The University of Akron
Spring 2003
Dr. Earl Motz
Office Arts and Science Building 201A 
motze@uakron.edu
http://gozips.uakron.edu/~motze
Campus Phone: 972-7006(Leave Message)
Office Hours: Wednesdays 11:15 a.m.-Noon. Students will also be able to meet
with me by appointment.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this course are:
(1) to become familiar with China’s history and cultural traditions, (2) to
examine the Chinese response to the forces of consolidation
and dissolution constantly at work there, (3) to study one of the great revolutionary
movements of the 20th century, its impact and consequences for China’s
people, and (4) to develop an understanding of
China’s aspirations and role in the modern world. These objectives
reflect the content of the course and are meant to give substance to a final
goal: (5) to assist students in developing analytical skills that will
enable them to effectively communicate their knowledge of China’s civilization
both orally and in writing.
Required Books: Moise, Edwin E. Modern China, The Present and
the Past. New York:Longman, 1994. Buck, Pearl S. The Good
Earth, New York: Pocket Books, 1958. Liang Heng and Shapiro
Judith Son of the Revolution, New York: Vintage Books, 1983.
Some students may wish to substitute Chang Jung’s Wild Swans, Three
Daughters of China, New York: Anchor Books, 1991.for Son of the
Revolution.
GRADING AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
The following grade scale will be used
|
A = 93-100 % |
|
Grades for the course will be computed as follows:
1st Exam = 25% of total grade Quizzes,
In-Class Essays, and Class Participation = 25% of total grade
Final Exam = 25% of total grade
Book Reviews (2) = 25 % each of total grade
ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Students are expected to attend classes on a regular basis and to arrive on
time. If they incur three or more unexcused absences and/or frequently
arrive late, the instructor will lower the final grade by one full letter.
Class participation does not mean attendance. It means not only asking
questions and being prepared for class, but also posing questions based on
information gained from other sources such as newspapers, magazines, movies,
radio, television, or netsurfing.
PLAGIARISM- CHEATING ON EXAMS:
Such misconduct will be reported to the head of the department and vigorously
prosecuted.
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND READING ASSIGNMENTS:
Part I Traditional Chin
(for this section please read in Modern
China pp, 1-52 and the novel The Good
Earth.)
Week 1 Introduction, the problem of language and the physical setting.
Week 2 Structure of Society, The Dynastic Cycle Illuminated.
Week 3 Religion and Philosophy, The Mandate of Heaven explored.
Week 4 Scholar Gentry, the Confucian Bureaucracy, and Collapse of the
Old Order.
Wednesday—First Book Review due in Class.
Week 5 Nationalism, Revolution, and the Republican Era.
Part II War, Revolution, and the Rise of Communism
(for this section please read in Modern
China pp. 52-114.)
Week 6 The Birth of Chinese Communism
Week 7 Warlords, Communists, and the Guomintang (Kuomintang-KMT).
Week 8 The Jiangxi Soviet, The Long March, and the Japanese attacks.
Week 9 World War II – America’s Role, and China’s Civil War.
Wednesday—First Exam
Part III The People’s
Republic of China
(for this section please read Modern
China pp. 114-241, and either Son
of the Revolution or Wild Swans.
Week 10 The Consolidation of Victory—Land reform and the Iron Rice Bowl.
Week 11 The Great Leap Forward and other Follies.
Week 12 The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Maoism considered.
Week 13 Deng Xiaoping Reforms and the Market System.
Wednesday—2nd Book Review due in Class
Week 14 The Student Democracy Movement and The Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Week 15 Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Tibet, and the Future.
Final Exam Week.