Introductory Seminar in East Asian History

HIEA 1501 (1)

Introductory Seminar in East Asian History

"Culture and Society in Imperial China"

Cong Ellen Zhang

This is a discussion-oriented class. Through an introduction of scholarly work and a variety of primary sources commonly used by historians of China, this course explores the forces that shaped the society and culture of imperial China at various historical stages and the ideas, values, masterpieces, and personalities that have come to be associated with China’s cultural heritage. Major topics of the class include intellectual foundation, daily life for the elite as well as the ordinary people, gender and family relations, institutional and popular religions, and urban and popular culture. Requirements for the class include active class participation, an in-class presentation, several short (2 page) and longer (5-6 page) papers, and one ten-page essay. Reading assignments include The Analects by Confucius, Shen Fu’s Six Records of a Floating Life, The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (trans. by Robert Van Gulik) and a course reader.