednesday, next week).

Thu, 5 Sep 2013:

Please note this interesting and unusual event and make an effort to attend. I will be there:

Monkey Business: New Voices from Japan
Panel Discussion: Center for Japanese Studies | September 6 | 1 p.m. | Institute of East Asian Studies (2223 Fulton, 6th Floor)
Speakers/Performers: Masatsugu Ono; Yoko Hayasuke; Roland Kelts; Ted Goossen; Motoyuki Shibata
Sponsors: Center for Japanese Studies (CJS), The Japan Foundation, The Nippon Foundation

Two Japanese writers visit the Bay Area to discuss their writing, Japanese culture, and what it feels like to live in post-tsunami Japan. They will be joined by Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica, Ted Goossen and Motoyuki Shibata, the editors of Monkey Business, the only English-language journal focused on Japanese literature, manga and poetry. There will be readings, discussions, and a Q&A session.

More details ...

Wed, 4 Sep 2013: Session 06 (Tea Flavor Profiles Day) meets in Dwinelle 370. Put it on your calendar.

Wed, 4 Sep 2013: The Webcast department has contacted me to say there is a delay in making available podcasts for both J7A and Ea109 "because of an issue with one of our distribution channels". They are working to resolve the problem quickly.

Tu, 3 Sep 2013: I have created these two sections on the Assignments & Tests page: About RQs and about my reading expectations. We will discuss RQs in class today. You should read on your own the second of these.

Sun, 1 Sep 2013: I have begun a course Web pages reconstruction. Don't be surprised to encounter two different type of daily session pages. bSpace files are also in one of two places, for now. The Course Guide (the page with all the main course resources and links to daily pages) is new.

Fri, 30 Aug 2013: Posted to our Course Guide a paragraph about how to prep poems. See "Assignments & Tests".

Tue, 29 Aug 2013: Let's practice this announcements start page and keywords. Please email to me your "classname" using the correct subject line plus the keyword clssnm.

Tue, 27 Aug 2013: I have created bSpace sites, primary Web sites, and syllabi for all of my classes. Schedules, syllabi and such are on the main Web course page(s) which can be accessed through the below navigation buttons. Course materials (reading assignments, etc.) are on bSpace. I look forward to seeing returning students and meeting new students. See you in a few days. If you are concerned about enrollment into one of my classes, be sure to attend the first day. Also, notice that there have been room changes in the past week. You should reconfirm rooms via the online schedule of classes site.

Sun, 25 Aug 2013: I will soon be turning on the bSpace Web pages, and making syllabi available. This work will be finished, hopefully, by Wednesday. *I have entirely rebuilt by old Announcements Page, to make the page touch-screen friendly. I'm not happy with the design but I hope it is at least functional. Please report problems to me. I am already aware that the print is very small on smart phones with high-resolution screens. I won't be fixing that, please zoom.

Wed, 14 Aug 2013: According to this web site my favorite animals this semester are beetles and aardvarks.

Sat, 10 Aug 2013: There are no announcements yet for any of my courses. Towards the end of August, and before the beginning of classes, there will be.