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Monday Sept. 26, 2011

Quote of the Day: DFTBA: "Don't Forget To Be Awesome."
But I know you won't.


Learning Targets:
  • What is the difference between class and caste?
  • What philosophical, religious, or cultural ideas served to legitimate the class and gender inequalities of classical civilizations?
  • “Social inequality was both accepted and resisted in classical civilizations.” What evidence might support this statement?
KEY TERMS: 
Ban Zhao: A Chinese woman writer and court official (45–116 c.e.) whose work provides valuable insight on the position of women in classical China. (pron. bahn joe)
Brahmins: The Indian social class of priests. (pron. BRAH-min)
caste: The system of social organization in India that has evolved over millennia; it is based on an original division of the populace into four inherited classes (varna), with the addition of thousands of social distinctions based on occupation (jatis), which became the main cell of social life in India. (pron.VAR-nah /JAH-tee)
dharma: In Indian belief, performance of the duties appropriate to an individual’s caste; good performance will lead to rebirth in a higher caste.
karma: In Indian belief, the force generated by one’s behavior in a previous life that decides the level at which an individual will be reborn.
Ksatriya: The Indian social class of warriors and rulers. (pron. kshah-TREE-yah)
 “ritual purity”: In Indian social practice, the idea that members of higher castes must adhere to strict regulations limiting or forbidding their contact with objects and members of lower castes to preserve their own caste standing and their relationship with the gods.
scholar-gentry class: A term used to describe members of China’s landowning families, reflecting their wealth from the land and the privilege that they derived as government officials.
Sudra: The lowest Indian social class of varna; regarded as servants of their social betters. The Sudra varna eventually included peasant farmers. (pron. SHOOD-rah)
the “three obediences”: In Chinese Confucian thought, the notion that a woman is permanently subordinate to male control: first to her father, then to her husband, and finally to her son.
untouchables: An Indian social class that emerged below the Sudras and whose members performed the most unclean and polluting work.
Vaisya: The Indian social class that was originally defined as farmers but eventually comprised merchants. (pron. VIESH-yah)
Wang Mang: A Han court official who usurped the throne and ruled from 8 c.e. to 23 c.e.; noted for his reform movement that included the breakup of large estates. (pron. wahng mahng)
Wu, Empress: The only female “emperor” in Chinese history (r. 690–705 c.e.), Empress Wu patronized scholarship, worked to elevate the position of women, and provoked a backlash of Confucian misogynist invective.
Wudi: The Chinese emperor (r. 141–87 b.c.e.) who started the Chinese civil service system with the establishment in 124 b.c.e. of an imperial academy for future officials. (pron. woo-dee)
Yellow Turban Rebellion: A massive Chinese peasant uprising inspired by Daoist teachings that began in 184 c.e. with the goal of establishing a new golden age of equality and harmony.

Agenda:
1. QUIZ - Chapter 6 Social Hierarchies of Classic Eurasian World. Students may use open notes.
2. Discuss the questions: (Notes for this period)
  • What is the difference between class and caste?
  • What philosophical, religious, or cultural ideas served to legitimate the class and gender inequalities of classical civilizations?
  • “Social inequality was both accepted and resisted in classical civilizations.” What evidence might support this statement?
TEST IS FRIDAY on Chapter 6
Check out video clips from this class below: