Module HIST2201: Modern China's Transformations

Department: History

HIST2201: Modern China's Transformations

Prerequisites

• A pass mark in at least ONE level one module in History.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide an insight into the meaning and significance of the changes that affected modern China, from the opening decades of the nineteenth century to the turn of the twenty-first century.
• To introduce the nature of the Qing monarchy, China's conflict with the West, the western missionary impact, rebellion and dynastic response in the nineteenth century, as well as political reform movements and revolutions and sociocultural change in the twentieth century; particular attention will be paid to the changing role of women and gender discourse.

Content

• Fewer countries have experienced more dramatic and turbulent change in modern times than China. At the beginning of the nineteenth century China was part of the Qing Empire ---a vast polity stretching across much of north, east and central Asia. Over the subsequent century the Manchu rulers of this empire were forced to contend with both internal rebellion and external aggression. In 1911 the once mighty Qing Empire fell and was replaced by a succession of militarist governments. In the 1920s the Nationalists rose to power, but their attempts at reform were frustrated by Communist rebellion and Japanese invasion. Having survived the Second World War, the Nationalist regime fell to the Communists under Mao Zedong in 1949. Over the next few decades China witnessed revolutionary changed, punctuated by famine and mass violence. Following Mao’s death, China experienced its last great revolutionary change of the twentieth century, as from the late 1970s Deng Xiaoping opened up the economy, setting the nation on the path to becoming a twenty-first century superpower.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge and understanding of the major political, social and cultural changes in China from the early nineteenth to later twentieth centuries;
• Knowledge and understanding of major developments in social and cultural history.
• Understanding of the cultural, social and political ways in which China began to experience modernity, including changing roles for women.
• Contribute towards the achievement of the Department’s generic Aims for study at Level 2.

• Subject specific & Key skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/ModuleProformaMap/Index.htm

• Subject specific & Key skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/ModuleProformaMap/Index.htm

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:
• 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

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Written assignment(s) of 1500-2000 words submitted in Michaelmas term.

■ 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