2003 Fall HISTORY 172B-01
Bulletin Course Description Survey course with overview of the pre-nineteenth-century Western contacts with China (for example, the French Physiocrats and European idealization of China, early American and English trade). Focus on nineteenth-century topics such as the Opium Wars, British and French imperialism, the efforts to import western technology into China by Westerners, and twentieth-century matters such as the impact of the Russian Revolution and Euro-American foreign policy towards China, concluding with Nixon's visit to China in 1972 and the re-establishment of Sino-American foreign relations. Instructor: Mazumdar
(Instructor named in bulletin description above may not be current. For current instructor, see listing below.)
Title CHINA AND THE WEST Department HISTORY Course Number 2003 Fall 172B Section Number 01 Primary Instructor Mazumdar,Sucheta Prerequisites
Prerequisites
None
Synopsis of course content
Professor Sucheta Mazumdar
Office: 312 Carr
Telephone: 684-5490; email: skmmaz@acpub.duke.edu
Office Hours: 1-2 Mondays and Wednesdays and by appointment.
Course: China and the West: A Survey of Modern Chinese History and China’s relationship with the U.S. and Europe.
China, known as "Seres" or the "Land of Silk" since Roman times, was where Christopher Columbus was headed. But did the Chinese travel to Europe and Africa at around the same time? We will start with the great Chinese voyages of discovery to Africa in the 14th century, the coming of the Jesuits and Christian missionaries to China in the 16 and 17th centuries, explore the contributions of Chinese science to Europe and the impact of China on European and American art.
The focus of the course will be on the 19th and 20th centuries. How did the American taste for tea and porcelain affect trade with China? And what was impact of the Opium Wars when Britain went to war with China for the right to sell opium? Was the impact of imperialism in China? What were the efforts to import western technology into China by Westerners and who were the American journalists who sought to inform the people back home in the U.S. about events in China? In the last section of the course, we study American foreign policy towards China and East Asia in recent years, the re-establishment of Sino-American foreign and trade relations, Nixon’s visit to China, the 1980s “MacDonaldization.” And how has the emergence of China as a contemporary superpower altered the balance of power in East Asia?
Assignments
Articles and book chapters marked by ** on your syllabus on e- reserve at Lilly Library
BOOKS: (On sale at Duke’s Textbook Store)
1. D. E. Mungello, The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800
(Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1999).
2. Arthur Waley The Opium War Through Chinese Eyes (Stanford University Press, 1999).
3 Jonathan Spence The Gate of Heavenly Peace (Penguin Books, 1982).
4. Steve MacKinnon, Agnes Smedley: The Life and Times of an American Radical, (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988).
5. Bruce Cumings, Parallax Visions (Duke University Press, 1999)
6. Elizabeth Perry and Mark Selden eds., Chinese Society: Change, Conflict and Resistance (Routledge, 2000)
Optional: John King Fairbank, The United States and China (Harvard University Press, 1983). This book functions as a textbook, giving you the chronology and background of many of the issues that we are going to be discussing.
Grade to be based on
1) Regular class attendance, and class participation, (15 percent of grade). Each student is allowed a maximum of 1 unexcused absence during the semester. Class participation and attendance are necessary because the format of the class is discussion based and we will also see some audio-visual materials and read documents and discuss them during the class hour. Part of your class participation grade will be based on your participation in sending email questions based on the readings before each class meeting to the people who are presenting (see # 3 below).
2) China journal: (15 percent of grade). How does the Western media cover China? Starting with the first week of class, you will read one major newspaper everyday (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post or a comparable Canadian or British newspaper) and one weekly/fortnightly magazine of your choice to compile a journal of news coverage on China. From time to time, we will discuss your findings in class, and you will submit the journal at the end of semester.
3).Class Presentations: each student will make one class presentation:(20 percent of grade). The presentations will be written reports of 5-7 typed pages based on the readings for the week but you are expected to look up some additional materials for your report and bring these materials to class. The class presentation should not be longer than 15-20 minutes per person. Rather than just summaries of the readings, the presentations and reports should raise questions for discussion and thinking about the subject matter.
4).Book Review Essay: (20 percent of grade). A review essay of 7-8 pages ( typed) on a book pertaining to the subject of the course that you choose. A review essay is more than a summary of the book, but brings in your own interpretation, including insights that you have gained from the class. Title of Book to be Reviewed: Due 22 Oct, review due 7 November.
5.) Essay-type final exam ( take home): based on study questions handed out during the last week of term (30 percent of grade). You will be responsible for all the assigned readings, audio-visual materials, and information presented during the class discussions.
