Undergraduate Course: China's Twentieth Century Revolutions (HIST10053)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Possibly no other country in the world during the twentieth century has experienced such dramatic and turbulent change as China. At the turn of the century China was ruled by the Qing dynasty, heir to an imperial tradition that can be traced back to the 3rd century BC. By the end of the century China had experienced three major political revolutions (as well as enormous social and cultural change) and is one of the few surviving communist states in the world. The course aims to provide an insight into the meaning and significance of these changes, and will be focused on the nature and impact of six major developments: (1) the 1911 revolution, which overthrew China's last imperial monarchy and established a republic, the first in Asia (2) the may Fourth Movement in the 1910s and early 1920s, a cultural- intellectual movement that also marked the beginnings of mass nationalism and resulted in the foundation of the Chinese Communist Party (3) the Nationalist Revolution of the 1920s and establishment of China's first party-state under the Guomindang (Nationalist Party) (4) the communist-led rural revolution of the 1930s and 1940s that ushered in the People's Republic of China in 1949 (5) Mao Zedong's 'road to socialism' in the 1950s and 1960s (6) the economic and political reforms of the post-Mao period after 1976. Equal attention will be paid to the political, social and cultural dimensions of these changes, and use will be made of translated primary documents and literature in translation where relevant. The course will also utilize visual representations by looking at 3 major films that have traced the impact of China's 20th century revolutions on the lives of ordinary people: 'Farewell My Concubine' (dir. Chen Kaige), 'The Blue Kite' (dir. Tian Zhuangzhuang), 'To Live' (dir. Zhang Yimou). The course will especially be useful for those who are taking (or intend to take) the 4th year MA course on Gender and Patriarchy in 20th century China. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | A pass or passes in 40 credits of first level historical courses or equivalent and a pass or passes in 40 credits of second level historical courses or equivalent.
Before enrolling students on this course, Personal Tutors are asked to contact the History Honours Admission Secretary to ensure that a place is available (Tel: 503783). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 History courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
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Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
| The student will acquire an insight into the meaning and significance of the dramatic changes (as well as continuities) that have marked China during the twentieth century, and will gain an understanding of new historiogrpahical approaches that have questioned conventional views on the nature of such changes.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | China's 20th C Rev |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Felix Boecking
Tel:
Email: felix.boecking@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Marie-Therese Rafferty
Tel: (0131 6)50 3780
Email: M.T.Rafferty@ed.ac.uk |
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