Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - HIST 255 D100

China since 1800 (3)

Class Number: 3418

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Tue, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A survey of the history of China from the end of the eighteenth century to the present. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

China began the nineteenth century controlled by the Manchus, a non-Han ethnic group that led the Qing dynasty. Policies of expansionism and alliances with Central Asian allies increased the territorial scope of Qing control. Crisis loomed, however, in the form of population pressure, internal rebellion, and imperialist aggression. In 1911, the Manchu-led dynasty fell and was replaced by a republic that struggled to address the many challenges facing people in China, and in 1949 the Chinese Communist Party established the People’s Republic of China. We will explore the accomplishments and traumas of recent Chinese history, including anti-traditional and feminist movements, Communist revolution, Japanese invasion, civil war, industrialization, famine, the Cultural Revolution, the reform era, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, and beyond.

        

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Upon successful completion of the course students should have (1) gained an appreciation of the magnitude of the problems facing people in China during the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries; (2) improved their ability to interpret contentious historical debates and moments by constructing arguments based on convincing evidence; (3) become familiar with how historians practice their craft by reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources.

Grading

  • Tutorial attendance and engagement 25%
  • Quizzes: Two unannounced 15-minute quizzes during lecture or tutorial, each worth 9 points. Format: short essay (approximately one handwritten page) in which you show that you completed and thought carefully about the weekly readings 18%
  • Midterm oral exam (book conversation): Twenty-minute one-on-one meeting with the instructor or TA in which you will discuss a book, showing that you read and thought about the book while linking it to course content. 22%
  • Final exam: Cumulative blue-book exam featuring primary source analysis and essay questions. 35%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Ida Pruitt, A Daughter of Han: The Autobiography of a Chinese Working Woman (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1967).

Anita Chan, Richard Madsen, and Jonathan Unger. Chen Village: Revolution to Globalization. Third Edition (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009).

Harold M. Tanner, China: A History, Volume 2 (Indianapolis: Hackett, 2010).

Other readings available online.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Learn more about studing History at SFU:

History areas of study


Why study History?

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.