Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Description
With China playing a central role in global affairs today, an understanding of the country’s history over the last two hundred years has never been more important. In this class, we will trace the collapse of the last imperial dynasty, the political movements of the early twentieth century, the world wars that defined the modern global order, and the country’s monumental rise on the global stage in the early twenty-first century. In addition to examining key documents and archives, we will discuss films, songs, novels, and television programs which convey the triumphs, anxieties, and sorrows of individuals who have confronted a world of constant change for the last century. We will consider issues of power and gender, class, as well as ethnicity from the waning years of the last dynasty through the present. Through this class, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of history, politics, economy, culture, and technology in modern China while engaging in critical interpretations of a wide range of texts and sources that shape contemporary global society.
Required Textbooks
Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. 3rd ed. W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. ISBN: 9780393934519.
Chen, Janet, Pei-kai Cheng, et al. The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. 3rd ed. W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. ISBN: 9780393920857.
Further required readings can be found in the Readings section. Towards the second half of the class, we will depart from the textbook more often to consider films, novels, and new scholarly works in modern Chinese history.
Grading Policy
| ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
|
Class participation and 8 weekly responses Brief (one paragraph) responses to the readings |
15% |
|
Geography quiz Quiz on geography of major sites associated with modern China’s history |
5% |
|
Midterm 75-minute in-class exam |
20% |
|
Film, novel, or book report 3–4 page essay on a Chinese (or China-related) film, novel, or work of non-fiction of your choice |
20% |
|
2 annotation assignments Short exercises involving annotating a week’s readings |
20% |
|
Historical timeline final project Create a timeline of moments or forces leading up to a key event of your choice in modern China |
20% |
For further detail on the above activities, see the Assignments section.
