Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis 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.