Wang
LSHV-371-01
Spring 2016
January 18 – May 2, 2016
Professor Chi Wang
LSHV-371-01
AMERICA & CHINA IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
GENERAL LEARNING GOALS AND OUTCOMES
The Graduate Liberal Studies Program at Georgetown University offers a course of study which
engages students in reading, research, reflection, discussion, and writing. In the pursuit of the
degree, students are to discern and wrestle with the content generally associated with the
“liberal” arts in the root meaning of that term, namely, what it means for human beings to be
endowed with freedom and what ennobles and enhances human freedom. The two general goals
of the program, therefore, are to analyze and assess human values (who are we and what ought
we to do?) and to undertake such study in an interdisciplinary fashion. The program thus draws
from the social sciences as well as from those fields generally defined as the humanities (e.g.,
theology, philosophy, literature, and art), recognizing that the moral dimension of human life
embraces social, political, and economic relationships as well as personal choices. The program
is to culminate in a thesis that successfully analyzes a question of value related to a student’s
chosen curricular field of study.
SYLLABUS
SESSION I. EARLY CONTACTS, 1784
-Introduction and overview of the course; first American ship, “Empress of China,” and China
clippers.
-Entrepreneurs, as Robert Morris; traders at Canton, as Samuel Shaw, James Josiah; Hong
merchants, as Houqua; missionaries, as Peter Parker; diplomats, as Caleb Cushing.
-Treaty of Wanghia, 1843; Chinese attitudes towards American people; Chinese values vs.
American values.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Hunt, pp. 1-40; (See Assigned Readings on the final page of the syllabus)
SESSION II. CHINA’S RESPONSE TO THE UNITED STATES, 1860
-Qing Dynasty Zongli Yamen, 1860; Anson Burlingame’s mission; Li Hongzhang and his view
on America; Chinese immigration issues in the U.S.; demand for exclusion, Restriction Acts;
total exclusion, 1902; conflicts between Chinese and American values.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Hunt, pp. 41-114; Schaller, ch. 1 (please note, this is 4th edition)
SESSION III. OPEN DOOR POLICY AND BOXER REBELLION, 1899
-Alfred E. Hippisley and William Rockhill; Secretary of State John Hay’s open door notes to six
powers, 1899; American forces in China during Boxer Rebellion in foreign relief expedition; the
impact of open door policy, Chinese views.
-Remission of Boxer indemnity; Chinese exchange students in the U.S.; Knox plan for
Manchuria; Taft, and concerted action; the influence of American-educated Chinese intellectuals
in China; the expansion of American cultural influence in China.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Hunt, pp. 115-142, 143-182;
SESSION IV. WORLD WAR I, 1914
-Wilson’s China policy; U.S. protests Japan’s 21 Demands, 1915; U.S. policy on recognition of
Chinese Republic; dollar diplomacy, and international consortium; U.S. attitude towards Siberia
an Chinese Eastern Railway.
-China’s participation in World War I; Shandong question; Paris Peace Conference, 1919;
China’s refusal to sign Treaty of Versailles; May Fourth Student Movement; the further growth
of American values in China; John Dewey and China; Washington Conference; Nine Power
Treaty.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Hunt, pp. 189-226
SESSION V. NATIONALIST REVOLUTION FORMATIVE PERIOD, 1925-1930
-Northern Expedition, and China’s warlords; U.S. attitude towards Nationalist Revolution
Nanking Incident, 1927, and Sino-American negotiations; China rights recovery movement, and
treaty revision; Sino American Tariff Treaty, 1928, and tariff autonomy for China.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Schaller, ch. 2
SESSION VI. SINO-JAPANESE CONFLICT, 1931-Mukden Incident, September 18, 1931; China’s appeal, League of Nations; U.S. cooperation,
League of Nations; Chinese reactions to Stimson doctrine of non-recognition, January 7, 1932;
Shanghai Incident and international intervention; League of nations Lytton Report.
-U.S. role in the Xi’an Incident, 1936; Lugouqiao Incident, July 7, 1937; U.S. support of Chinese
resistance; military aid and lend-lease; Chennault’s “Flying Tigers”; Dixie Mission; U.S.
relations with the Chinese Communists; Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor; the contribution of
Chinese Americans during the Sino-Japanese War.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Schaller, ch. 3
SESSION VII. U.S.-CHINA ALLIANCE IN WORLD WAR II, 1942-China-Burma-India Theater; General Stilwell appointed Chief-of Staff; Wendell Wilkie, as
Roosevelt’s special envoy; new Sino-American Treaty, January 11, 1943; Madame Chiang
addresses joint session of U.S. Senate and House; repeal of Chinese Exclusion Act, 1943; Cairo
Conference, November 22-26, 1943; Vice-President Henry Wallace visits China, June-July
1944; Brigadier-General Patrick J. Hurley appointed personal representative of President
Roosevelt.
-Stilwell incident; Wedemeyer as Chief-of-Staff; Yalta Agreement, February 11, 1945; China
sends delegation to United Nations Conference, April 25-June 26, 1945; Japan surrenders,
August 14, 1945; General George C. Marshall appointed Truman’s representative, 1946; Chiang
Kai-shek’s view on U.S.; American public opinion towards China.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Schaller, ch. 4; Wang, ch. 2
SESSION VIII. AFTERMATH OF WAR, CIVIL WAR AND COMMUNIST
TAKEOVER, 1946-Failure of Marshall Mission; Marshall recalled January 8, 1947 to become Secretary of State;
Wedemeyer on fact-finding mission, July 22-September 19, 1947.
-Chinese Communists successful in civil strife, establish PRC, October 1, 1949; U.S. State
Department releases White Paper on U.S. relations with China, August 5, 1949; China lobby;
U.S. Congress and China; Acheson; Dulles; Korean War, and embargo on shipments for PRC.
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-De-neutralization of Taiwan; Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, 1954; Taiwan Straits
question; Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson policies on China; Sino-Soviet disputes; Warsaw talks,
1960-1969.
-China’s “ping-pong” diplomacy; Nixon’s new China policy; China’s response to the new
policy.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Schaller, ch. 5-9; Wang, ch. 3-5
SESSION IX. PROCESS OF NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS WITH PRC, 1969-Mao Zedong-Zhou Enlai’s new attitudes towards the U.S.; Henry Kissinger’s role in new U.S.China policy; Nixon’s visit to China, February 21-28, 1972; Shanghai Communiqué, February
28, 1972; Nixon’s second visit, February 1976.
-Carter and China; joint communiqué to establish diplomatic relations as of January 1, 1979, and
to exchange ambassadors, March 1, 1979; embassies opened in Peking and Washington, March
1, 1979; the resurgence of American values in China.
-China’s economic reforms since 1978; Deng Xiaoping and America.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Schaller, ch. 10; Wang, ch. 6-7; Holdridge, pp. 1-111
SESSION X. CHINESE-AMERICANS AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
-Chinese community in the U.S.; American people and the Chinese-American community; the
role of Chinese-Americans in U.S.-China relations; the contributions of the American people in
promoting a better U.S.-China relationship; America’s image on China; the American born
Chinese.
READING ASSIGNMENT: TBD; Documentary will be shown
SESSION XI. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES (I)
-Taiwan Relations Act of 1979; the Two-China problem; modernization of PRC; U.S.-China
trade; joint ventures; cultural and scientific exchanges; U.S. arms sales to Taiwan; defense of
Taiwan.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Schaller, ch. 11; Wang, ch. 8-10; Holdridge, pp. 123-229
SESSION XII. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES (II)
-U.S.-China relations since the Tiananmen Incident of June 4, 1989; American secret mission to
PRC, 1989; human rights issues between U.S. and China; Chinese students in the U.S.; U.S.China strategic relations; Taiwan issues in U.S.-China relations; U.S. arms sales to China;
technology transfer to China.
-George H.W. Bush’s China policy; Chinese leaders’ response to U.S. policies; Clinton’s China
policy; George W. Bush’s China’s policy; the understanding of American and Chinese values.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Schaller, ch. 12-13; Wang, ch. 11-13
SESSION XIII.
-A brief review of President Obama’s China policy & U.S.-China relations since 2009; military
relations with China; differences in values and political views between the U.S. and China
READING ASSIGNMENT: Wang, ch. 14-15
ALTERNATIVE SESSIONS: GUEST SPEAKERS AND DOCUMENTARIES
-Short documentaries may also be shown throughout the semester.
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REQUIRED READINGS:
0-8476-8505-5. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Holdridge, John. Crossing the Divide.
1997. 307p. (pbk.)
0-685-06088-8. Columbia U. Pr. Hunt, Michael. The Making of a Special Relationship. 1983.
480p. (pbk.)
0-190-20006-5. Oxford U. Pr. Schaller, Michael. The United States and China: Into the TwentyFirst Century. 4th ed. 2015. 248 p. (pbk.)
0-765-62990-9. M.E. Sharpe (now Routledge). Wang, Chi. The United States and China Since
World War II: a brief history. 2013. 232 p. (pbk.)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Regular class attendance and participation in class discussions.
2. One final examination.
3. One short term paper.
HONOR CODE:
MALS and DLS students are responsible for upholding the Georgetown University Honor
System and adhering to the academic standards included in the Honor Code Pledge stated below:
In the pursuit of the high ideals and rigorous standards of academic life, I commit myself to
respect and uphold the Georgetown University Honor System: To be honest in any academic
endeavor; and to conduct myself honorably, as a responsible member of
the Georgetown community, as we live and work together.
DISABILITIES STATEMENT:
If you believe you have a disability, then you should contact the Academic Resource Center
(arc@georgetown.edu) for further information. The Center is located in the Leavey Center, Suite
335. The Academic Resource Center is the campus office responsible for reviewing
documentation provided by students with disabilities and for determining reasonable
accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and University
policies.
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