Spring 2019 - HIST 255 D100
China since 1800 (3)
Class Number: 3810
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 3 – Apr 8, 2019: Tue, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Apr 17, 2019
Wed, 8:30–11:30 a.m.
Burnaby
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
A survey of the history of China from the end of the eighteenth century, when traditional Chinese society was arguably at its height of development, to the end of the twentieth century when the social revolutions promised by the Communist regime have clearly failed to materialize. The main objectives are to provide students with vocabularies and tools to understand and interpret the political, social and cultural transformations in modern China and to initiate them in the art and techniques of historical analysis. Breadth-Humanities.
COURSE DETAILS:
This subject is an introduction to the major events, themes and issues in the history of China from the nineteenth century to the early twentieth first century. We begin with the long decline of the Qing dynasty and China’s ill-fated encounter with the West, and then move on to investigate how the country sought to redefine itself through reforms and revolutions. We examine how modern China experimented with constitutional monarchism, republicanism, socialism and state-led capitalism as it searched for an appropriate system of modern governance. Furthermore, we will explore the accomplishments and traumas of the twentieth century, including student movements, Communist revolution, Japanese invasion, civil war, industrialization, famine, the Cultural Revolution, the reform era, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, and beyond, particularly from the perspective of common people.
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) critically read and analyze primary and secondary sources;
(4) examine the challenges present-day China faces in light of its recent past.
Grading
- Tutorial attendance and participation 25%
- Newspaper/magazine primary source analysis 15%
- Book review 15%
- Quizzes 15%
- Final Exam 30%
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.
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS