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Course: World History Project - Origins to the Present > Unit 4
Lesson 4: A Dark Age? | 4.3- READ: The “Dark Ages” Debate
- READ: Was There Ever a ‘Dark Age’?
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Shoguns, Samurai and the Japanese Middle Ages
- WATCH: Shoguns, samurai and the Japanese Middle Ages
- READ: China Under the Tang and Ming Dynasties
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: International Commerce, Snorkeling Camels, and The Indian Ocean Trade
- WATCH: International Commerce, Snorkeling Camels, and The Indian Ocean Trade
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Impact of the Crusades
- WATCH: Impact of the crusades
- READ: Medieval Women in Western Europe, c.1000-1350 CE
- READ: Women in Song China
- READ: Du Huan (Graphic Biography)
- A Dark Age?
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READ: Du Huan (Graphic Biography)
Du Huan was a Chinese soldier of the Tang Dynasty who was captured by an Abbasid army. He traveled widely in East Africa and Arabia before returning home.
The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.
First read: skimming for gist
This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?
Second read: understanding content
For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- Where was Du Huan born and how did he end up fighting in the battle of Talas/Talus?
- What happened to Da Huan and other captives after the battle? Why was his fate different from that of his friends?
- How does he describe production and distribution in Laobosa (probably Somalia)?
- How does he describe Molin, the province of Aksum he visited?
- How does the artist use art and design to give a sense of connection between these different places?
Third read: evaluating and corroborating
In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
- How does this biography of Du Huan support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about production and distribution in this era?
- How does this biography of Du Huan support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about networks and connections between regions in this era?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading .
Du Huan (Graphic Biography)
Writer: Trevor R. Getz
Artist: Liz Clarke
Du Huan was a Chinese soldier of the Tang Dynasty who was captured by an Abbasid army. He traveled widely in East Africa and Arabia before returning home.
Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.
Want to join the conversation?
hi ill be your teacher hear and i was the first won hear and please sit down on air and if you are the 2nd person(4 votes)- what is this story about and you got to figer it out and read it first and the story is about the Du Huan but do yull now Biography(3 votes)
- What is the connection with production and distribution?(1 vote)