HI 357X - History of Imperial China

Lecture Hours: 3
Lab Hours: 0
Credit Hours: 3

This Core Curriculum Civilization and Culture course is intended as a broad introduction to the ebb and flow of Chinese political, economic, cultural, and military power from the Bronze Age (about 1500 BCE) up through the late imperial period (about 1800 CE). For most of the past two millennia, few states could match the wealth and power of imperial China—yet, by the nineteenth century, the system that had sustained late imperial China crumbled under internal and external pressure. An appreciation of the history of imperial China is necessary for thinking about the “rise” of China in the twenty-first century. Organized in chronological order, the course centers on three questions: How did imperial Chinese states go about politically unifying and controlling diverse peoples over vast spaces? How did imperial China’s approaches to relations with the outer world change over time? How did major socio-cultural formations grow and take root? This course is suitable for History majors who want to fulfill their major requirement in Asian history, as well as for cadets interested in China or pursuing a minor in Asian Studies, and for cadets seeking to meet the Core Curriculum requirement. Note: Civilizations & Cultures Course (X).