HISTORY 313

Mao Zedong, Revolution and China


Please note: this is archived course information from 2016 for HISTORY 313.

Description

Overview

This course uses the life and legacy of Mao Zedong (1893-1976) as a way to navigate China’s tumultuous history from the end of the Nineteenth Century to the end of the Twentieth Century. Mao is generally acknowledged as a towering figure in Chinese history whose personality and ideology continue to influence national and world politics today.

And yet a careful study of China’s twentieth century history reveals the limits, as well as the extent, of the influence of a “revolutionary” such as Mao Zedong. In this course, students will use primary and secondary texts to sketch out the broader social and cultural landscape of modern China and evaluate the historical significance of Mao’s life and the Maoist ideology that was his legacy.

Goals

By the end of the course, you should have improved your ability

  • to find and analyse primary sources (ie, first-hand accounts)
  • to read and critique secondary sources (ie, accounts written by historians)
  • to gather primary and secondary sources together into a research essay shaped by your own original argument
  • to listen to and evaluate the arguments and opinions of others
  • to cite and reference in a manner appropriate to the genre of historical writing
  • to read efficiently and retentively
  • to write in polished and professional English

A trailer from last year’s class can be found on youtube.

Availability 2016

Semester 2

Lecturer(s)

Lecturer(s) Dr Melissa Inouye

Assessment

10% Participation

10% Source Analysis

40% Research Essay

20% Creative Primary Source Document

20% In-class Test

Points

HISTORY 313: 15 points

Prerequisites

30 points at Stage II in History or 15 points at Stage II in History and either CHINESE 201 or ARTHIST 225

Restrictions

HISTORY 213