Peer Review

Internet East Asian History Sourcebook

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Feb 10, 2003 by History

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This is one of several websites created by Paul Halsall for his Internet
History Sourcebooks Project [IHSP], designed to provide "access to primary
sources and other teaching materials in a non-commercial environment." This
version, as its name indicates, focuses on general resources available for East
Asia, or more specifically for China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. It is
described as a "subset of texts" derived from three previously created
sourcebooks on ancient, medieval, and modern history. The sources are
copy-right free primary source documents which can be used in the classroom.
Type of Material:: The site includes a long list of direct links, chosen for their "educational
value," that lead to a wide variety of other online sites providing primary
documents, artwork, maps, secondary articles, reviews of books and articles,
discussion on a given topic, as well as other "megasites" devoted to East Asia.
Although most of these are relevant to the history of this region and are
arranged chronologically from ancient to modern times, they include resources
drawn from fields besides history proper.
Recommended Uses:: The site includes no formal statement about how the material to which it
provides access can be used. The presumed use, however, given the fact that the
resources are said to be in the public domain and thus not copy protected, is
as material to be assigned along with a text in relevant classes. Students
working on research papers, however, might find some of the documents and
articles listed germane to their individual interests and needs, too.
Technical Requirements:: No technical expertise or special software is required to use the main site or
access the links it provides to others.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The goal of this site is to provide a "classroom usable" sourcebook of
"copy-permitted material" that can be employed in college and university courses
dealing with East Asia in a variety of different contexts.
Target Student Population:: The immediate target audience seems to be to be that of college students taking
courses on some aspect of East Asian history. But the material may be equally
suitable to high school students.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: The sites presumes no prior knowledge or skill on the part of users.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: The breadth and variety of the materials included provide something for
everyone, and the effort to sort out material of serious "educational value"
makes most of it more trustworthy than many online sites with indiscriminant
links to anything, be it good or bad. The categorization system is: Cultural
Origins, Religious Traditions, Imperial China, Traditional Japan, Korea, Western
Intrusion, Japan as a World Poer, China Diaster 1840-1949, China since World
War II, Japan since World War II, Korea since World War II, Other East Asian
Countrires, East Asian Genders and Sexualities, Further Resources: maps,
websites.
Concerns:: Because of the need to list materials that are in the public domain and free of
copyright, the site directs the user to a lot of old and sometimes outdated
translations. Moreover most of these pertain to the religious, philosophical,
and literary traditions rather than to social or political history. Indeed,
contemporary maps and illustrations far outnumber actual historical documents in
the chronological section, and few current articles or interpretive discussions
appear anywhere in the listings. The overall quality of what is presented,
therefore, is spotty and does not give a good representation of the best or most
current primary sources for studying East Asia, most of which can only be
obtained in traditional printed form. The site can be both overwhelming and
disappointing.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: Due to the large number and range of listings, there is probably something of
value to almost anyone dealing with East Asia or its one of its main countries.
Instructors may find a few items to use in their courses, and students seeking
more information on religious and intellectual history will benefit from the
many excerpts drawn out of the Chinese classics, the Buddhist cannon, and
literary pieces.
Concerns:: Because of the brevity of selections, the inconsistency of quality, and the
lack of documents on social, political, and other mainstream historical topics,
this collection is less than satisfactory as a basic online reader for college
level history courses, even at the introductory level. For the same reasons, it
is not the best way for students pursuing individual research to locate the
best primary sources and scholarship currently available. Some of the images
included were offered with out any text to accompany them. The size of the
images was disappointing. Some links did not offer the site user the ability to
return to the main link unless the back icon was used.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: Listings are organized clearly by religious traditions as well as by countries
and their historical eras and key events. A few topics such as Yellow River
cultures and gender are given separate categories of their own. Much of the
current data could also be obtained via the CIA Factbook.
Concerns:: Materials on specific topics can only be found by browsing through the general
listings, and although categories are clearly labeled, they are rather
idiosyncratically chosen in accord with the creator's personal interests, so
that it isn't always obvious where to look for something. Some of the links on
Imperial China were gone. Under Cultural Origins there were only pictures and
no text. Some sites had a very slow download time. The images of the Chinese
in America were not the best choices for this period of history and were
disappointing.

Other Issues and Comments:: The idea underlying this site is a good one, but the materials to which it leads
are simply not of high enough quality throughout or complete enough to stand as
an online college sourcebook comparable to what is in print. The user might find
this a dumping ground of information a nd become frustrated with the amount of
time needed to locate potentially good and useful materials.
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