Week One: The End of the Old Order 1890-1922

MONDAY, 4 September: Course Introduction
  Reading (52 pp.):
 
  1. Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China, 139-191.
TUESDAY, 5 September: China's Fin de siècle, 1890-1900
  Reading (108 pp.):
 
  1. Spence, The Search for Modern China, 192-242.
  2. Paul A Cohen, "Boxers, Christians and the Gods: The Boxer Conflict of 1890 as a Religious War," in Cohen, China Unbound: Evolving Perspectives on the Chinese Past (Routledge, 2003), pp. 105-125. [E-RES]
  3. "Kang Youwei and the Reform Movement," "Conservative Reactions," "Tan Sitong," "Reform Edict," and "Liang Qichao," in Wm. Theodore de Bary, comp., Sources of Chinese Tradition (Columbia, 1999), 260-298. [E-RES]
WEDNESDAY, 6 September: Manchus & Revolution, 1900-1911
Reading (118 pp):
  1. Spence, The Search for Modern China, 243-63.
  2. Zou Rong, Revolutionary Army, forward - chapter 7, pp. 56-127. [E-RES]
  3. "Sun Yat-Sen and the Nationalist Revolution," in de Bary, 314-330 [E-RES]
  4. "Tongmeng hui Revolutionary Proclamation," "Press Coverage of the Wuchang Uprising," "The Manchu Abdication Edict," in Pei-kai Cheng and Michael Lestz, eds., The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection (Norton, 1999), 202-13. [E-RES]
Assignment: Short Paper #1: The New Culture Movement
  • 2-3 page essay due when class commences Thursday on the following topic:
  • Consider the  approaches of Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi to achieving the goals of the New Culture Movement. Whose thinking do you find more persuasive, and why?
  • For style and format requirements, see guidelines page.
THURSDAY, 7 September: The Dawn of the Republic, 1911-1921
  Reading (98 pp):
 
  1. Spence, 271-313
  2. "Yuan Shikai: Two Documents;" "Japan's Twenty-One Demands;" "The Restoration of 1917, from Puyi's Memoir"), in Cheng & Lestz, 214-226. [E-RES]
  3. "The New Culture Movement," in de Bary, 351-95. [E-RES]
  Assignment: Short Paper #1
 
  • 2 page essay due when class commences on Thursday.
  • Consider the approaches of Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi to achieving the goals of the New Culture Movement. Whose thinking do you find more persuasive, and why?
  • For style and format requirements, see guidelines.
FRIDAY, 8 September: Literature & National Renewal: The Work of Lu Xun
  Reading (91 pp):
  From Lu Hsun, Selected Stories:
  1. Preface, pp. 1-6.
  2. "A Madman's Diary," pp. 7-18.
  3. "Kung I-Chi," pp. 19-24.
  4. "Medicine," pp. 25-33.
  5. "My Old Home," pp. 54-64.
  6. "The True Story of Ah Q," pp. 65-112
  Assignment: Short Paper #2 | Map Quiz
 
  • Map quiz: You will be given a blank map and be asked to label a handful of key rivers, cities, provinces and macroregions. To prepare, see Schoppa p. 16-17, map page.

Week Two: War and Revolution, 1923-56

MONDAY, 11 September: Struggles for a New Order, 1923-1937
Reading (131 pp.):
  1. Spence, 314-74.
  2. "Sun Yat-sen Opens the Whampoa Academy;" "A.I. Cherepanov on Life in Whampoa;" "Reactions to the May 30th Incident;" "Purging the CCP: Three Documents;" "Madame Sun Yat-sen Defends the Left;" "Law in the Nanjing Decade," in Cheng & Lestz, 252-277. [E-RES]
  3. "The Communist Revolution," in de Bary, 406-25.  [E-RES]
TUESDAY, 12 September: World War II in China, 1937-1945
  Reading (89 pp):
 
  1. Spence, 375-409.
  2. "Japan at War;" "Chiang Replies;" "The Rape of Nanjing;" "Wang Jingwei: On Collaboration," in Cheng & Lestz, 314-30.
WEDNESDAY, 13 September: Establishing the People's Republic, 1946-1950
  Reading (66 pp):
 
  1. Spence, 459-513
  2. Li Fengjin: How The Marriage Law Helped One Woman Stand Up, 1-42.
Assignment:Short Paper #3
 
  • 2-3 page essay due when class commences on Wednesday analyzing a photograph from one of the following image sets: 1890-1910; 1911-1927; 1927-1949.
  • If you had to use it to say one thing about the period in question, what would that be? How does the image lend itself to conveying your point?
  • For style and format requirements, see guidelines.
THURSDAY, 14 September: The New Order, 1950-1956
  Reading (85 pp.):
 
  1. Spence, 514-43
  2. Joseph Esherick, "Ten Theses on the Chinese Revolution," Modern China 21.1 (1995), 45-72. [E-RES]
  3. Ruth Rogaski, "Nature, Annihilation and Modernity," Journal of Asian Studies 61.2 (2002), 381-410. [E-RES]
 
FRIDAY, 15 September : Writing Day - class does not meet
  Assignment: Midterm Essay due in instructor's box at 12:00pm
 
  • Essay topic to be announced.

Week Three: Further Revolutions, 1956-85

MONDAY, 18 September: Great Leap (and Fall), 1957-1962
  Reading (69 pp.):
 
  1. Spence, 544-64.
  2. Yang, Spider Eaters, 1-49
 
TUESDAY, 19 September: The Cultural Revolution: Origins to High Tide, 1962-1969
Reading (144 pp.):
  1. Spence, 565-86.
  2. Yang, Spider Eaters, 50-173
WEDNESDAY, 20 September: The Cultural Revolution: Ebb & Denoument, 1971-1976
  Reading (111 pp.):
 
  1. Spence, 595-617.
  2. Yang, Spider Eaters, 174-273
THURSDAY, 21 September: Deng Xiaoping & the Post-Mao era, 1978-1985
  Guest Speaker: Joshua Rosenzweig, Manager of Research and Publications, The Duihua Foundation. Topic: Human Rights in Contemporary China
  Reading (95 pp.)
 
  1. Rosenzweig, Political and Religious Crime in Zhejiang Province (San Francisco: Duihua Foundation, 2005), 1-5, 58-80. NB: The entire report is posted, but the other sections are optional [E-RES].
  2. Clive Thompson, "Google's China Problem (And China's Google Problem)," New York Times Magazine (23 April 2006), all. [E-RES]
  3. Spence, 618-61.
  Recording session (Keck Macintosh lab, 3rd floor Armstrong Hall)
 
  • Scripts for the documentaries will be due today.
  • Each group will be assigned a half hour session to record their scripts, half in the morning, half in the afternoon.
  • Schedule (click here)
FRIDAY, 22 September: Documenting 20th Century China Lab Session
  Digital video lab session (Keck Macintosh lab, 3rd floor Armstrong Hall)
 
  • Class will meet in the Keck lab to begin assembling the documentary film. By now, images will have been selected, scripts written and voiceovers recorded. In this session and that on Monday 9/26, groups will use iMovie to finish assembling the documentary.

Week Four: Century's End

MONDAY, 25 September: Documenting 20th Century China
  Digital Video Final Lab Session (Keck Macintosh lab, 3rd floor Armstrong Hall)
 
  • PROJECTS WILL BE DUE AT 12:00 PM.  NO EXCEPTIONS.
TUESDAY, 26 September: The Perils of Reform, 1985-1989
Reading (57 pp):
  1. Spence, 677-728.
  2. Cheng & Lestz, 487-506. [E-RES]
WEDNESDAY, 27 September: Documenting 20th Century China
  Assignment: Final Examination Due
 
  • Today we will view the digital films created over the course of the block which have been handed in Monday. Refreshments will be provided!
  • Final Examinations due at the beginning of class, no exceptions.

Image Credits