HIS 104.02, sections 2 and 3, History of East Asia, Paper #2 Due: See syllabus and Reggienet for due date.
General paper requirements: Put your name, the course number, and your section number on the first page. Do not use a title page. Paper should be stapled, double-spaced, use Times New Roman 12-point font in black, and be about 3 pages long. Remember to indent the first word of each paragraph five spaces. Follow proper rules of English and avoid sloppy spelling or writing errors. Your paper should have a title, not the title of the chapter you read. Do not include a “Works Cited” page, do not include a title page.
This is not a research assignment; your grade is determined by your demonstrated understanding of course materials. Use only the assigned course materials – readings and lectures – to write your responses. Use of outside sources such as internet sources or other books will result in a lower grade. Quoting or paraphrasing without giving proper credit to the author/source is plagiarism. Plagiarism can result in the student failing the class.
In-text Citations: When you quote or paraphrase from the textbook or the Reggienet reading, you must cite the page number. Do not use a footnote to do this; do it in the text of your response as below. If you want to use information from the lecture you must paraphrase it (put it in your own words) and include the date of the lecture. Follow the examples below:
Brown argues that although some “shogunal regulations appeared to apply nationally, efforts at enforcement were limited at best” (Brown, pg. 330).
Walthall suggests that daimyo were in such financial trouble that they were willing to “sell privileges to commoners” (East Asia, pg. 334).
Kennedy asserted the Shogun did not have direct control over the daimyo (Lecture, 11/3).
Question: Historians have long tried to characterize the nature of the Tokugawa political order. How does Philip Brown analyze this issue in his article “The Political Order”? Specifically, what does he argue about the nature of the Tokugawa Shogunate’s centralized control?
Your task here is to demonstrate that you understand Brown’s argument and how he supports it. Use the reading guide to further your understanding of how Brown makes his argument.
Start the paper with a brief introduction in which you state your thesis. Be specific here, avoid broad generalizations and overstatements. Then fully explain ideas to support your thesis, try to avoid listing information without connecting it to the thesis that addresses the question.
Rev. 110122

Reading guide for “The Political Order.” By Philip Brown in Japan Emerging, edited by Karl F. Friday. Westview Press, 2012. Pgs. 321-332.
1. Be sure to look up any words that are new to you. Take notes as you read.
2. What is the historical question that Brown is attempting to answer?
3. How have historians before him answered this question? He offers the views of Japanese
scholars, American scholars in the 1960s, and “Others.”
4. What is his answer to the question? This is his argument. He states it three times in the
article. Try paraphrasing his argument (put it in your own words).
5. What are the main headings in the article? There are three, they are in all capital letters.
How does each of these sections support Brown’s argument?
6. In the first two main sections, there are subheadings (in italics). How do they support
Brown’s argument?
7. In the last main section Brown analyzes the limited enforcement of some of the shogunal
policies that he introduced in the first section. How does his analysis support his argument?