1 .		Samurai This site explores the history of samurai. http://victorian.fortunecity.com/duchamp/410/main.html Questions for further exploration. Who were samurai and how was their service illustrated in Japanese art? Female samurai were rare, but left their mark. Who were they and how did some come to be revered?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.
2 .		Tale of the Genji These sites explore the life and times of Lady Murasaki Shikibu, the author of what is perhaps the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji. http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine9.html, and http://www.expositorymagazine.net/murasaki_shikibu.htm Questions for further exploration. In what ways was Murasaki Shikibu unusual for her time, so much so that she was invited to court? She carefully documented the obsessively courtly behavior of nobles, but how did she regard their attention to perfect manners? How did court politics determine the life of Genji and reflect the high culture of traditional Japan?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.
3 .		Vietnam and China This site features an essay by noted historian of Vietnam, Alexander Woodside entitled Vietnamese History: Confucianism, Colonialism and the struggle for independence. Only the material here from the article’s beginning to the section entitled “French Goliath” will be utilized here. This section offers great insight into the shaping of Vietnamese culture and politics. http://www.askasia.org/frclasrm/readings/r000057.htm Questions for further exploration. What historical processes, men and events can be cited to illuminate how and why Vietnam, while absorbing much of Chinese culture, remained a distinct civilization?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.