Admission requirements
None. Students who are interested in taking this course, but who are not admitted to one of the mentioned master programmes are requested to contact their co-ordinator of studies.
Description
A single thread connects late Qing reformers such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, Republican revolutionaries namely Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, and Communist revolutionaries: their desire for a strong, centralized state. Driving this desire was the belief that only a centralized state could successfully thwart foreign imperialist expansion while modernizing Chinese economy and society. Needless to say, the ideal form of the centralized state differed according to each reformer/revolutionary’s ideological influences. In this course, we chart continuities and discontinuities in these attempts at constructing a modern centralized state, with the bulk of our time spent on the Nationalist and the Communist state. To grasp the reach of this modern state, we look beyond traditional areas of study in state-formation (taxation, borders, political participation, policing) to investigate the modern state’s expanding role in ethnic and national identities, religion, family life, and public health. Readings and class discussions will also engage with key historiographical questions—What is “Chinese” about the modern Chinese state? How strong and centralized is this modern state? What is the modern state’s relationship with local elites in rural China?—and theories of the state.
Course objectives
Acquire understanding of key themes in the history of modern Chinese state formation;
Effectively read various genres of historical documents and scholarly literature;
Analyze how historians construct arguments with primary source documents;
Identify trends, themes, and debates in scholarly literature.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the Asianstudies website
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Course Load
280 hours total
Weekly seminars: 2 hours per week; 24 hours total
Preparation for class: 8 hours per week; 96 hours total
Preparation for class presentation: 20 hours
Book reviews: 40 hours
Term paper: 100 hours
Assessment method
Class attendance and active participation: 15%
Oral presentation: 15%
Books reviews: 2 × 10%; 20% total
Exam: 50%
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
Exam Review
Students may request an oral elucidation of the assessment within 30 days after publication of the grade.
Blackboard
Blackboard is used for posting complete reading list, class communications, and essay submission.
Reading list
See Blackboard
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable.