Course Description, Prerequisites, and Corequisites:
This course provides an interpretive account of China’s interactions with the world before 19th century. The
course will concentrate on the political, economic and social impacts of foreigners on China and China’s
responses to the Western challenge.
While chronological, we will follow a thematic approach. Major themes include China’s early contact with the West, Britain’s opium trade and opium wars with China, the establishment of the treaty systems in China by the Western powers, the confrontations between the Chinese and the western missionaries, the powers’ division of spheres of influence in China, and the change of western image of China in the nineteenth century.
This is an introductory course open to all students; no prior knowledge of Chinese history is required or
expected. Class meetings are scheduled for four hours each week. The general pattern will be lectures, group-
discussion and film/video/library research. The course will have discussion sessions once a week, following
the lecture topics and reading materials.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Identify and describe trends of early China’s contact with the outside world
2. Explain the major issues relating to the development of Western imperialism in China in the nineteenth century
3. Compare and assess various debates and interpretations concerning the history of interaction between China and the Western powers
4. Analyze the causes and effects of historical conflicts in the relationship between China and the West
5. Outline and assess the historical and cultural factors before the 20th century that impact recent events and relationships in the Asian region and beyond
6. Lead group discussions and articulate their viewpoints clearly
7. Collect, interpret, evaluate, and cite information from academic references and sources
Textbook and Course Materials:
Odd Arne Westad, Restless Empire: China and the World since 1750, New York: Basic Books, 2012.
James L. Hevia, English Lessons: Pedagogy of Imperialism in Nineteenth-Century China, Durham NC: Duke
University Press, 2003.
Paper writing:
– You are required to submit a research essay of 4-5 pages (1000-1500 words, double spacing printed).
This essay should treat some important issue in China’s relations with the world during the late imperial
period 1500 –1900. In addition, a one-page outline and bibliography sheet should be attached to the
essay.
A good research essay involves the bringing together of facts and ideas using precise and
meaningful language and a formalized structure.
– Clear understanding of the relevant issues in an assigned topic and the ability to see their relationship to
the course content.
– Argument: First, remember that when writing a research essay you are putting forward an argument or
answering a question, not just listing facts or writing a chronology of events. Consider all possibilities,
identify and weigh the importance of each factor, and come to your own conclusion.
– Planning: Formulate a concise title for your essay that crystallizes its purpose and approach. Then
construct a plan that will enable you to proceed. Identify relevant sources, prepare notes and formulate
an outline for the essay.
– Full, critical engagement with the issues presented in primary and secondary source materials.
Engagement is demonstrated by the effort to understand and internalize the issues through serious
questioning and examination of the evidence.
– Quotations are not introduced and “left hanging”; rather, the ideas in them are examined critically and
are integrated into the larger argument. Mastery of paraphrasing techniques is evident (with appropriate
documentation).
Plagiarism is a serious academic offense which can result in failure or suspension from
the college. Avoiding plagiarism requires that you acknowledge, by means of citation, the words and ideas
of others.
Use quotations sparingly to highlight or illustrate a specific focus or point. Otherwise, use your
own words.
Develop your own ideas rather than paraphrasing those of others. On occasions when you do need to refer to the ideas of others, even if you choose not to use a direct quotation, you must provide a
citation.
Your essay must conform to accepted standards of academic style. References should follow a
consistent and accepted format, as should the bibliography of sources which you must include at the end
of the paper. For further details you may consult a style guide.
– Careful grounding of assumptions in a socio-historical context. Broad statements about a subject are
particularized and sketchy generalizations avoided.
– Evidence of skill in analyzing, comparing and contrasting, integrating and synthesizing to express
significant ideas in an original way. The writer is able to move back and forth between the concrete
particulars of a question and its abstract significance in order to give full expression to her/his findings.
Based on the above, the general criteria for letter grades will reflect the following:
1. Does the introduction outline the basics of the argument?
2. Does the paper progress in a logical and coherent manner?
3. Do paragraphs have main ideas followed by explanation and supported with discussion and
information?
4. Are terms defined clearly and accurately?
5. Are all borrowed ideas clearly referenced?
An A essay: demonstrates the above skills and qualities to a high degree; is correctly written with few or no errors
in grammar, spelling, diction, punctuation; uses a recognized scholarly form of documentation; shows knowledge
of the conventions appropriate to the type of essay (argument, description, narrative, analysis, etc.); is written in a
way that facilitates the reader’s engagement with the issues under discussion.
A B essay: demonstrates some of the qualities listed above; is for the most part correctly and coherently written,
but contains some errors in writing and scholarly form that obstruct the reader’s easy comprehension of the essay;
is less sophisticated in its articulation of the core issues posed by the source materials; does not explain the issues
as fully as a reader might require in order to understand them.
A C essay: shows only intermittent evidence of the qualities and skills listed above; contains numerous errors in
writing and documentation; may begin with a thesis or focus but is not able to sustain it consistently or coherently;
requires substantial effort on the part of the reader to understand it.
A D essay: lacks focus or argument; has not dealt with the assigned topic; contains a number of major writing
errors (e.g. incomplete sentence, persistent misuse of words, unidiomatic phrases, paragraph fragments, etc.);
lacks awareness of the conventions of essay writing or the uses of documentation; consistently fails to respond to
the reader’s needs for clarity.
Last Completed Projects
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