Course Description

If there’s one uncontested fact about being Chinese, it is the sense of being part of a culture with a long history. History shapes not just contemporary practices, but also contemporary values. Hence, to understand China, it is essential to understand the main themes of Chinese history and philosophy that serve as reference points for Chinese intellectuals and leaders in everyday thinking and conversation. This course will introduce the student to main themes in Chinese history and philosophy and we will discuss how they continue to shape China’s present and will likely shape its future.Assigned readings will present contrasting perspectives. The student will be asked to draw comparisons with non-Chinese societies and think about implications for contemporary Chinese society as well as China’s role in the world. The course is roughly divided in two parts: the first part will focus on themes in ancient Chinese history and political culture, though we will make an effort to show how these continue to influence the present. The second four weeks will focus mainly on the modern era (from the late 19th century onwards), though we will show how themes and events in the modern era are also shaped by the past.

课程简介（无中文大纲，译文参考 Google 翻译）

历史不仅塑造当代实践，也塑造当代价值观。要了解中国，就必须了解中国历史和哲学的主题，这些主题是中国知识分子和领导人日常思维和对话的参考点。本课程将向学生介绍中国历史和哲学的主题，我们将讨论他们如何继续塑造中国的现在，并可能塑造中国的未来。指定的阅读材料将呈现对比的观点，学生将被要求与非华人社会进行比较，并思考对当代中国社会的影响以及中国在世界上的作用。本课程大致分为两部分：第一部分将重点关注中国古代历史和政治文化的主题，尽管我们将努力展示这些主题如何继续影响当今。接下来的四个星期将主要关注现代（从 19 世纪末开始），我们将展示现代的主题和事件也是如何受到过去的影响的。