HIST 370 Behind the Great Wall: The Real China
Products made in China are ubiquitous in our daily lives. Western media often portrays China through a lens of economic dominance, military expansion, human rights violations, and the origins of infectious diseases. But how well do we truly understand China? Are these media portrayals accurate? This course aims to examine China beyond the headlines by exploring its rich history and the forces that have shaped its society and people over the past two centuries. We will investigate transformations in Chinese society, economy, politics, and culture, covering not only the influential figures but also those often overlooked in history. We will analyze China's dramatic decline and resurgence, marked by radical revolutions, within a global context.
Prerequisite: WRIT 131 Writing I or equivalent.
Prerequisites
Special information
4 Undergraduate credits
Effective August 1, 1998 to present
Meets graduation requirements for
Learning outcomes
General
- Knowledge of the major events in modern Chinese history, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- Fostering respect for other cultures, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- An ability to critically analyze historical events as presented in oral history, cultural productions, and scholarship, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- An ability to write a research paper incorporating a variety of sources, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- Understanding of how historical events and ideological currents affected society and individuals, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
Goal 5: History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Employ the methods and data that historians and social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition.
- Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures.
- Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.
- Develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.
Goal 8: Global Perspective
- Describe and analyze political, economic, and cultural elements which influence relations of states and societies in their historical and contemporary dimensions.
- Demonstrate knowledge of cultural, social, religious and linguistic differences.
- Analyze specific international problems, illustrating the cultural, economic, and political differences that affect their solution.
- Understand the role of a world citizen and the responsibility world citizens share for their common global future.
Fall 2025
| Section | Title | Instructor | books | eservices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Behind the Great Wall: The Real China | Wang, Gengwu | Books for HIST-370-50 Fall 2025 | Course details for HIST-370-50 Fall 2025 |