DOCUMENT R: SYLLABUS
1. Date Prepared: February 2012
2. Prepared by: Jing Luo
3. Department: Languages and Cultures
4. Course Number: CHINESE 211
5. Course Title: Foundations of the Chinese Civilization
6. Credit Hours: 3
Goal 4 - Cultures and Diversity
Goal 7 – Arts and Humanities
2 GEPs
1 GEP
7. Prerequisites: No prerequisites.
8. Catalog Description:
Imparts knowledge about the history of Chinese culture and civilization. Students gain insights in
the cultural history of China, including geography, society, politics, philosophy, art, literature,
and the sciences in their historical contexts. CHINESE 211 is intended for students seeking an
introductory course on Chinese culture. CHINESE 211 is taught in English and presents Chinese
culture in its historical contexts through lectures, projects and discussions. CHINESE 211 satisfies
General Educational requirements and partially fulfills requirements for the Chinese minor.
There are no prerequisites for CHINESE 211. CHINESE 211 is offered in alternating semesters.
9. Content Outline:
CHINESE 211 presents the history of Chinese peoples and cultures, with emphasis on minority
and gender issues. Required course content addresses cultural topics as they develop over time,
especially the Chinese language, the arts, humanities, science and technology, geography, major
historical events, and social and political structures and traditions. A course plan could include,
but is not limited to the following:
Period
General Intro
Shang & Zhou Dynasties
16th Century BC – 2st
Century BC
2nd Century BC – 1840
Topics
 Geography, population, pre-history, language, and writing system.
 Origin of the feudal system and dynastic structure.
 Arise of Confucianism, Daoism and other classical philosophies.
 Founding and defeat of the Qin Empire.
 Family and society in early culture.
 Dynastic transitions of Qin-Han-Sui-Tang-Song-Yuan-Ming and Qing
 Learning, arts, sciences, technology, and cultural exchange between
China and the outside world.
 The civil service examination system.
 Opium War -- Confucian culture and industrial culture.
 Reform and Western learning.
1850s-1911
1912-1940s









Introduction of democracy and science.
Founding of the first democratic system – the Republic of China.
Introduction of Marxism and the founding of the Chinese
Communist Party.
Warlordism and rise of the Red Army.
Japanese occupation and the Anti-Japanese War.
The Civil War and the defeat of the Nationalist Party.
A study of Mao Zedong’s philosophical thoughts and military
strategies.
Communism and China’s reality – why did communism succeed.
Life and society in the 1930s and the 1940s – rural and urban.
10. Methods:
a. Students will work on projects, take tests and quizzes, and participate in discussions during
class.
b. Written assignments and oral presentations which investigate specific topics.
c. Activities outside class, such as participation in informal conversation groups or film
viewings, may be assigned.
d. Alternate assignments may be provided in lieu of out-of-class or co-curricular activities.
e. Access to electronic resources such as the Internet is required.
f. Maximum suggested class size: 40.
g. CHINESE 211 is offered in alternating semesters.
11. Student Learning Objectives:
By the end of CHINESE 211, students will learn specific concepts about the cultural history of
China.
Student Learning Objective
11a. Compare and contrast historical, social,
political, geographical, intellectual and
aesthetic features that shape the traditional
Chinese societies with one’s own society.
Gen. Ed.
Goal
associated
with GEPS
Cultures and
Diversity
Arts and
Humanities
11b. Communicate basic information
pertaining to the culture of traditional China
and compare those cultures with their own
during the historical times.
Cultures and
Diversity
11c. Be able to apply some approaches and
Cultures and
Related VALUE Rubric
Elements
INTERCULTURAL
KNOWLEDGE AND
COMPETENCE VALUE
RUBRIC:
Knowledge: Cultural selfawareness
INTERCULTURAL
KNOWLEDGE AND
COMPETENCE VALUE
RUBRIC:
Knowledge: Knowledge of
cultural worldview
frameworks
INTERCULTURAL
methods of cultural inquiry, particularly, from
historical and philosophical perspectives
toward a grasp of another world view.
Diversity
Arts and
Humanities
11d. Demonstrate awareness of biases held
personally and by one’s own culture and
apply critical reflection on those biases.
Cultures and
Diversity
11e. Demonstrate skills to critically analyze
the historical, ethical, political, cultural,
environmental, or circumstantial settings or
conditions that influence and complicate the
consideration of ideas in Chinese literature
and culture.
Arts and
Humanities
KNOWLEDGE AND
COMPETENCE VALUE
RUBRIC:
Skills: Empathy
CRITICAL THINKING
RUBRIC:
Explanation of Issues
INTERCULTURAL
KNOWLEDGE AND
COMPETENCE VALUE
RUBRIC:
Attitudes: openness
Attitudes: Curiosity
CRITICAL THINKING
RUBRIC:
Evidence: Selecting and
using information to
investigate a point of view
or conclusion
12. Student Assessment: Assessment instruments may include the following:
1. 11a: Tests and the final exam include sections that specifically address Chinese cultural and
economic history. Possible individualized and collaborative projects may focus on one or
more specific selected cultural topics. On-line and in-class discussions also indicate the
specific knowledge acquired regarding modern Chinese society.
2. 11b: Tests and the final exam include sections that specifically address the relevance of
socio-cultural issues pertaining to race, gender and class, including to those problems that
arise in the students’ own world. Possible individualized and collaborative projects may
focus on one or more specific selected issue of general relevance, as will on-line and in-class
discussions.
3. 11c: Guided written and oral presentations are structured according to approaches and
methods of cultural inquiry.
4. 11d: Guided written and oral presentations are structured to reflect the level critical
understanding of intercultural awareness.
5. 11e: Independent projects and prepared discussions based on readings from Chinese
literature and culture are devoted to the critical confrontation with the products of Chinese
culture in their historical and social contexts.
13. Evaluation of Individual Student Performance:
Students will be evaluated through projects, tests and quizzes, discussions during class, written
assignments and oral presentations which investigate specific topics, activities outside class,
such as participation in informal conversation groups or film viewings, and alternate
assignments completed through co-curricular activities.
14. Course Assessment:
Chinese 211 is designed both to support the department’s established program goals and
learning objectives for students, and to enhance the university’s General Education program.
The assessment data gathered from the course (see 12, above), as well as the tools used to
gather the data, will be reviewed at appropriate intervals both by the department Assessment
Committee and the department General Education Assessment Committee to verify the extent
to which student learning objectives are being achieved. Modifications to the course will be
made accordingly. Course assessment data will be reported to the Office of Planning and
Assessment.
15. Selected Supporting Materials and References:
(Items marked with an asterisk * are available in the Andruss Library.)
Chiang, Kai-shek. China’s Destiny. New York: The Macmillan company, 1947.
Ebrey, Patricia. Cambridge Illustrated History — China. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.*
Fairbank, K. John and Edwin O. Reischauer. China. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989.*
Feng, Yulan. A Short History of Chinese Philosophy. Ed. Derk Bodde. New York: CollierMacmillan, 1966.
Luo, Jing. Over a Cup of Tea – An Introduction to Chinese Life and Culture. New York: University
Press of America, 2004.*
Mao, Zedong. On Guerilla Warfare. New York: Anchor Press, 1978.*
Puyi. The last Manchu. New York: Putnam, 1967.
Ricci, Mateo. On Friendship : One Hundred Maxims for a Chinese Prince. New York: Columbia
UP, 2009.
Spence, Jonathan. Search for Modern China. New York: Norton, 1990.*
16. Prototype Text:
Ebrey, Patricia. Cambridge Illustrated History—China. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.