Course Description

From 1600 to the present, focusing on shifts in politics, economy, culture, and thought: the fall of the Ming dynasty, the Qing dynasty as an imperial formation, China's 19th-century crisis in world perspective, the failures of late Qing reform, the abortive 1911 revolution, the birthing pains of a Chinese nation-state, Nationalist and Communist visions of Chinese modernity, Mao's permanent socialist revolution, and Deng's bureaucratic capitalist reforms.

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Athena Title

Modern China

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Prerequisite

Any HIST course or ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101E or ENGL 1101S or ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S

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Semester Course Offered

Offered fall

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Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

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Student Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the history of modern China by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
• By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
• By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of modern China shaped diverse social and cultural attitudes toward religion, identity, and politics, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
• By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.

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Topical Outline

• I. Late Imperial China, 1600-1800
• II. The Collapse of the Imperial Order, 1800-1911
• III. The Republican Era and Conflicting Modernities, 1911-1949
• IV. China under the People's Republic, 1949-2000

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Institutional Competencies

Analytical Thinking

The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.

Communication

The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.

Critical Thinking

The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.

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