Chinese Civilization (281-0-20)

Instructors

Melissa A Macauley
847/491-3418
Harris Hall - Room 344
Melissa Macauley specializes in Chinese history from the sixteenth century to the present. She has published work on social history and legal culture and on Chinese international history.

Meeting Info

University Hall 121: Mon, Wed, Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM

Overview of class

How did China become "Chinese?" This course seeks to answer that question. It is an introduction to traditional Chinese history from the Neolithic to the late imperial period (ca. 1700) and explores the emergence and ever-evolving nature of a land and culture that came to be called "Chinese." It will address important topics in recorded history: the Neolithic and Bronze Age foundations of Chinese civilization; the politically legitimating tendencies of classical Chinese philosophy; the splendor and social tensions of the commercialized urban centers; the challenges of, what was then, a culturally alien religion called Buddhism; the increasing constriction of women's lives; Pax Mongolica (the Mongol "Peace"); the shift in Eurasian trade from caravan to maritime communication; the traditional Chinese world order; and some of the continuities and transformations that mark the early modern world. "The past is not dead," William Faulkner once observed, "it is not even past." We will try to understand how China's traditional history lives on in China's present. This is an introductory course and no previous knowledge of Chinese history will be expected.

Learning Objectives

To acquire a basic understanding of Chinese history; to learn how to analyze historical texts; to improve communication skills

Evaluation Method

1 midterm (25% of grade); 1 short (3-pp) paper (25% of grade); 1 final exam (25% of grade); participation in discussion section (25% of grade).

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Distro Area
Attendance at 1st class mandatory

Associated Classes

DIS - University Hall 418: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM

DIS - Harris Hall L04: Fri 2:00PM - 2:50PM

DIS - Harris Hall L05: Fri 4:00PM - 4:50PM