Modern China: The Twentieth Century (381-2-20)

Instructors

Peter J Carroll
847/491-2753
Harris Hall - Room 216

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

This class explores modern Chinese history from the Revolution of 1911 to the era of post-Mao reform (circa 2000). It is the story of China's turbulent effort to transform an empire into a modern nation-state that would allow China to accumulate "wealth and power" and "stand up." The course stresses both the Nationalist and Communist eras and will consider the disintegration of the Chinese polity into warlordism, Nationalist efforts to reestablish a viable state authority, the disastrous eight-year long War of Resistance against Japan, cooperation, conflict, and eventual civil war between the Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party, and the triumphs and tribulations of communist rule. We will explore such topics as the growth of modern urban mass culture, the development of new forms of artistic expression, attempts to ameliorate the status of Chinese women, revolutionary charisma and the effects of political campaigns, the economic and social effects of the Four Modernizations, and the place of the Patriotic Democratic Movement of 1989 in China's long tradition of intellectual and labor protest.

Learning Objectives

1）Gain understanding of the general pattern of political and social shifts of the 20th century and knowledge of particular key dates and events. Students will have a complex understanding of the ideas and practice of revolution and shifting notions of modernity. They will also appreciate how changes in the gender system, economic development, and the pursuit of human and state rights were key goals for successive Chinese states.
2) Provide opportunities for students to improve their capacity to discuss and analyze key events and course themes in speech and writing. What techniques can make writing more rhetorically powerful? What constitutes a good thesis/argument/point, and how might it be improved?
3) Utilize sympathetic imagination to consider the logic and effects of visions of social, cultural, and political change. In other words, students should "try on" different ways of approaching the world.
4) Consider how a complex understanding of 20th c. "China" might alter your received sense of World history, modernity, the Cold War, and/or the histories of the USA, the PRC, Taiwan, Japan, or other countries. 5) Consider the linkages between China's 20th c. experiences and current political aims and social and political currents, during the age of Xi Jinping.

Evaluation Method

Analytic essay 30%, discussion board (part of participation) 15%, mid-term 25%, final exam 30%

Class Materials (Required)

Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China, 3rd ed.
The Real Story of Ah Q and Other Tales of China: The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun.
Peter Gries, China's New Nationalism: Pride, Politics, and Diplomacy.

Class Notes

History Area of Concentration: Asia/Middle East

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Distro Area

Associated Classes

DIS - University Hall 118: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM

DIS - University Hall 118: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM

DIS - Harris Hall L06: Fri 2:00PM - 2:50PM

DIS - NO DATA: NO DATA