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Modern Chinese History

Vak
2021-2022

Admission requirements

None.

Description

This course is about China’s transition from empire to nation-state, a process that began in the nineteenth century with domestic rebellions and Western imperialism besieging the beleaguered Qing state. It can be said that China is still in the process of becoming a nation-state as its intellectuals continue to debate if the modern Chinese state should be a democracy, and as Tibetans, Uighurs and other minority nationalities protest exclusion from political representation and economic development. To understand China’s on-going transition, we rely on a combination of primary and secondary literature to examine various attempts at theorizing and organizing a Chinese nation-state, the role of history in the construction of national and ethnic identity, and the interplay between individual agency and collective mobilization. The readings, lectures, and assignments are also designed to expose students to historical methods and research skills.

Course objectives

  • Identify key events, personalities, and themes in the history of modern China;

  • Describe significance of key events in the history of modern China;

  • Analyze and write evidence-based arguments.

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Lecture

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Exam (Written examination with open questions): 90%

  • Short paper: 10%

Weighing

See above.

Resit

The final grade consists of the weighted average of all course components. A resit for the final exam is allowed if a student scores a non-passing grade (5,49 or lower) on the first attempt.

Inspection and feedback

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.

Reading list

Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern China. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
Additional materials posted on Brightspace.

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website.

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs

Contact

Remarks

None.