Chinese Civilization (281-0-22)
Instructors
Peter J Carroll
847/491-2753
Harris Hall - Room 216
Meeting Info
University Hall 101: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
This course examines the history and culture of traditional China, from the beginning of recorded history, ca. 2000 BCE, through the early modern period, ca. 1600 CE. The class will address important topics such as the Bronze Age foundations of Chinese civilization; Confucian, Daoist, and alternative schools of thought; the question of when China became "Chinese;" unification and creation of empire; the construction of imperial orthodoxy; the introduction and spread of Buddhism; some of the continuities and transformations that mark modern China. Throughout the course we will trace the contributions of China's on-going cultural, trade, and military interactions with its neighbors in defining an evolving sense of "Chinese" identity.
Learning Objectives
1. Students will gain an understanding of the general pattern of Chinese history from ca 2000 BCE through the early modern period, Ca 1600 CE, and acquire knowledge of key particular events, concepts, and debates. 2. The course provides 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. Students will practice working with historical evidence, primary and secondary, to craft arguments, while also considering the evaluation and deployment of sources. 4. Students will consider how a complex understanding of Chinese history might alter their received sense of World history throughout the ancient, medieval, and early modern periods, as well as the histories of countries in South, East, and Southeast Asia and Europe. 5. The course will underscore the formative role of the ancient, medieval, and early modern Chinese past as providing foundations for later societal, cultural, and political developments in China, as well as for other countries across Eurasia.
Evaluation Method
paper, take-home exam, final exam, discussion section, discussion board
Class Notes
Concentration: Asia/Middle East
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Associated Classes
DIS - University Hall 118: Fri 2:00PM - 2:50PM
DIS - Harris Hall L06: Fri 3:00PM - 3:50PM
DIS - Harris Hall L04: Fri 4:00PM - 4:50PM