Traditional China
Mike Godley
8 points * 2 lectures and 1 tutorial per week * First semester * Clayton
This subject is designed to introduce students to the society and politics of one of the great civilisations of premodern Asia, by locating some of the great leaders and thinkers of China in their cultural environment. Attention will be given to people such as Confucius, the Empress Wu, and Kublai Khan (whose achievements were recorded for posterity by the traveller Marco Polo) and to issues such as social change (was the East really `tradition' bound and static?), political organisation (the pervasive myth of the `oriental despot'), and culture spread and adaption. While lectures will provide a broad overview, students will have the opportunity, in essay work, to specialise on topics of their choice.
Assessment
Written (4000 words): 60% * Examination (2 hours): 40%
Prescribed texts
Fairbank J K and Reischauer E O China: Tradition and transformation Allen and Unwin, 1979
Schirokauer C A brief history of Chinese and Japanese civilizations HBJ
Recommended texts
Dawson R Imperial China Penguin, 1972
Fitzgerald C P A concise history of East Asia Penguin, 1966