- The main course page can be found in the header links above, or here. This will have the current schedule, including any changes, links to resources like the syllabus (also available through the Past Syllabi tab above) and my flickr picture collection when relelvant, and assignment handouts.
- Your first homework, in addition to starting the reading in Spence and the document collection, is to complete the Student Information Form and email it to me before class on Friday.
A nice discussion of five mostly recent works, mostly by Chinese writers, on 20th century China.
This is the book list for Hist 527 and Hist 700-02, China Since 1700.
This course will cover the history of China from roughly 1600 to the present: the fall of the Ming dynasty, the rise of the Qing, the period of prosperity, the rise of economic and social problems in the 18th and 19th centuries, pressure from Imperialism and internal disorders, the fall of the Qing and the brief Republic, the period of disorder and modernization, the Nationalist-Communist conflict during the period of Japanese aggression, the post-1945 civil war, the establishment of the People’s Republic, Maoist rule, including the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, and post-Mao developments up to the recent Olympic Games in Beijing.
Textbooks
- Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China, 2nd edition. Norton, 1999. 9780393983630
- Pei-Kai Cheng and Michael Lestz with Jonathan Spence, eds., The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection, Norton, 1999. 9780393973723
- Philip Kuhn, Soulstealers: The Chinese Sorcery Scare of 1768. Harvard University Press. (1992 reissue edition) 9780674821521
- Paul Cohen, History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience and Myth. Columbia University Press, 1998. 9780231106511
- Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know, Oxford UP, 2010. 9780195394122
- Karl, Rebecca E. Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World: A Concise History. Duke University Press, 2010. 9780822347958
Graduate Reading
- Paul Cohen, Discovering History in China: American Historical Writing on the Recent Chinese Past. Columbia University Press (reissue 2010) 978-0231151931
Value: 30% of Course Grade
Due Thursday, December 16th, RH406
YOU MUST DO TWO ESSAYS
- At what point would you say that China has become a Confucian society? Explain the definition of Confucianism you’re using and how you’re measuring its social spread, effect or importance.
- Write a short history of Chinese Buddhism through the Ming dynasty. How do governments affect the growth and spread of Buddhism? At some point can you consider Buddhism to be a Chinese religion instead of an imported one?
- How does the relationship between the government and people of China change over time? Aside from taxes, how do most people interact with officials? Is the Imperial institution generally becoming more powerful, less powerful or merely trading duties with other Chinese institutions and power centers?
- How has political theory — Legalism, Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism — concretely affected political behavior? Are there clear instances where decisions based on the principles of these schools of thought go against the best interests of the imperial institution?
- “China to 1700 is one of the few societies in world history where women had more power in the early history, and lose it as history progresses.” Do you agree? Discuss concretely.
- How are ideals of masculinity and manhood articulated in poetry and do these ideals change over time? Be concrete.
Instructions
- This test covers the entire semester, including all readings and lectures.
o This is a take-home essay examination, so I am expecting real essays, with introductions, thesis, paragraphs, conclusions, etc.
o Don’t assume that “an answer” will be easily found in one section of one book. These essays require broad knowledge and analytical thinking. Among other things, this means that questions that look simple generally require a second look.
- This essay is worth 30% of your course grade: each of the essays is worth 15%.
o The grade is based primarily on the strength of your argument as an answer to the question: thesis, evidence (completeness and handling), logic.
o Clarity is crucial; structure is essential to a clear and effective argument.
o Be careful to address all parts of the question: when asked to pick between two choices, for example, it’s not enough to say what the positive argument for your side is without discussing the possible arguments for the other side.
- Citations and Plagiarism
o failure to acknowledge the source of your ideas or information is unacceptable.
o A Works Cited or Bibliography is not required unless you use sources outside of the course materials. You must cite the source of information and ideas that are outside of “general knowledge,” including information from your course texts. Format of the notes is up to you: I prefer footnotes for my research, but parenthetical citations are fine as well; any format as long as it clearly identifies the source and page of your information.
o These questions can be answered more than adequately with reference to assigned readings and lectures. You are welcome to do more research and include outside sources, but you must be sure that they are relevant and of sufficient quality to enhance your argument. Using outside sources instead of relevant course materials will be penalized.
- Technical Details
o Make sure that your name, e-mail address and the question are clearly indicated at the beginning of each essay, and that each essay begins on a separate page. Title pages are not required.
o There is neither a minimum nor a maximum length for these essays, but I would be surprised if you could answer any of them in less than 1000 words or needed more than 3000.
o Basic courtesies like correct spelling and writing in grammatical standard English are expected. Minor errors are acceptable; errors in substantial quantities will affect your grade.
o Double-spacing and title pages are not required, but readable type and font are.
Note: Though this is an exam, I’m entirely willing to give you feedback on your essays just as I would help you prepare for an in-class test or other essay assignments. If you have a question about direction, coverage, or relevance, the earlier you ask, the less time and energy you waste. I will happily look at introductions, conclusions, outlines, rough drafts, etc., in office hours or by e-mail.
The NYTimes has a substantial piece on the resurgence of Religious Taoism: the idea that Daoism helps you achieve in business is an excellent example of the disconnect between popular and philosophical daoism.
In no particular order or priority:
- A thesis needs to have a focus, and it needs to be something you prove. Your conclusion, and you should have a conclusion, should restate how you proved your thesis.
- This is a course on Chinese history: comparisons to the present are largely a distraction from understanding the context and detail of the past.
- One piece of evidence is rarely enough to prove a point, especially about culture. This is not a five-paragraph theme: you’re trying to prove something.
- Discuss the evidence: don’t just assume that it proves your point, or that your reader understands your point, and don’t just rephrase quotations.
- Citation, by poem title or page, is critical to showing your work.
- I don’t grade on length, but a very short paper (500 words on an assignment of 800-1200) is evidence that you’re not going very deep or doing very much.
New assignment: Revise existing papers by Thursday. Hand in both original and revised papers. (Papers not yet handed in will still be considered late, but late is still worth a lot more than never).
Nice little slideshow at Slate with some work from a Met exhibit on Mongol-era painting.
I’ll be in my office in the morning from 10-12 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and Friday afternoon until about 3. If you want to pick up graded tests and papers, that’s the time to do it. If you want to check your grade, you can come in, or send me an email.
If you want your graded final back, you can give me a self-addressed stamped envelope with your final, or come get it in the Fall — I don’t throw these things away for years.
Remember: your final essays are due in my office or at Yummy Buffet no later than 12:30 pm on Thursday the 14th.
Alan Baumler notes the history of the Princess of Pingyang. Unfortunately, what he writes is pretty much the entirety of what we know, but it’s still interesting.
