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Katherine Cho
Wilson
Writing 2
7 December 2015
WP2 REVISION DRAFT
History classes get boring at times. As for the discipline of Japanese History, add in the
aspect of a geographically far off, completely foreign culture, and history easily becomes
downright confusing. Wanting to eliminate these woes, experts of the Japanese History discourse
community, as seen in the UCSB History Department, desire to better nurture the personal and
academic growth of the communitys students. These discourse community ideals are reflected in
The Departments objectives and in Luke Roberts Japanese History through Art and Literature
course texts and lectures through writing conventions and rhetoric centered on interactions with
literary and artistic evidence.
The Japanese History discourse communitys experts range from researchers to
professors. Under the influence of these experts are the growing scholars of the community. The
experts have the goal to promote the expansion of knowledge within the community while the
growing scholars have the goal to acquire and interpret that knowledge. This ideal community
dynamic can only come to fruition when both the expert and the scholar put in their fair shares of
effort.
Illustrative of these expectations are the UCSB History Departments objectives, and
within it, Luke Roberts Japanese History through Art and Literature course. The Departments
Homepage, for instance, claims to be a program that teaches students to gain an appreciation of
the diverse beliefs, institutions, social arrangements, and technologies that have shaped human

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experience. In essence, the departments goal is for students understanding of the discipline to
stretch beyond basic comprehension so that they value the significance of the acquired
knowledge in and of itself. In addition to content appreciation, students are encouraged to view
the said content subjectively. For example, Roberts syllabus states that the class will not be
trying to teach you or force a view on what Japanese cultural identity is. Similarly, the
Department homepage states that after all, the past is never really fixed in stone. This stress on
subjectivity stimulates discussion skills, as students are encouraged in Roberts syllabus to ask
questions or give [your own] comments at any point in the lecture, resulting in investigative
perspectives.
To fulfill the previously discussed objectives, the texts in Japanese History through Art
and Literature incorporate relevant examples of Japanese literature as a means of evidence. One
such text was Women of Ancient Japan: Heian Ladies by Ivan Morris, which used several
examples from Ancient Japanese literature such as The Tale of Genji, The Pillow Book and The
Lady Who Loved Insectsall works deemed by the experts to be accurate representations of
Japanese culture. As a result, when used as evidence, they establish legitimacy. This legitimacy
then increases the scholars overall respect and reverence for the content of the academic texts.
In addition, the convention of analysis and/or general commentary always follows the
literary evidence provided in the texts. Evidence in the form of excerpt from The Tale of Genji is
incorporated into Morris article, where one of the story characters, the Governor of Hitatchi,
speaks about marriage politics in Japan. After this excerpt, Morris proceeds with his own
analysis on the evidence, stating that the reasons(s) for the relatively favorable position of
women in Heian Japan is the prevalent system of marriage politics. (Morris, pg. 165). This

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analytic elaboration on evidence enhances the depth of interaction with the course material and
therefore opens up the scholars minds to become more interpretive in nature.
A final writing convention regarding the literary evidence in Japanese Historical texts is
that it is always properly cited. For example, excerpts from The Tale of Genji are used eleven
times throughout the peer reviewed journal, Buddhist Renunciation and the Female Life Cycle by
Lori Meeks. Each excerpt is marked with a footnote that directs the reader to expanded citations
at the bottom. Citations such as these correctly attribute the evidence to its origins, establishing
authenticity. The scholars then more trustingly rely on the evidence and are therefore more
compelled to incorporate it into their own discussions. The end result is a new depth of opinion
and a higher quality of discussion.
In addition to literary sources in course texts, artistic evidence is observed in the
powerpoint lecture-styled setting of the Japanese History through Art and Literature course. In
Roberts powerpoint, the art piece, View of the Viceroys Palace in Mexico City is depicted with a
caption featuring the bare minimum of information, ca. 1660, Museo de America Madrid.
accompanied by the professors verbal elaboration on the piece. This rhetoric establishes the
professor as the primary provider of the bulk of the information so that students cannot simply
copy their notes straight from a slide. This classroom dynamic pushes students to be attentive so
that the students could ultimately gain a richer understanding of the Japanese History discipline
as a whole.
Another form of rhetoric in Roberts courses artistic evidence is the use of aesthetically
distinct pieces. One such piece was Biombo of a Village Festival in Mexico. The piece features a
Japanese folding-screen style fused with distinctly colorful mexican-style painting. This distinct
fusing of the two cultures individualistic aethetics makes for an artistic interpretation on the

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spread of diversity. Artistic works such as this are used in Roberts course to align with the
UCSB History Departments aforementioned stress on exploring diverse beliefs, institutions,
(and) social arrangementsthey provide commentary on the diverse beliefs that develop
between different institutions yet diffuse throughout social arrangements.
In these discussions of artistic evidence, Roberts uses the rhetoric of establishing an
environment of free speech and thought. He begins lecture asking if there are any questions
regarding last lectures artistic pieces and proceeds to reassure the class that if any questions
should arise, to speak. This openness makes students feel safe to practice questioning skills,
therefore encouraging the development of an inquisitive mindset. This mindset is furthered when
Roberts opens the floor for students personal interpretations of the presented artwork, where
opinions can be freely expressed without fear of being in the wrong. Not only are discussion
skills developed, but the scholars also come to view the concepts of history through these art
pieces subjectively.
The writing and rhetorical devices used in the texts and lectures of Japanese History
through Art and Literature are based upon artistic and literary evidences. These devices reflect
the ideals of the UCSB History Department, and therefore on a larger scale reflect the
expectations of the Japanese History discourse community as a whole. The experts set these
expectations to erradicate many of the possible roadblocks that the growing scholars could run
into that would prevent positive experiences with the discpline. After all, history must be viewed
as much more than a boring, confusing subject.

Works Cited

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Meeks, Lori. "Buddhist Renunciation and the Female Life Cycle: Understanding Nunhood in
Heian and Kamakura Japan." Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies: 1-59. Print.
Morris, Ivan. "Women of Ancient Japan: Heian Ladies." Print.
Roberts, Luke S. Japanese History through Art and Literature HIST. 87. Syllabus.
"UCSB Department of History." Undergraduate Studies. 16 Dec. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.history.ucsb.edu/academics/undergraduate>.