HIST 284(S) Modern China, 1800-Present: Continuity and Change*

This course is designed to introduce students to some of the major events and issues in China's dynamic transformation from the world's oldest and largest bureaucracy to a revolutionary state-and its subsequent evolution to the contemporary political and economic phenomenon we know today. Tracing pre-modern legacies that have helped shape China, the course covers the decline and fall of the Qing dynasty through the creation of Communist China and the unfolding of the post-Mao era. The class uses primary and secondary sources (including literature and films) to examine the origins and impact of major social and ideological trends such as foreign imperialism, nationalism, racism/culturalism, feminism, communism, Maoism, and capitalism in China. The course considers the relationship between political thought and practice and how these "-isms" affected the daily life of the individual in China. Classes center on group discussion. Evaluation will be based on class participation, a short (3-5 page) paper, quizzes and a self-scheduled final exam. Group C

Hour: REEVES