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Lily Schatz
Summer 2016
lschatz@uw.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:30-3:30 in Smith 104c
Transformations in Twentieth-Century China (HSTAS 490)
Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:20-12:30, Paccar Hall 295
This course will examine the transformation of a country ruled by an emperor
into a society governed by the Communist Party. Emphasis will be placed on major
events and the thinkers who wrestled with the challenge of imperialism in the 19th
century and social revolution in the 20th
. Students will also read a significant portion of
two autobiographical works, which shed light on how these events and new strands of
thought influenced the lives of everyday people.
Required Texts:
Jonathan D. Spence, The Search for Modern China
Jung Chang, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
Yu Hua, China in Ten Words
**All of these texts are available on reserve at the Odegaard Undergraduate Library.
Because we will be reading extensively in the first two texts, I would advise borrowing
them from the library on a long-term basis, or purchasing them at the University
Bookstore, or the online vendor of your choice. Please note that the UW libraries hold
multiple copies of these books, as do the Summit Libraries. **
Assigned Readings: Students will be responsible for completing between 40-85 pages of
reading prior to each class meeting. The quizzes, midterm, and final examination will
draw heavily from the supplementary readings (Wild Swans and China in Ten Words) as
well as from the textbook. Students are strongly advised to begin the assigned reading

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for the Thursday meeting prior to Wednesday. To better facilitate your planning, I have
noted the number of assigned pages of reading for each session on the Weekly Schedule
below.
Grading:
3 Quizzes ・15% each = 45%
Discussion participation = 15%
Midterm examination = 20%
Final examination = 20%
Quizzes: The quizzes will each be approximately twenty-five minutes long and will
consist of short answer questions drawn from the assigned readings (including Wild
Swans and China in Ten Words) as well as the lectures. Questions will focus on major
issues, not minor details. Quizzes may not be made up unless the student has a doctor’s
note or has otherwise received special permission from the instructor. Such permission
will only be granted in extenuating circumstances.
Discussion participation: Students are expected to actively participate in discussion,
which will comprise at least twenty minutes of most class sessions. Each student will
also be assigned to lead discussion of the supplementary texts (Wild Swans and China in
Ten Words) once during the course of the quarter. In order to meaningfully participate
students need to attend class regularly and complete the assigned reading prior to
coming to class.
Midterm and Final Examination: The midterm and final examination will both be two
hours long and will consist of a combination of short answer and essay questions.
Students will receive a review sheet one week prior to the examination.
**Students who cheat or plagiarize will receive a 0 for that assignment. No exceptions
will be made. Please familiarize yourself with UW’s policies on academic integrity. **
Weekly Schedule and Assignments:
Week 1
Tuesday, June 21: Introduction to the course, and the early Qing dynasty
Thursday, June 23: The High Qing
The Search for Modern China, 94-135
Wild Swans, 1-24
(64 pages)
Week 2
Tuesday, June 28: Foreign and Domestic Crises

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The Search for Modern China, 139-185
Wild Swans, 25-45
(66 pages)
Thursday, June 30: Attempts at Reform
The Search for Modern China, 186-233
Wild Swans, 46-79
(80 pages)
Week 3
Tuesday, July 5: The Fall of the Imperial System
The Search for Modern China, 234-278
Wild Swans, 80-102
(66 pages)
Quiz #1 on material covered from 6/21-6/30
Thursday, July 7: The New Republic
The Search for Modern China, 279-300
Wild Swans, 102-129
(48 pages)
Week 4
Tuesday, July 12: Party Politics, the Nanjing Decade, and Japanese Imperialism
The Search for Modern China, 301-355
Wild Swans, 130-162
(86 pages)
Thursday July 14: Communist Survival
The Search for Modern China, 356-387
Wild Swans, 163-199
(67 pages)
**Review sheet for midterm examination to be distributed**
Quiz #2 on material covered from 7/5-7/12
Week 5
Tuesday, July 19: World War II in East Asia and Review for Midterm Examination
The Search for Modern China, 391-432
Wild Swans, 200-239
(80 pages)
Thursday, July, 21: Midterm Examination (2 hours)
Week 6
Tuesday, July 26: Civil War

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The Search for Modern China, 433-459
Wild Swans, 240-256
(39 pages)
Thursday, July 28: The Establishment of the PRC
The Search for Modern China, 460-483
Wild Swans, 257-302
(68 pages)
Week 7
Tuesday, August 2: The Early Years
The Search for Modern China, 484-513
Wild Swans, 303-330
(56 pages)
Quiz #3 on material covered from 7/26-7/28
Thursday, August 4: The Great Leap Forward, the Sino-Soviet Rift, and the Socialist
Education Campaign
The Search for Modern China, 514-534
Wild Swans, 331-372
(61 pages)
Week 8
Tuesday, August 9: The Cultural Revolution
The Search for Modern China, 535-555
Wild Swans, 373-391
China in Ten Words, 113-141
(66 pages)
Thursday, August 11: Reform and Opening
The Search for Modern China, 559-586
Wild Swans, 392-421
China in Ten Words, 142-162
(76 pages)
**Review sheet for final examination to be distributed**
Week 9
Tuesday, August 16: Post-Mao China
The Search for Modern China, 587-614
Wild Swans, 422-477
(82 pages)
Thursday, August 18: Final examination (2 hours)