Course Description
A survey of Chinese history from the late Tang through the early Qing dynasties (800-1600). Topics include the involution of the imperial state, transformations of society and economy, the invention of the "Confucian" tradition, and shifting conceptions of Chinese identity.
Athena Title
The Chinese Renaissance
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The principal objective of the course is to teach students to think critically for themselves about the relationships between the past and the present, to learn to ask questions of the past that enable them to understand the present and mold the future, and to become attuned to both the limitations and possibilities of change. The course seeks to acquaint students with the ways in which past societies and peoples have defined the relationships between community and individual needs and goals, and between ethical norms and decision-making. In general students will be expected to: 1. read a wide range of primary and secondary sources critically. 2. polish skills in critical thinking, including the ability to recognize the difference between opinion and evidence, and the ability to evaluate--and support or refute--arguments effectively. 3. write stylistically appropriate and mature papers and essays using processes that include discovering ideas and evidence, organizing that material, and revising, editing, and polishing the finished papers.
Topical Outline
I. The Tang-Song Transition: Early Modernity? II. The Northern Song Dynasty: Reforming Idealism III. Inner Asia in Chinese History: The Liao and Jin Dynasties IV. The Southern Song Dynasty: Reimagining State and Society V. The Yuan Dynasty: China under Mongol Rule VI. The Ming Dynasty: The Last Long Wave VII. The Qing Conquest: Survival of the Imperial Order
Syllabus