HR226-5-AU-CO:
China: The Long Twentieth Century
2024/25
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 13 December 2024
15
10 April 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
This module adopts multi-disciplinary perspectives to examine significant and complex issues in China`s modern history. It serves as a gateway course to introduce students to an interdisciplinary approach to China and Chinese history.
This module will examine both fictional (including audiovisual) and scholarly materials that deal with the historical, political, social, and artistic aspects of these sites and phenomenon in order to understand modern China at its politico-cultural core, in its relations with the outside world, its symbolic function in the new global order as well as its path to modernization.
The aims of this module are:
- To give students a good grounding in interpreting the key symbolic sites of China in a global context.
- To provide students with the analytical tools for thinking more deeply about the way such sites are infused with diverse, competing and evolving political and cultural meanings.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Have a deeper understanding of modern China.
- Have sharpened their analytical abilities.
- Have diversified their skills in ways of reading texts, locations and images.
This module is for students with little background of Chinese History.
Topics include the multiple meanings attached to the symbolic sites of: Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, Global China Towns, the Bund, The Yellow River, Chinese Gardens, Parades, and the Three Gorges Dam.
Introductory reading
- Samuel S. Kim and Lowell Dittmer (1993), 'Wither China's Quest for National Identity?', in Dittmer & Kim, China's Quest for National Identity, pp. 268-289.
- Benedict Anderson (2006) Imagine Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, pp. 163- 206.
- Louie, Kam (2008) `Defining Modern Chinese Culture` in Kam Louie (ed.) Modern Chinese Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Waldron, Arthur (1990) `The Wall Acquires New Meanings` in The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 194-226.
- Spence, Jonathan, The Search For Modern China (2013, Third Edition).
This module will be delivered via:
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
A Short Writing Exercise (1000 words) |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
Essay (2000 words) |
|
50% |
| Coursework |
Weekly Reading Response |
|
20% |
| Practical |
Seminar Participation |
|
5% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Xun Zhou, email: xzhoug@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Xun Zhou
History UG Administrators: hrugadmin@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Miriam Dobson
University of Sheffield
Reader
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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