China (Part 8): Creating Modern China: The Birth of a Nation - Harvard University

China (Part 8): Creating Modern China: The Birth of a Nation is the eighth of ten parts of ChinaX, that collectively span over 6,000 years of history. Each part consists of 4 to 8 weekly "modules," each with videos, readings, interactive engagements, assessments, and discussion forums. There are a total of 52 modules in ChinaX.

Parts 6 - 10 make up China and the Modern World, taught by Professor William C. Kirby. Parts 1 - 5 make up China: Civilization and Empire, taught by Professor Peter K. Bol.

• Enduring issues of modern China, focusing on the creation of the modern Chinese state on the ruins of the Empire during the Republican era; investigate four broad themes across the history of the Republic and People’s Republic, from the 1911 revolution to the present; learn in detail China’s war against Japan and long-term patterns of U.S.-China Relations.
• Different ways to study and understand history as we explore this period thematically rather than chronologically.
• A better understanding of how the political context in which a period or event is studied influences our interpretation of the period or event.
• Develop skills to analyze and understand primary sources.
• Examine the role of individual leaders (Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong) versus broader historical circumstances.
• To develop your own approaches to history and gain a critical appreciation of China’s literary, philosophical, political and cultural resources.
• To express ideas more clearly and confidently; to think more analytically and critically through the study of primary and secondary sources.