Much of the world's history has been shaped by experiences of empires. Even after the collapse of the major historic imperial powers during the second half of the twentieth century, the legacies of those empires continue to shape contemporary life. And historians and political analysts still talk in terms of - and seek to redefine - imperialism in reference to present polities. 

China is central to such discourses on imperial power: it offers a particularly rich body of historical evidence for the practice of empire. This introductory course will therefore assess that evidence and survey the great drama of Chinese attempts to bring under single control and preserve the unity of its vast territories, so varied ethnically, culturally, and geographically. It will take in the full sweep of China’s imperial past: it will start in the third century BC, when the foundations of the imperial system were consolidated; it will reach into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when encounters with Western powers forced a radical reappraisal of the Chinese imperial system. Dividing this broad chronological scope into three periods - early China, medieval China, and late imperial China - it will offer a sense of larger changes and continuities over time. Within each period, it will bring into sharp focus the social, cultural, and political arenas in which Chinese empire was developed and maintained.

On the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify the major themes and issues in imperial Chinese history.

2. Apply a broad theoretical knowledge of Chinese history and historiography to specific empirical examples.

3. Demonstrate the critical skills necessary to locate, synthesise, and interpret information on imperial Chinese history, from a variety of sources.

4. Deploy the analytic faculties necessary to produce and defend an argument, with particular relation to the key concepts and bodies of learning in imperial Chinese history.

5. Show skills of communication, both through oral presentations and written assignments, that enable the explication of research findings to an audience of contemporaries

Tutorial participation - 10%

(Related learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4)

[Students will be expected to contribute in an active and constructive manner to tutorial discussion. On the basis of background readings and independent empirical research, they will be able to engage in discussion with both the tutor and their classmates on the interpretations of the key themes of imperial Chinese history.]

Tutorial presentations and debates - 10%

(Related learning outcomes: 1, 3, 4, 5)

[Students will be expected to produce one tutorial presentation during the course to demonstrate their ability to communicate orally their research findings on an assigned topic. This will complement their research essay. Two formal debates, in various formats, will also take place in tutorials; all students will be expected to participate in order to demonstrate and develop skills of argumentation. The debates will encourage students' to respond in more spontaneous fashion both to challenges to their own scholarship and to arguments proposed by others.]

Research essay (2,500 words) - 40%

(Related learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

[A research essay will be required from all students in Week 11. Its aim is to draw together all of the course's main learning outcomes but, above all, to demonstrate the ability to produce a sustained argument in writing. The overall mark of the essay will be divided among several components, each due for submission in incremental stages during the course: an essay proposal; an essay plan; a final draft.]

Final examination - 40%

(Related learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

[Students will have three hours to produce three essays in response to a selection of questions. Questions will be divided equally into three sections to reflect the three chronological periods that structure the course. Students will choose one question from each section, to display their grasp of the full span of imperial Chinese history. Equal marks will be available for each question.]

The course requires four contact hours per week (two lectures and one 2 hour tutorial) and from six to ten hours per week outside the contact hours.

The completion of six university courses (36 units).

ASIA6044

Nil

Hansen, Valerie, The Open Empire: A History of China to 1600, New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2000.

Supplementary materials will appear on Wattle.

Students will need access to computer with Word.