Syllabus: China Since 1700 (Spring 2012)

History 527: China Since 1700

http://dresnerchina.edublogs.org

This course will cover the history of China from 1700 to the present: Starting with the mid-Qing 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, the Deng era and China’s economic and social change to present.

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
• Karl, Rebecca E. Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World: A Concise History. Duke University Press, 2010. 9780822347958
• Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know, Oxford UP, 2010. 9780195394122

Course Goals

In addition to the historical and cultural content, students will demonstrate increasing mastery of critical reading of primary and secondary sources in writing and discussion. “Critical” does not mean “attacking” but “analytical”: putting material in historical and cultural context, drawing appropriate inferences and and deductions from the evidence of the text, and raising relevant questions for futher inquiry. Students will read primary and secondary sources, and demonstrate their understanding by writing, participating in class discussions and making individual presentations.

Course Prerequisites and Application

Prerequisite: World History to 1500 or World History from 1500, its equivalent or permission of instructor. This course counts towards the History major or minor as a non-Western course, towards the History/Goverment major as an Asian history course. May be taken for honors.

Advisory

History is about real people, diverse cultures, interesting theories, strongly held belief systems, complex situations, conflicts and often-dramatic actions. This information may be disturbing. Such is the nature of historical study.

Advising

Advising is a very important resource designed to help students complete the requirements of the University and their individual majors. Students should consult with their advisor at least once a semester to decide on courses, check progress towards graduation, and discuss career options and other educational opportunities. Advising is a shared responsibility, but students have final responsibility for meeting degree requirements.

Student Accommodation

Any student with a documented disability who would like to request accommodations should contact the instructor as early in the semester as possible. For more information, contact the Center for Student Accomodations (235-4309, csa@pittstate.edu).

Course Website: http://dresnerchina.edublogs.org

Bookmark it. Check it regularly. I will use it for announcements (assignments, special events, extra credit), to maintain the schedule (particularly if it changes), to post handouts (so if you lose or miss one, it’ll be there) and keep a small library of useful links. In the event of a disparity between the original syllabus and the website, follow the website: I reserve the right to change readings, test dates, due dates, grade weights and assignments as necessary throughout the semester. This website largely takes the place of ANGEL for this class, though I will use ANGEL for email, the syllabus and for certain material which shouldn’t be available publicly.

Students are expected to behave respectfully towards their peers and instructor. Disruptive behavior, including failing to turn off cell phones during class, will result in participation penalties. This does not mean that there can’t be lively discussions and disagreements, but personal attacks, excessive volume, threatening gestures or words, and failure to give others a chance to speak and be heard are not acceptable.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course.
Plagiarism is the use of the words or ideas of another person without proper acknowledgement. Plagiarism is intellectual theft; in an educational setting it is particularly repugnant. Plagiarism in my courses will be punished. It’s simple: Anytime you copy words into your own work, you must clearly mark them and acknowledge the source of those words. Anytime you use someone else’s ideas, you must admit it. There are three options: put it in quotation marks and note the source; paraphrase and note the source; or be original. If you have any questions or any concerns about citation format or necessity, ask someone who knows what they’re doing.
Other forms of academic misconduct will not be tolerated either, including the use of unauthorized aid on tests, failing to write one’s own papers, using papers for more than one course without permission. None of this precludes group study and discussion: those are actually really good ideas. For more detail, see the relevant sections of the University Catalog: http://www.pittstate.edu/audiences/current-students/policies/rights-and-responsibilities/academic-misconduct.dot.

Syllabus Supplement

For more information on deadlines, severe weather policy, visas, grades, attendance, final exams, student support, etc. please see the University Catalog or the 2012 Spring Syllabus Supplement, available through the Registrar’s office:  http://www.pittstate.edu/office/registrar/forms.dot

Assignments

Geography Quiz

At the beginning of the third class (Monday, 1/23) I will give a quick fifteen (15) question quiz on the geography of modern China: neighboring countries, islands, major cities, rivers. Any student who gets fewer than fourteen (14) correct, will need to retake the quiz until they get a passing score. I will give the quiz in my office, during office hours or by appointment. Students may take the quiz once a week for the entire semester if necessary, but everyone in the class will pass this geography quiz, and have at least one ‘A’.

Reviews

You will pick a book on China since 1700 to review. You will have a great deal of freedom to pick topics, but the book should be either a scholarly work, a primary source in translation or serious journalistic investigation. See the Review assignment for more details.

Lectures and Discussions

There will be some lecture days, but most class sessions will involve discussion of the assigned readings. Some of my lectures will expand on the material presented, adding detail and alternative understandings. Some of my lectures will introduce and raise questions about historical sources or historians’ arguments. Some of my lectures will be about historical practice and theory as it applies to specific topics. I will, on occasion, correct or disagree with the readings or with other historians. Historians do that.

Readings

Reading assignments must be done before class on the day indicated. Lectures and discussions will assume that the reading has been done. Reading assignments may be supplemented with online image viewing assignments. Regular and substantive participation in discussions is an integral component of this course. I will try to make sure that everyone has a chance to speak up, and if you have trouble speaking up, talk to me privately and we’ll work on opportunities. If I find significant numbers of students are not doing the readings, I reserve the right to begin giving pop quizzes in a format to be determined later.

Midterm and Final Exam

The midterm will cover the first half of the course, and the final exam will include both an emphasis on the second half as well as a comprehensive portion. Tests will emphasize the Spence and Document readings, but include other books and, of course, class discussions and lectures. The format will be essays (in-class or take home to be determined later); questions will be distributed well in advance of the tests. You do not need to do outside research to answer these questions, but you do need to think about them long and hard. Details to follow.

Short Essays

For each book there will be a paper (750-1000 words) based on the readings, and a day for discussing your answers. Topics for the papers will be distributed, but if you think of an interesting question/topic which is not included, check with me. Papers will be graded primarily on how effectively they use historical evidence and knowledge to support your conclusions

Professionalism: Preparation, Attendance and Participation

This is not just a classroom: it is a work space, and you are adults. You are expected to be present and prepared for class time, not only physically but intellectually, and to carry out your assignments in a timely and careful fashion. You are responsible for keeping track of assignments, due dates, and announcements made through the course website.

The essence of scholarship is constructive engagement; the best learning comes from doing. It is very important that everyone keep up with the readings, and come to class prepared to think and talk and question and listen. Asking good questions is an important form of participation. Asking questions which can be easily answered by referencing the syllabus, course website or textbook is not. Pop quizzes may be used to monitor your completion and comprehension of assigned readings, and will be part of your Professionalism grade.

Absences may be excused for unusual school-related events (not athletic practices), illness or family-related problems, but only if I am informed in advance (email is fine) or you have documentation (such as a doctor’s note). Unexcused absences will lower your professionalism grade. I do not drop students for non-attendance: it is your responsibility to be aware of your course load and your grades. However, I reserve the right to drop students with no record of attendance in the first two weeks of the semester in closed classes with students waiting to enroll.

There may be days on which there will be a video lecture available online rather than an in-class lecture. Students are not required to come to class on those days, but are responsible for the material in the lectures. Recorded lectures may also be used to make up a day lost to weather or instructor absence; these are also required.

There will sometimes be homework assignments which do not fall into the above categories which will be considered part of the professionalism grade. The first assignment is that all students are required to find the student information form on the course website, complete it, and email it to the instructor before the second class meeting. There will also be short response assignments for some of the readings. Failure to complete assignments, or consistently sloppy or incorrect work, will also lower your professionalism grade.

Extra Credit

I will announce cultural and historical events for which extra credit may be earned. Check the website for current listings. Visits to museums, art galleries, historical sites and other cultural institutions may also qualify. If you know of an event or a cultural institution and would like to have it considered for extra credit, or announced to the class, let me know. To get extra credit, attend or participate in the event listed, and write a short (under two pages, single-spaced) summary of the event and describe your reaction and what you learned from it. Extra Credits are added to the professionalism score at the end of the semester.

Grades

The most important component of your grade on writing assignments will be whether you have used the historical materials available to effectively answer an interesting question. I will give you topics to focus on, but you will have to decide and articulate a thesis, select and present relevant evidence, and make it clear to your reader how the evidence proves your point. I do not generally grade on style, grammar or spelling, unless they are so bad as to obscure the meaning of what you are writing.

• For most assignments I use letter grades with plus/minus markings, converted to a standard 4-point scale: A=4, A-=3.7, B+=3.3, B=3, B-=2.7, etc. I reserve the right to adjust grades upwards to reflect the performance of the class as a whole; I do not “curve” grades towards a target distribution, nor do I adjust grades downwards.
• Assignment format, requirements and due dates will be included in the assignment instructions: read them carefully, and ask questions well in advance of the due date if there is anything you do not understand.
• If hard copy (printed) is required, email will only be accepted as proof of completion in emergencies: the student is still responsible to get a printed copy to the instructor as soon as possible. For assignments which are to be turned in by email, I will send a confirmation email; If you have not gotten one in a reasonable amount of time (a day or so), it is your responsibility to confirm that your assignment was recieved.
• In the event of an excused absence on an assignment due date, the student is responsible for turning in the work no later than the next class, unless other arrangements have been made.
• Unexcused late assignments, due to absence, technical problems, etc., will be penalized one grade level (B to C, etc.) per class period late.
• Even very, very bad (or very late) work is still going to get an F, which is a lot better than a zero. Plagiarism or other violations of academic honesty will result in zero credit on that assignment and may result in an F or XF for the semester depending on circumstances.
• NOTE: I do not post grades on ANGEL. I will be happy to go over your grades and let you know how you are doing in the course at any time. Come to my office hours, or email me.

Grade Distribution

Schedule
Administrative Deadlines and Instructional Holidays are in Italics
Assignments and Tests are in Bold

Professionalism	18%
Map Quiz	2%
Midterm Exam	10%
Short Papers (4)	20%
Book Reviews (2)	20%
Discovering History Essay	15%
Final Exam Essays (2)	15%
Total:	100%