1
History 570-1, Imperial China
Fall 2013
T TH 9:35-10:50 HSS 151
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Professor Pi-ching Hsu
Science 265A
(415) 338-7536
[email protected]
T 11-12 & 3:30-4:00; TH 12:30-2:00
The period from 900 to 1650 marks the transition from medieval to early modern China,
as maritime trade, invasions of the steppe peoples, and visits of European merchants and
missionaries brought China into ever-increasing contact with the rest of Eurasia. The
purpose of the course is to explore Imperial China’s tremendous changes during this
period: the disappearance of the aristocracy, the construction of state bureaucracy, the
evolution of a new state orthodoxy—Neo-Confucianism, the integration of China into
world economy, the changing faces of gender relations, the rise of vernacular literature,
the onslaught of “barbarian” rules, and interactions with Southeast Asia, Japan, and the
West. We will be looking at these, among other aspects of Chinese political, social, and
cultural history from the end of the Tang to the end of the Ming.
* This course fulfills History Major and Minor, as well as Pacific Asian Studies Minor
requirements.
* This course is part of the GE Segment III cluster: Asian Society, Politics, and Culture.
Students will not receive Segment III credit for the course unless they complete the
cluster as described in the Class Schedule and Bulletin, including the requirement that
they have earned 60 units by the end of the semester in which they take the course.
* Students with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations are encouraged to
contact the instructor. The Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC) is
available to facilitate the reasonable accommodations process. The DPRC is located
in the Student Service Building and can be reached by telephone (voice/TTY 415338-2472) or by email [email protected]).
Mode of Instruction: lecture, films, and classroom discussion of assigned readings
Texts:
Patricia Buckley Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 2nd edition
Frances Wood, Did Marco Polo Go to China?
Pi-ching Hsu, Beyond Eroticism: A Historian’s Reading of Humor in Feng Menglong’s
Child’s Folly
Articles on iLearn
Requirements:
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Class Participation: Your readiness and willingness to participate in class activities are
essential to the success of the course. Please do all required readings before class, take
good notes, and be prepared for mandatory class activities, including occasional opennote pop quizzes, and small group discussions, where students take turns to lead
discussions of assigned topics and write a brief report at the end of class. Observe
classroom protocol.
Essay Assignments: There are TWO essay assignments, each of 5 pages (7-8 pages for
graduate students), typed, double-spaced, using 12-point Times or Times New
Roman font, with appropriate documentation by using footnotes to indicate the author,
title of book/article, and page number of your source material every time you quote,
paraphrase, or refer to a source material. Put page number on the upper right-hand
corner and staple on the upper left-hand corner. Each essay should have a short title,
which is aimed at capturing both the audience’s attention and the essence of your subject
matter. For each essay, you should consult at least two scholarly books or journal
articles (from JSTOR or library collections) in addition to the required readings.
Observe the school regulation concerning plagiarism. No extension will be granted
without compelling reason. Feel free to consult with the instructor for paper subjects.
First Essay Assignment (due 10/22):
The Japanese Sinologist Naito Torajiro regards the Song as the beginning of Chinese
modernity, but most scholars see in Song China “changes within tradition.” Critically
discuss a couple of issues in the Naito hypothesis to illustrate how Song domestic or
international history was both “modern” and “traditional.”
Second Essay Assignment (due 12/17):
Ming China was an integral part of world trade, and this period saw a flourishing of
vernacular literature and tremendous growth in intellectual history, despite marked signs
of political and social crisis. Discuss a significant issue of Ming history. Possible topics
include gender, eunuchs, science and technology, civil service exams, religion, NeoConfucianism, trade, foreign relations, ethnic tensions, national defense, political
structure, social issues, popular culture and literature, ethics and aesthetics, etc.
Exams: There are TWO in-class exams, including multiple choice, map, and essay
questions. Study guides will be distributed prior to the exams. No make-up exams will
be given without documented and compelling reason.
Grading:
Exams
Essay Assignments
Class participation
45%
45%
10%
Performance Characteristics to Guide Grading of Essays:
(Modified from the criteria of CSET: Social Science Exam)
* PURPOSE: The extent to which the essay responds to the question/assignment.
* SUPPORT: Fair use of evidence/source materials to support arguments.
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* DEPTH AND BREADTH OF UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE:
Demonstration of command of subject content through narration and analysis.
* FORM AND EXPRESSION: The quality of writing, including vocabulary, clarity,
cohesiveness, grammar, flow, structure, and documentation.
Grading is A-F, unless you choose CR/NC option online (min. C- for CR).
93 & up A
80-82 B67-69 D+
90-92
77-79
63-66
AC+
D
87-89
73-76
60-62
B+
C
D-
83-86 B
70-72 Cbelow 60 F
All requirements have to be fulfilled to get a passable grade. “Incomplete” will be
granted only upon written request, with good reason, and when the student has completed
and passed at least 75% of the course requirements. “WU” (Unauthorized Withdrawal)
will be assigned if the student fails to fulfill all requirements by the due day of final essay
without filing for Incomplete. “W” (Withdrawal) will not be granted in the last three
weeks of instruction without documented reason.
Schedule of Classes:
8/27: Introduction to the course
Medieval Chaos: Late Tang and Five Dynasties
8/29: READ: China, 127-137
Transition from Medieval to Early Modern Political and Economic Modes: Song
9/3: READ: China, 137-149
9/5: READ: China, 149-154
9/10: READ: China, 155-164
Tension within Patriotism
9/12: READ: Robert W. Foster, “Yue Fei, 1103-1141,” in Kenneth J. Hammond, ed.,
The Human Tradition in Premodern China (Wilmington: Scholarly
Resources, 2002), 93-109 (on iLearn)
Gender in Transition
9/17: READ: Patricia Ebrey, The Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese
Women in the Sung Period (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993), 4-6
& 21-44 (on iLearn)
Neo-Confucianism & the Importance of the Four Books in East Asian Traditions
9/19: READ: Daniel K. Gardner, Introduction to The Four Books: The Basic Teachings
of the Later Confucian Tradition (Indianapolis: Hackett, 2007), xiii-xxx (on
iLearn).
Maritime Trade & the Civil Service Exams
9/24: READ: Hugh R. Clark, “Overseas Trade and Social Change in Quanzhou through
the Song,” in Angela Schottenhammer, ed., The Emporium of the World:
Maritime Quanzhou, 1000-1400 (Leiden: Brill, 2001), 47-94 (on iLearn)
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The Mongol Conquest of China: Yuan
9/26: READ: China, 164-172
FILM: Storm From the East: Birth of an Empire (AV 85534, 46 min.)
10/1: READ: China, 172-189
10/3: FIRST EXAM
The Marco Polo Lore
10/8: READ: Did Marco Polo Go to China? 1-28
10/10: READ: Did Marco Polo Go to China? 29-63
10/15: READ: Did Marco Polo Go to China? 64-95
10/17: READ: Did Marco Polo Go to China? 96-120
10/22: READ: Did Marco Polo Go to China? 121-155
First Essay Assignment Due in Class
10/24: FILM: Beijing: Biography of an Imperial Capital–Center of the Cosmos (50 min.)
The Reign of the Autocrats and Eunuchs: Ming
10/29: READ: China, 190-198
10/31: READ: China, 198-203
11/5: READ: John W. Dardess, Ming China, 1368-1644 (Lanham: Rowman &
Littlefield, 2012), 61-85 (on iLearn)
Zheng He’s Maritime Expeditions
11/7: DISCUSS: Edward Dreyer, Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming
Dynasty, 1405-1433 (New York: Pearson, 2007), 27-47 (on iLearn)
Wang Yangming, Matteo Ricci & Ming Intellectual History
11/12: READ: China, 203-212
The Fall of the Ming Dynasty & the Restoration Effort of the Southern Ming
11/14: READ: China, 212-224
Humorous Reflections on Self and Society
11/19: FILM: Cities of China: Suzhou (AV 82272, 28 min.)
READ: Beyond Eroticism, 1-45
11/21: READ: Beyond Eroticism, 45-91
11/25-30: Fall Recess. No Classes.
12/3: READ: Beyond Eroticism, 91-141
12/5: SECOND EXAM
12/10: DISCUSS: Beyond Eroticism, 143-183
12/12: DISCUSS: Beyond Eroticism, 183-216
12/17: Second Essay Assignment Due in My Office, SCI 265A, by noon
1/6:
Semester grade available online after midnight.