EA 170 DISCUSSSION QUESTIONS TUESDAY WEEK 1A

Heian versus American/Western forms of marriage (William McCullough, "Japanese Marriage Institutions" [click here] and see also reading questions)

1. What is McCullough's basic definition of marriage (for marriage anywhere)?

2. What would you consider to be the necessary basic components of "marriage" in the United States?

3. How are Heian period marriages the same or different from American marriages?

4. Would you call them “marriages”? Why or why not?

5. From the reading, why do you think Heian period men got married? Why did women get married? How did these reasons change depending on economic background and social status?