Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Spring Term 2022-23 |
The module aims to:
After completing this module students should have:
Trans-Asian trade along the Silk Roads experienced one of the most turbulent phases in its history in the period between the fall of the Tang dynasty and the rise of the Mongols. Political instability in Central and North Asia and the withdrawal of the Tang dynasty from the Western Regions restricted access to the caravan routes that have connected China and Central Asia since ancient times. However, trade always could find a way of running through the barriers, which can also be seen in the present day. Without sharing goods, ideas and knowledge, the world in the 10th -12th centuries would have been much poorer. Moreover, it’s difficult to imagine that the Silk Roads declined in this era when the Song dynasty, as all Chinese dynasties, had a high demand for horses from the
Western Regions.
This module seeks to understand how trans-Asian trade functioned during the political upheaval and explores the “renewal” of the Silk Roads in the 11 th century providing a Central Asian perspective. We will study the role of Central Asian polities in international trade between China, India, Iran and Anatolia and explore commodity and exchange in the history of Central Eurasia, focusing on the period when not only silk was a major primary commodity transported from China to Central Asia and beyond. Through dynastic histories, official documents, history works, diaries and travelogues as well as art objects and historical maps we will examine trade and economic diplomacy between China and the “West” along the global caravan routes.
Students will attend eight weekly two-hour seminars in weeks 2-9. The provisional outline for the module is as follows:
1. Asia in 1000-1200
2. Song China and Central Asia
3. Liao China and the Islamic World
4. The Tanguts and Overland Trade
5. China, India and Iran: Global Caravan and Maritime Routes
6. When not only Silk was Gold: Tea-Horse Trade
7. Baltic Amber in China
8. Between Arabia and China: Frankincense Trade
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
None
CMS Students are expected to develop their essay topic in consultation with staff teaching on the module, and they are also strongly encouraged to submit a draft of their essay for feedback before the end of term. The draft essay replaces any formative assessment assignments and is a unique opportunity given to CMS students in recognition of the challenges they face in writing in an unfamiliar discipline.
Draft essays are normally submitted to the relevant staff member by the beginning of week 9 at the latest, in order to receive feedback
by the end of term. The word limit for the draft essay is 2,500 words.
Students will then submit a 3,500 - 4,000-word assessed essay for the summative assessment in week 1 of the summer term.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
For the summative assessment task, students will receive their provisional mark and written feedback within 25 working days of the submission deadline. The tutor will then be available during student hours for follow-up guidance if required.
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: