HUMA6002Q
Topics in Ming-Qing History
Instructor: Bozhong Li
Office: IAS2027
Office Hours: 3:30-5:30, Thur
Tel: 23587825
Email: [email protected]
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to review the history of late imperial China (the Ming
and Qing dynasties, 1368 - 1911 AD). The main focus of the course will be on China’s
experience during this period, which is crucial to our understanding of what has been
happening in China today. The course will emphasize some of the distinctive features
of this experience in a comparative perspective.
Students who take this course should be able to have a fair understanding of the
history of late imperial China. On the basis of studying the long-term evolution of
China’s politics, society, economy and foreign relations, students will have a better
understanding of what China experienced in the Ming and Qing period and is facing
today.
The class will be a combination of lectures, class discussion and common readings.
Out of class communication will be done almost exclusively through the class web
site on UST LMES.
This course is a graduate seminar focused on reading, writing and discussion of a
range of influential, challenging, or innovative works in late imperial Chinese history,
centered on specific achievements and concerns of both the Western and Chinese
academe.
Since it is a graduate level course on Chinese history, the prior familiarity with the
Chinese history and language is assumed.
Course Requirements
Students are expected to attend class regularly, to complete the assigned reading prior
to the class on that date, and to participate actively in classroom discussions. Frequent
absence without excuse will be considered as a violation of the University’s
regulations for attendance and will affect your grade.
Students are expected to make one or two 15-20-minute presentations during the
semester based on the assigned readings and offer some leading questions for further
discussion. They are also expected to write a research paper (4,000 Chinese characters)
at the end of the semester and the topics of the paper will be announced a few weeks
in advance.
Final grades will be based on a combination of class discussion, presentations and
paper: presentations 30 percent, final paper 50 percent, class discussion & attendance
20 percent.
Readings
The readings consist of two parts: (1) general history and (2) themed materials.
(1) General history of late imperial China
孟森：《明清史讲义》，中华书局 1981 年
Mote, Frederick W. and Twitchett, Denis, The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7,
The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, part 1, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988
(牟復禮、崔瑞德：《劍橋中國明代史》（北京：中國社會科學出版社，1992 年）
Fairbank, John K., Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10-11, Late Ch’ing, 1800-1911,
parts. 1-2, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978, 1980. (費正清：
《劍橋中國
晚清史，1800-1911 年》（北京：中國社會科學出版社，1985 年）
(2) Materials on the themes discussed
The materials will be put online before each week class. Students should check the
site every weekend for course announcements.
Class organization and Discussion Topics:
Week 1. Introduction of late imperial Chinese history
Week 2. Political system of Ming China
Week 3 Week. Society of Ming China
Week 4. Economy of Ming China
Week 5. Military of Ming China
Week 6. Culture and intellectual life of Ming China
Week 7. The Ming-Qing transition
Week 8. Political system of Qing China
Week 9. Frontier areas and ethnic groups of Qing China
Week 10. Society of Qing China
Week 11. Economy of Qing China
Week 12. Scholarship and education of Qing China
Week 13. Foreign relations of Ming-Qing China