Studying at York
China: An Economic & Environmental History, 1870-1970 - HIS00089I
- Department: History
- Credit value: 30 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
China was the world's richest and most technologically advanced country in the 14th century. But from the 18th century it stagnated economically relative to the West, and only from the 19th century onwards did China begin its troubled path to modernity. This module looks at two periods of catch-up: 1870 to 1950, when China opened up to global economic forces and sought to reform its political-cum-legal institutions; and 1950 to 1970, when China went down a developmental dead end: communism. This module examines China from economic and environmental perspectives, but it also explores dramatic changes to state and societies, how they impacted on the economy and environment and vice versa. The teaching programme divides into three parts: the first weeks are introductory, providing background knowledge on China's physical and human geography and introducing approaches that will be new to most students' economic and environmental history*; there will then be four specialist seminars on 1870-1949, seminars 3-7 below, and two on Communist China, seminars 8 and 9 below.
*note that economic history texts may use descriptive and analytical statistical techniques. A proficiency in maths is not however a pre-requisite for success on this module; students can opt to specialise in non-economic history topics for the exam and for the project.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
The aims of this module are:
- To provide students with the opportunity to study particular historical topics in depth;
- To develop students’ ability to examine a topic from a range of perspectives and to strengthen their ability to work critically and reflectively with secondary and primary material; and
- To combine seminar preparation and discussion of the topic being studied with extended independent work on a project devised by the student.
Module learning outcomes
Students who complete this module successfully will:
- Have acquired a deep knowledge of the specific topic studied
- Have developed their ability to use and synthesise a range of primary and secondary sources
- Be able to evaluate the arguments that historians have made about the topic studied
- Have developed their ability to study independently through seminar-based teaching
- Gain experience of working collaboratively through an assessed group project
Module content
Teaching Programme:
This 30-credit module is taught through a weekly two-hour seminar run from weeks 2-10 in the spring term and a four week period of project work undertaken in weeks 1-4 of the summer term. Students will complete their group project work within that period and tutors should arrange to be available for consultation with students twice during that time. There will be no formal seminar teaching during this period.
Seminar topics are subject to variation, but are likely to include the following:
-
China: people and places
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China: managed ecologies
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China: the economy
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Agriculture: commercialisation
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State building
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China's economic development in international perspective
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Shocks
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Chinese Communism:
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The Great Leap Forward
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Groupwork | 33 |
| Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 67 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Formative assessment will be a group presentation between weeks 5 and 7 of the spring term.
For summative assessment students take a 24-hour open exam in the summer term assessment period, usually released at 11:00 on day 1 and submitted at 11:00 on day 2. For those taking two Explorations modules the 24-hour open exams are held on consecutive days, with both papers released at 11:00 on day 1 and both due for submission on 11:00 of day 3.
Students also submit a piece of written work for their group project of no more than 3,000 words in week 5 of the summer term.
The exam carries 67% of assessment and the project element 33% for this module.
Students who need to be reassessed in the project component of this module (for example due to Exceptional Circumstance) will be required to submit in the summer reassessment period a shorter individual project (2,000 words) which should include a short reflection (500 words max) on group work, considering how this project could be expanded if a team of three to four people were working on it. Students should consider how they would divide up the research tasks, and reflect briefly on problems which might arise and how they would manage them. Module tutors will advise on the content and design of this project.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Groupwork | 33 |
| Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 67 |
Module feedback
Following their formative assessment task, students will typically receive written feedback that will include comments and a mark within 10 working days of submission.
Work will be returned to students in their discussion groups and may be supplemented by the tutor giving some oral feedback to the whole group. All students are encouraged, if they wish, to discuss the feedback on their procedural work with their tutor (or module convenor) during student hours. For more information, see the Statement on Feedback.
For the summative assessment task, students will receive their provisional mark and written feedback within 20 working days of the submission deadline. The tutor will then be available during student hours for follow-up guidance if required. For more information, see the Statement of Assessment.
Indicative reading
For term time reading, please refer to the module VLE site. Before the course starts, we encourage you to look at the following items of preliminary reading:
Eastman, L. Family, Field, and Ancestors: Constancy and Change in Chinas Social and Economic History, 1550-1949. New York, 1988
Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. New York, various editions.