255-4046 (She is on leave for 2008-09, and will resume teaching in Fall 2009.)
Office Hours
4:30-5:00 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays and Thursdays, or by appointment
Prerequisite Mandarin at the advanced level (at least completion of three years of Chinese learning) or permission of instructor
Course Objectives Historical Documents on Modern China With an Emphasis on Chinese International Relations 中国近现代史原始资料选读
4 credits, meet once per week, at 2:30-4:25pm on Mondays.
How to identify and, especially, how to use primary sources to conduct research is a major challenge facing students who are majoring in Modern Chinese History and East Asia. For those who are interested in conducting research on a subject about or related to modern China—yet whose native language is not Chinese—the challenge is of primary importance. Indeed, the ability to conduct research in primary sources in China (中文原始资料)—and especially the ability to read and correctly interpret Chinese language documents—is a pivotal challenge that anyone who would like to pursue a research project on modern China will inevitably encounter.
This course is designed to help students meet the above challenge. As a “research tool” course—taught primarily in Chinese—it aims to help graduate students and qualified undergraduate to conduct research on topics on modern Chinese history. In order to qualify to take the course, a student should have studied Chinese at least for three years, and should have commanded the basic skill for reading Chinese language texts. The course is organized around identifying and answering the following basic questions: What are modern China-related primary sources? How to identify them and where to find them? And, most important of all, how to read and to use them? The course will begin with a general introduction to a variety of primary sources related to study of modern Chinese history. It will then concentrate on helping the students develop the ability to read and correctly interpret historical documents in Chinese language on several important subjects of modern Chinese history. Altogether seven sets of documents representing different events and periods are selected, and the teacher and the students will work together to read, translate, annotate, and interpret these documents. While doing so, both linguistic and historical issues will be addressed and analyzed, so that the students will develop a better understanding of how to deal with some of the general challenges that they will be facing in conducting primary-source research on modern China. Documentary films will also be shown in class to enhance students' understanding. The course will primarily be taught in Chinese (and English language will be used only in the translation practice, and only when the learning and teaching experience requires to do so).
Course Audience Any students who commend Chinese at advanced level and are interested in Modern Chinese History can take the course.
Since this course is cross-listed with HIST and CAPS, you may choose whether you want to receive 4 credits of CHIN from Asian Studies, or of HIST from History Department, or of CAPS from China & Asia-Pacific Studies Program.
First Assignment Register for CHIN4426/6626&HIST4650/6650 blackboard site.
No need to purchase a textbook. All the course materials will be posted at the site.
