Week 13: Opening up

April 19 and 21

This week we start on the section of the course, where we start to see the China that probably resembles most closely what you know from your own lifetime – but also shows opportunities for different lines of development that were not taken. Maybe in a few years, we’ll have to a add a sixth section, or at least a new chapter, “Closing the doors again”, because in the past couple of years, the PRC’s foreign policy has certainly raised the hackles of many countries that had developed closer connections. Who knows? We’re students of history here, not forecasters, but if one thing is clear from our trajectory through four centuries of Chinese history, it is that it is hard to predict what comes next.

Table of Contents

Slides

Readings and class details

Wednesday

Ettinger 204, 9.30AM

Textbooks: Pick one
  • Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. Third ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.
    • Chapter 25 (Levels of Power)
  • Moïse Edwin E. Modern China: A History Third ed. Harlow, England: Pearson/Longman, 2008. (ebook Trexler)
    • Chapter 9
  • Dillon, Michael. China: A Modern History. London: I.B. Tauris, 2010. (ebook Trexler)
    • Chapter 15 to p. 364 (though you may want to start in the previous chapter, p. 352 with the death of Mao)
  • Optional extra: Crossley, Pamela Kyle. The Wobbling Pivot: China Since 1800. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010: pp. 246-258 (stop before last paragraph).
Primary source document: read this — then pick Option A or B below
  • “The One Child Policy” In The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. Third ed. Edited by Janet Chen et. al. W. W. Norton & Company, 2014.
    • PDF (2 documents)
    • The first document is the official letter ringing the alarm bell that something very drastic needs to be done; the second document is from the grassroots organizations pointing out that it’s really hard to get buy-in from the population for a one-child policy. Questions: What are the obstacles, and how do they intend to overcome them? When you read this, how does this compare with earlier state- and party directives to the population, in terms of bodily autonomy and obedience to the state/party?
Option A: Women after 1978
  • Hershatter, Gail. Women and China’s Revolutions. Critical Issues in World and International History. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.
    • Women of course bear the brunt of the consequences of the One China policy, and since 2015 its reversal (i.e. the pressure to give birth to more children). This chapter looks at what the changes after 1978 have meant for women in China, in rural areas and in urban settings. (PDF)
  • OPTIONAL EXTRA: “China: One Child Policy”. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Anonymous Filmakers Library, 2006. https://video-alexanderstreet-com.muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/watch/china-one-child-policy.
    • Video available through Trexler library; follows the story of various Chinese couples and children as they deal with the consequences of the One Child policy. (23 mins)
    • Note: this documentary is from 2006, so it sits between our present day (when China’ population has peaked) and the early 1980s, when the economy was not yet as affluent as you see in the footage.
Option B: Attempts at democracy
  • Liu Qing. “Sad Memories and Prospects: My Appeal to the Tribunal of the People.” In The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. Third ed. Edited by Janet Chen et. al. W. W. Norton & Company, 2014.
    • PDF
    • Liu remembers the trial of Wei Jingsheng, his different opinions with Wei, and then Wei’s request to represent him in court.
    • OPTIONAL EXTRA: translated text of Wei Jingsheng. “The Fifth Modernization.” In The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. Third ed. Edited by Janet Chen et. al. W. W. Norton & Company, 2014. (PDF)

Friday

Textbooks: pick 1
  • Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. Third ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.
    • Chapter 26 (Testing the limits)
  • Moïse Edwin E. Modern China: A History Third ed. Harlow, England: Pearson/Longman, 2008. (ebook Trexler)
    • Chapter 11, to p. 229
  • Dillon, Michael. China: A Modern History. London: I.B. Tauris, 2010. (ebook Trexler)
    • Chapter 15 p. 364 to end of chapter
Also read these:
  • “The Joint Agreement by Britain and China Defining the Future of Hong Kong, September 26, 1985” In The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. Third ed. Edited by Janet Chen et. al. W. W. Norton & Company, 2014.
    • PDF
    • This is the official language used to set in motion the handover process, in the 1980s. Questions: How does this compare to other diplomatic documents we read, e.g those surrounding Nixon’s visit (week 12)
  • Lim, Louisa. The People’s Republic of Amnesia : The Tiananmen Revisited. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, USA, 2014.
    • ebook Trexler: Chapter “Student”
    • Content warning: some of the other chapters contain descriptions of violence and torture. Sorry, the CCP is not nice to its opponents and dissidents.
Optional Extras
  • “Testing the Limits” In The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. Third ed. Edited by Janet Chen et. al. W. W. Norton & Company, 2014.
    • PDF
    • Collection of documents concerning the Tian’anmen massacre, from different sources. This includes official newspapers, student declaration of hunger strike, declaration of martial law, and Deng’s speech to the military leaders. Pick and mix as your interests guide you.
  • “Citizen Hong Kong”. Directed by Yang, Ruby. Center for Asian American Media, 1999. https://video-alexanderstreet-com.muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/watch/citizen-hong-kong.
    • Available through Trexler library
    • What changed in daily life immediately after the handover? This documentary, filmed in the year after the 1997 handover explores that very question. Things have definitely changed a lot since the documentary was made, in particular in the past five or six years…

Assignments

1. Weekly Blog post (content week 12)

5 points, due Mon. Apr. 17, 11:59PM

Write a blog post exploring themes or ideas based on your reading. You do not need to have all the answers. In fact, learning to ask good analytical or research questions is a skill you can develop during the semester. Remember the description of the assignment from the syllabus.

  • Length: approx. 400 words. excl. list of materials consulted.
  • Add the list of materials consulted at the end of the post, in Chicago notes and bibliography style.
    • TOP TIP: Just copy the bibliography information from the Reading list on this webpage, do not add the descriptive notes I provide for your information.
  • Add the words “Week 12” in the title.
    • Please use this exact phrase, so your post will show up in the blog stream.
  • Indicate which Exploration Pack you chose (if applicable)
  • Include a relevant image, and add a caption with the source/credit, and an Alt text description
  • Post on your website, and add to the category hst271.

When you’re done, read this declaration carefully and then fill out the Canvas quiz to collect your points.

Declaration
– I wrote a post of approximately 400 words in response to the readings.
– I included the bibliographic references for the materials I used for my post.
– I indicated which Exploration Pack(s) I chose.
– I included an image, and I provided a caption and credit (source), and an Alt text description for the image.
– I use the words Week 12 in the title, and added the post to category hst271

2. Hypothes.is: comments on Week 11 posts

3 points, due by Wed. April 19 11.59pm.

Below you find links to three blog posts from your fellow students. If one of the websites is your own, or it is twice the same person’s, refresh the page, and you should get new sites. [posts coming on Tuesday]

  • Post 1:
  • Post 2:
  • Post 3:

Leave feedback, questions, thoughts, insights about the contents of the posts of your fellow students using Hypothes.is group HST271. You can ask for clarifications, point out similarities and differences with the material you covered, or with your interpretation. This should encourage you to nose around in the other materials you did not read in the first round.

Use tags in Hypothes.is: question: If you have a question (obvious); answered: if you gave an answer to a question; info: if you provide more information, looking up additional facts, drawing on knowledge from other classes; and other tags you can think of. This will help us to navigate more quickly to the questions that still need answering.

Use the “Architect’s Model” of giving feedback, and engage with concrete issues. Go beyond “Yeah, I agree,” “I like” or “I think the same”, and instead explain why you have that reaction, or if you disagree, you can try to persuade the original poster of your idea or interpretation.

Remember that Hypothes.is allows for hyperlinks, e.g. to materials that support your argument, or you can include pictures (memes! [yes, there she is again]), videos etc. that help the original poster to learn more.

When you’ve commented on three posts, read this declaration carefully, and then fill out the Canvas quiz to collect your points.

Declaration
– I commented on three fellow students’ posts on the readings from Week 12 using the group HST271.
– I made sure to leave substantial comments that move the discussion forward and help to create better insights, and go beyond a “nice” or “great”.
– I left comments that I would like to receive myself: thoughtful, helpful, kind, but also pointing out errors so they can be fixed.

3. Show and Tell 4

20 points, due Fri April 21, 11:59PM

Find all the details on the dedicated webpage! Content for your Show and Tell needs to connect to something we covered/timespan covered in weeks 10, 11, or 12, that is from 1949 to 1976.

If you used your Free Pass already this semester, you MUST complete the remaining Show and Tell projects!

4. Weekly Blog post (content week 13)

5 points, due Mon. Apr. 24, 11:59PM

Write a blog post exploring themes or ideas based on your reading. You do not need to have all the answers. In fact, learning to ask good analytical or research questions is a skill you can develop during the semester. Remember the description of the assignment from the syllabus.

  • Length: approx. 400 words. excl. list of materials consulted.
  • Add the list of materials consulted at the end of the post, in Chicago notes and bibliography style.
    • TOP TIP: Just copy the bibliography information from the Reading list on this webpage, do not add the descriptive notes I provide for your information.
  • Add the words “Week 13” in the title.
    • Please use this exact phrase, so your post will show up in the blog stream.
  • Indicate which Exploration Pack you chose (if applicable)
  • Include a relevant image, and add a caption with the source/credit, and an Alt text description
  • Post on your website, and add to the category hst271.

When you’re done, read this declaration carefully and then fill out the Canvas quiz to collect your points.

Declaration
– I wrote a post of approximately 400 words in response to the readings.
– I included the bibliographic references for the materials I used for my post.
– I indicated which Exploration Pack(s) I chose.
– I included an image, and I provided a caption and credit (source), and an Alt text description for the image.
– I use the words Week 13 in the title, and added the post to category hst271

Extra Credit tasks

EC13-1: Follow that footnote!

3 points, due Sunday April 23, 11.59pm

All the details on this webpage, incl. a link to declaration quiz.

EC 13-2: Extra commenting

3 points, due by Sunday, April 23, 11.59pm.

Do you like reading your colleagues’ work? Do you like helping them out by identifying ways to make their posts better? Here’s some good news! You can earn extra credit by doing extra commenting! This assignment will be available regularly throughout the semester.

  • Go to the Blog Stream of the class under Participants’ Posts on the website
  • Pick a post that piques your curiosity and that you have not yet commented on
  • Use Hypothes.is group HST271, and leave feedback as we practiced with the Architects’s model
  • Pick 2 additional posts (a total of 3 for this task): they can come from other students in the blog stream, or if you like the writer, you can stay with them and comment more.
  • The only conditions are:
    • that you do not comment on blog posts you already commented on before, as part of your regular weekly “Exploration” tasks.
    • that the post is actually written for HST271, and not some other class. Check the category, and the content 🙃
  • Add the tag extra to the comment (this helps me to keep track of how many people use this option.)

When you’re done, please read this declaration carefully and collect your points with the Canvas Declaration Quiz.

Declaration
I selected three blogs I have not yet commented on before, from our class’ blog stream, and I used the Hypothes.is group HST271 to comment.
I made sure to leave substantial comments that help the writer to improve the post, or to identify their strengths.
I added the tag extra to my Hypothes.is comments.
I left comments that I would like to receive myself: thoughtful, helpful, kind, but also pointing out errors so they can be fixed.

Where to get assistance?

  • Tea Room on Discord:
    • open anytime for you
    • I will be hosting Tue 2PM-3PM; Wed. 1-2PM, or at other times by appointment via Google Calendar (usually a 15-20min appointment is enough). You can also find me in my office during Tea Room times.
    • Private room for confidential chat available on request.
  • Discord Text Channel #hst271
  • DLAs: Digital Learning Assistants: check the schedule!
  • Writing Center: Sunday – Wednesday 3:30 – 5:30 & 7 – 11 PM; Thursday 3:30 – 5:30 PM &  7 – 9 PM
  • Trexler Library Course Subject Guide: our own dedicated subject guide for the course 
  • Safety on/around campus: report an incident