Exam questions will be chosen from among the following study questions. The questions provided below are meant to give you a way to relate the material you are reading in the various assignments and to highlight the important issues for women. Remember to bring a blue book and scantron sheet to the exam.
1. The dichotomy between public and private spheres of responsibility affects the way in which Japanese women perceive themselves and order their lives. Explain the nature of the gender division between public and private realms. What constraints does this place on women in the public sphere?
2. Compare and contrast the lives of Korean women in the roles of wife and mother under the Confucian based ideology of the Jeseon dynasty (Deuschler article) and the modern period. Use materials from the readings to support your argument.
3. Compare the lives of Lou Yu-ling, Chang-Sui ying and Teng Ying-chao (see handouts) Note not only class difference, but also pay attention to the definitions of the roles of wife and mother held by these women.
4. Creighton, Mock and Long in Re-Imaging Japanese Women discuss issues around defining women's roles as mother and nurturer in Japan. what points do these authors make in common regarding the roles available to women and what kinds of examples do they use to illustrate these ideas. Where do they differ in their analyses?
5. According to Barbara Mori in her article "The Traditional Arts as Leisure Activities for Contemporary Japanese Women", what functions do the traditional arts play in the lives of Japanese women? What is meant by a "Japanese identity'?
6. Chaffee, Rawski, Mann, Watson and Lavely in Marriage and Inequality in Chinese Society discuss the institution of marriage in China during different periods of time. How has the institution of marriage remained the same and how has it changed according to these authors. What were the main factors that introduced change into marriage relations?
7. According to Choi in Women of Japan and Korea, what is the status for Korean women? How does this compare with the depiction of Japanese women by Ueno?
8. If we compare the status and roles of women in China, Korea and Japan, in what ways are they different and in what ways are they the same? Refer to the various articles you've read in your answer to support your main points.