Chinese history from the decline of the Qing empire to the reforms under the Chinese Communist Party in the late 20th century.

This course is an overview of Chinese history from the final decades of the Qing empire (1644-1911) to the present. China will be our vantage point as we explore some responses to one of the central questions of the twentieth century: What kind of order is right for industrial society? We will approach this issue from multiple vantage points. Topics include the position of women in society, the cultivation of citizens and rehabilitation of criminals, national self-determination and anti-colonial struggle, the peasant economy, the governing of border regions, economic development and socialist transformation. We will pay particular attention to how law gained importance in these domain and others, why this development was celebrated by some and criticized by others, and how Chinese leaders defined and restricted the scope of legal regulation in the twentieth century.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills