HIS 3602 - EMPIRE IN EARLY CHINA

credits: 3.0
This course explores how the concept of empire was constructed in early China. The main period of focus will be the Qin and Han dynasties, the two states that created the mold for what a Chinese empire should look like. We will start with the early foundation of what it meant to found a state in the context of early geographic thought drawing on textual and archaeological sources as well as material culture. We will then seek to locate these ideas in the broad intellectual and social framework of early China. We will give special attention to the belief systems of Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism which have not only guided people’s inner lives but also have had a deep impact on how the world was envisioned shaping their understanding of empire, geography, and practices for the people of traditional China. During this course we will move across the scale of social and political structures that “made” the first empires of China seeking to explore the changing political and intellectual landscape that unfolds over the centuries of this pivotal period in the emerging vision of what an empire was in the context of early China. Objectives: A) Discuss in detail the history of the Qin and Han dynasties and their impact on the history of China; B) Compare and evaluate the varied religious, philosophical, and political institutions and arguments that supported the foundations of empire in early China and the historical background that brought about its emergence; C) Recognize the various theories of empire and geography and gain experience applying them in their analysis of the relationship between empire and geographic thought and its ramifications for the political, scientific, and religious history of China through regular discussion, debate and written exercises; D) Identify and detail the social structures of traditional China; E) Recognize the specific methodology for doing research on early China, locate and evaluate both primary and secondary sources and then use them to produce written research; F) Students will begin to grapple with the relationship between time and space both as disciplinary constructs but also in terms of intellectual history. Method of Instruction: Class time will be split between lecturing and discussion. Students should be prepared to actively engage the materials, collaborate, and share their individual skills and understandings in creative energetic ways. Method of Evaluation: Class participation: 10% (based on quality of prepared discussion questions, judge by a simple rubric given to students, core to the rubric is effort made to find original materials and linking new materials to course materials already covered); Discussion: 15% (structure [introduction, discussion, and conclusion], team work, organization, preparation [quality of bibliography], time management); There will be regular research briefs of about one-half a page each 25%; Mid-term: id questions and short essay 20%; Final research paper: 30% (topic selection [one-half page proposal], outline [one page], draft one, and final paper [five to six pages]) Meets *WRT and *NWP Distribution Requirements.

Prerequisite(s): HIS 1600 - ASIAN HISTORY I I (or) HIS 2115 - WOMEN IN ASIA PRE-MODERN.