Undergraduate Course: Ming China (1368-1644) and its Cultural Legacy (HIST10364)
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 | We cannot begin to understand twenty-first century China without reference to its Ming-dynasty past, when excessive wealth, corruption, anxiety, social mobility, a flourishing of the arts, political intrigue, unprecedented new freedoms for women, and a (re)discovery of a forgotten cultural heritage were already a part of the lived experience.
This course introduces students to the history of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), with a particular emphasis on the ways in which the period has been reimagined and reinterpreted both in the immediate aftermath of its collapse and beyond. Its structure is both chronological and thematic, so that while students will gain an overarching sense of how the dynasty established and eventually lost its cultural and political legitimacy, they will also be able to explore the broader cultural developments of the Ming across different reign periods. Participants will be encouraged to understand the end of Ming dynastic rule as an extended process of transition, rather than as a single military event, and the various ways in which the people of the Ming dynasty survived - or did not survive - that transition are the focus of our final seminars.
Note: This course does not assume any knowledge of the languages of China.
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| Course description |
1. Introduction to the Study of Ming History
2. Zhu Yuanzhang and the Founding of the Great Ming
3. Civil War and its Aftermath
4. Intellectuals and the State in the Early Ming
5. Knowledge & Power
6. Leisure, Consumption & Excess
7. Intellectuals and the State in the Late Ming
8. The Fall of the Ming
9. Han Responses to Dynastic Transition
10. Early-Qing Reconstruction
11. The Great Ming in Chinese History
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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 ** |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 26 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
10 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
1 x essay of 2,500-3,000 words (30% of overall assessment); 1 x oral presentation (10% of overall assessment); 1 x two-hour examination (60% of overall assesment). |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate:
-an awareness and understanding of key events and developments in the history of the Ming dynasty;
-an awareness of modern China's debt to its Ming past; an understanding of the ways in which historical events and processes can be reinterpreted and exploited;
-an ability to evaluate critically a range of primary and secondary sources relating to the period,
-an ability to present an argument about Chinese history in a focussed, coherent, logical and persuasive manner.
Students will have demonstrated these skills by way of essay, examination and participation in class seminars.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Ability to read texts critically; ability to present ideas in a logical and persuasive manner. |
| Keywords | Ming China |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Stephen Mcdowall
Tel: (0131 6)50 3754
Email: stephen.mcdowall@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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