Module HIST34A1: China, Asia and the World

Department: History

HIST34A1: China, Asia and the World

Type	Open	Level	3	Credits	20	Availability	Available in 2014/15	Module Cap	None.	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

• A pass mark in at least ONE level 2 module in History

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• • This module will explore the ways in which China has interacted with other countries. • This will be underpinned by questioning of the significance of term ‘globalisation’ and the different ways in which this term applies to Chinese history. • There will also be exploration of why some countries have greater global influence than others.

Content

• The contemporary ‘rise’ of China and its emergence as a significant player in the global economy (with some predicting that the country will overtake the US as the world’s major economic superpower in the next few decades) has been described in the Chinese discourse as a process of the country’s ‘globalisation’ (referred to in Chinese as duiwai kaifang, literally ‘opening up to the outside world’). China’s contemporary global impact is now the subject of an increasing number of academic and popular studies. It has also aroused much official and academic interest in both China and the West in exploring the antecedents of China’s globalisation before the post-Mao economic reform period after 1978. In many ways China has always been ‘global’, whether in economic terms, the acculturation of external cultural, religious, and technological influences, or the physical presence of a vast Chinese diaspora in many parts of the world especially in Southeast Asia and North America, all of which belie the conventional stereotype of historical China as an isolated, aloof, and self-sufficient civilisation. Furthermore, recent studies of the Manchu Qing empire in the 17th and 18th centuries (ruled over by China’s last imperial dynasty) demonstrate that it witnessed trends in cartography and ethnology, for example, that represented key features of ‘modernity’ pertaining to state and empire-building that were simultaneously occurring in other western states (eg France) and empires (eg Russia). At the same time, new studies of Sino-foreign institutional and cultural interaction within China itself during the late 19th and early 20th centuries highlight its role in an evolving modernity. The course thus explores the nature and processes of China’s multifaceted interaction with the wider world before the much trumpeted current era of China’s ‘globalisation’.

Learning Outcomes

• • Knowledge and understanding of the different kinds of interaction between China and other parts of the world; • An understanding of the meaning and significance of ‘modernity’ and ‘globalisation’ in a Chinese context; • Understanding of the preconditions for globalisation.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Student learning is facilitated by a combination of the following teaching methods: • lectures to set the foundations for further study and to provide the basis for the acquisition of subject specific knowledge. Lectures provide a broad framework which defines individual module content, introducing students to themes, debates and interpretations. In this environment, students are given the opportunity to develop skills in listening, selective note-taking and reflection; • seminars to allow students to present and critically reflect upon the acquired subject-specific knowledge, methodologies and theories, and to identify and debate a range of issues and differing opinions. The seminar is the forum in which students are given the opportunity to communicate ideas, jointly exploring themes and arguments. Seminars are structured to develop understanding and designed to maximise student participation related to prior independent preparation. Seminars give students the opportunity to develop oral communication skills, encourage critical and tolerant approaches to reasoned argument and historical discussion, build the students' ability to marshal historical evidence, and facilitate the development of the ability to summarise historical arguments, think in a rapidly changing environment and communicate in a persuasive and articulate manner, whilst recognising the value of working with others and, occasionally, towards shared goals. • Assessment: • Examinations test students' ability to work under pressure under timed conditions, to prepare for examinations and direct their own programme of revision and learning, and develop key time management skills. The examination gives students the opportunity to develop relevant life skills such as the ability to produce coherent, reasoned and supported arguments under pressure. Students will be examined on subject specific knowledge. In addition, seen Examinations (with pre-released paper) are intended to enable Level 3 students to produce more considered and reflective work; • Summative essays remain a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills they develop. Essays allow students the opportunity to recognise, represent and critically reflect upon ideas, concepts and problems; students can demonstrate awareness of, and the ability to use and evaluate, a diverse range of resources and identify, represent and debate a range of subject-specific issues and opinions. Through the essay, students can synthesise information, adopt critical appraisals and develop reasoned argument based on individual research; they should be able to communicate ideas in writing, with clarity and coherence; and to show the ability to integrate and critically assess material from a wide range of sources.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lectures in Terms 1 & 2; revision lecture	20	weekly	1 hour	20
Seminars â–	8	3 in Term one, 3 in Term two; setup seminar; pre-seminar consultation and group activity	1	8
Preparation and Reading				172

Summative Assessment

Component: Exam Weighting 60% - Seen examination [paper to be made available not less than twenty-four hours before the start of the examination] 2 hours element weighting 100%.

Component: Essays		Component Weighting: 40%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
essay 1	2000 - not including scholarly apparatus	50%
essay 2	2000 - not including scholarly apparatus	50%
Component: Examinations		Component Weighting: 60%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Seen Examination (paper to made available not less than 24 hourse before the start of the examination)	2 hours	100%

Formative Assessment:

One or more short assignments submitted in writing or delivered orally and discussed either 1:1 or in a group context. â–  Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University

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■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University