Tutor: Dr Song-Chuan Chen

Outline Syllabus

In this module we will employ a thematic approach that will enable us to see modern Chinese history from the perspective of themes that China shared with other regions. Each week we will examine a theme that cuts through time to see connections or to make comparisons. The theme “politicized youth”, for instance, brings together events across over one hundred years from the May Forth protests in Beijing (1919) to the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests (2019) that were both political protests initiated by students and young people. The eight themes have been chosen because of their significance to modern Chinese history. You can and should invent as many themes as you want to cut through time and space and form an understanding of modern Chinese history.

• Introduction
• The Civil Service Examination
• The Intellectuals
• Law and Social Order
• Gendered China
• The Chinese Plebeian Classes
• Nationalism and Politicized Youth
• The Chinese Believers
• The Rise of Modern China

Assessment

• Contribution in learning activities 10%
• Midterm Essay 1500 words 40%
• Summative Essay 3000 words 50%

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of historical and theoretical interpretations of modern China.
• Communicate ideas and findings, adapting to a range of situations, audiences and degrees of complexity.
• Analyse and evaluate the contributions made by existing scholarship.
• Act with limited supervision and direction within defined guidelines, accepting responsibility for achieving deadlines.