Middlebury

HIST 0231

Imperial China

Imperial China
China’s is the world’s oldest continuous civilization, and we will survey the history of the Chinese empire from its cultural beginnings until the conflicts with the West in the 1840s and the internal unrest of the 1850s and 1860s. Our study of China’s political progression through successive dynasties will reveal archetypal patterns of historical disruption amidst continuity. We will also examine those perennial social, institutional, and intellectual forces — such as the stratification of the classes, the absolutist tendencies of monarchy, and the civilly-focused yet competitive atmosphere fostered by a state-sponsored examination culture — that proved determinative in shaping China’s traditional development. Pre-1800 3 hrs. lect.
Subject:
History
Department:
History
Division:
Humanities
Requirements Fulfilled:
HIS NOA SOC
Equivalent Courses:

Sections in Fall 2007

Fall 2007

HIST0231A-F07 Lecture (Endicott)