Admission requirements
MA Asian studies students (60 EC, 120 EC or research) will be given priority in enrollment if demand exceeds the available places.
Description
A continuous thread in China’s modern and contemporary history is the ambition to catch up with and ultimately surpass the Western powers that once subjected the Chinese state to what official discourses call the “Century of Humiliation.” This course explores the key events, ideas, and ideals that have informed this continually reworked narrative and that have shaped the world and self-perceptions on which it is based.
The course transcends and connects themes and genres within the disciplines of history, memory studies, and international relations. Students will be challenged to identify and question assumed continuities and changes over time, discuss how past experiences have informed current Chinese policies and identities, and examine how current goals shape contemporary Chinese imaginations and narratives of the past.
Key themes covered in this course include nationalism and national identity, revolution and war, science and technology, diplomacy and law, (contested) region-building and global governance, and China–Europe relations. Students will practice and refine their skills to critically analyze, compare and connect primary sources with academic scholarship and reflect on their knowledge and understandings of China’s modern history and evolving memory politics.
Course objectives
A nuanced understanding and knowledge of major debates and themes in historical, historiographical, and memory studies scholarship on modern China.
Insight into the narrativity of historical discourses and into the determinist, presentist and ahistorical tendencies of mnemonic statecraft and memory politics.
Transferable skills for contextualizing, critically assessing and contrasting primary sources and scholarly works; identifying and evaluating academic debates; and reflecting on personal, cultural and disciplinary biases in their own and their peers’ analyses of history and memory.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
The deadline(s) in MyTimetable is/are set for administrative purposes only. The actual date(s) will be communicated by the lecturer(s) in Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Attendance and participation are obligatory for seminars. Students are required to attend all sessions. It is up to the discretion of the convener of the course whether or not any missed class will have to be made up with an extra assignment. Being absent without notification can result in a lower grade or exclusion from the term end exams and a failing grade for the course.
Assessment method
Academic integrity
Students should familiarize themselves with the notion of academic integrity and the ways in which this plays out in their own work. A good place to start is this page. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students may not substantially reuse texts they have previously submitted in this or other courses. Minor overlap with previous work is allowed as long as it is duly noted in citation. For information on plagiarism (in the context of academic writing at large), see clips 4-5-6 in this series of video clips.
Students must submit their assignment(s) to Brightspace through Turnitin, so they can be checked for plagiarism. Submission via email is not accepted.
ChatGPT: What is possible and what is allowed? Dos and Don'ts.
Assessment and weighing
| Partial assessment | weighing |
|---|---|
| Attendance/weekly posts | 50% |
| Assignments | 50% |
The overall course grade is the weighted average between the two components listed above; however, students must receive a minimum score of 5.50 (=6) for each component to pass the course.
The course is an integrated whole. All categories must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.
Resit
Students must receive a minimum score of 5.50 (=6) for each component in order to pass the course. If the grade for the Assignments component is below 5.49 (=5) or lower, students may submit a paper of approx. 2,000 words on a topic to be determined by the instructor following consultation with the student within two weeks after such consultation. The grade for the paper will replace the grade for the Assignments component. There are no resit opportunities for the Attendance/Participation component.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
A Course Handbook denoting mandatory course readings will be posted on Brightspace before the start of the course. Additional information (powerpoints, useful websites, etc.) will also be found on Brightspace over the course of the semester.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office Herta Mohr