Discovering China’s Silk Road

In this course, we will examine how China’s Silk Road, a fabled route, changed China at various stages of history. Words and illustrations will help you understand how the Silk Road brought China out of isolation and into commerce with distant lands, as well as how the route affected religious orientation, military tactics, visual arts, poetry, food, home design, and the role of women in China. 

We’ll also explore how the Silk Road facilitated the spread of technology across the Eurasian land mass and consider the puzzle of why China periodically reverted to isolationist tendencies despite the prosperity it enjoyed in periods that were outward-looking.

You may take this course as part of the following program:

What will I learn?

We will discuss the following:

• Great teachers of sixth-century Asia and the Mediterranean: Confucius in China, Gautama Buddha in India, and Socrates in the Mediterranean region
• Kingdoms that combined with nearby states to form larger kingdoms
• The Silk Road’s emergence, which was anchored on three great empires: the Han in China, the Maurya in India, and the Roman in the West
• Camels, silk, and Buddhism, which animated the Silk Road
• The great Tang and Song Dynasties
• The feared Mongol World Empire from 1279­ to 1368
• China’s decline in power for 200 years, and its rebound from 1368 to the present

How will I learn?

• Lectures
• Discussion (may vary from class to class)
• Papers (applicable only to certificate students)

Who should take this course?

This course is for anyone who is interested in learning more about the culture and development of early China and the Silk Road.

How will I be evaluated?

(For certificate students only)

Your instructor will evaluate you based on an essay you will complete at the end of the course. You will receive a grade of “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.”

Textbooks and learning materials

Reading material (if applicable) will be available in class. Some course materials may be available online.