China and the West, circa 1800 to the Present

This course introduces students to the history of modern China, with a particular emphasis on social, cultural, and economic dimensions of Chinese engagement with “the West” over the past two centuries. How did post-Enlightenment European and American thinkers view late imperial China, and how did Chinese intellectuals and officials view the West? What were the “Opium Wars” about anyway? How did the legacy of nineteenth-century Chinese experiences inform and help shape Communist policies during the Cold War, and what are the present-day implications of China’s recent past? Through a combination of light lecture and close-knit discussion of primary materials, course participants will build a foundation of knowledge for better understanding modern Chinese history in a global context. This course assumes no background knowledge, and all are welcome regardless of their level of prior exposure to the subject.