Asian Studies

The modern and contemporary history of China course is a compulsory course of ideological and political theory for undergraduates, provided by The Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Education .This course focus on the history of Chinese people against foreign aggression, fighting for national independence, overthrowing the reactionary rule and achieving national liberation in modern China. It will help students understand the national history, the historical process and internal rules of the modern Chinese society and the revolution. By this way, they will deeply understand why people choose the Marxism, the Communist Party of China and the road of socialism. This course was set up by Peking University since September 2006 and it was named to the quality courses of Beijing and China in 2008. Credit score: 2. schedule type: 2 hours a week, optional during two semesters. level: freshmen required. This course use the form of seminars as teachers will be separated into four teams, include presenters, a competent teacher, lectures and teaching assistants. The teachers will give you some lectures, and the traits of the course is the practical parts, such as broadcasting documentaries or films, writing exercises about the films, class discussion, visiting the exhibitions and so on. The assessment of students is flexible. Final exams accounts for 60%, which is open-book examination, the rest 40% include individual performance and essays. 

This course is a connected and comparative history of Asia before 1750 that introduces the region’s major political, economic, and intellectual contours prior to British colonization. The course focuses on tracing the history of premodern Asia through three types of transregional cultural formation: large empires, trading zones, and religious ecumene. The course explores and discusses how these formations unfolded across Central and Eastern Asia and South and Southeast Asia and uses them as a lens for thinking critically about the scope of Asia as a geographical, political, economic, and cultural category in premodern history.

This course examines from a historical perspective the legal transformations in 20th century China and developments towards the rule of law. First, the key concepts of the rule of law are introduced in a straightforward way suitable for students from all backgrounds. The course then examines the Chinese legal tradition up until the late Qing dynasty, including the legal and constitutional reforms introduced in response to the challenge of the West. This is followed by looking at the continuation of the late Qing legal reforms in the Republican era, including the move to one-party rule under the Kuomintang Government, legal and constitutional reforms in post-1945 Taiwan, and the development of the rule of law there. This course also covers legal thought and legal developments in the People’s Republic of China since 1949, including the Maoist era and the “Cultural Revolution”. The final topic is the modernization of the Chinese legal system in the era of “reform and opening”, which considers the legal reforms that have
accompanied the move from a socialist planned economy to a market economy, developments relating to “ruling the country according to law”, constitutional reforms for the protection of property and human rights, and the legal practice of “One Country, Two Systems” in the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. 

This course covers sources of and obstacles to economic growth and development in Asian economies, focusing on the role of innovation, internationalization of firms, industrial clusters, institutions (including political institutions), and social capital. Each topic entails a review of basic theory and empirical evidence from growth theory, international economics, development economics, economic geography, economics of institutions, or network science; then an examination of Asian experiences. Classes consist of class discussions and presentations.  

This is a course on the contemporary domestic politics of China. Students focus on how the Chinese political institutions operate today by addressing a variety of issues and aspects: the evolution of the party-state from 1949 to the present; the political economy of the Reform era; the development and role of the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese political system. Taking an intersectional approach, students also assess other contemporary issues faced by China, including migration, social movements, and media censorship. The course concludes with an examination of China's foreign relations and its future, such as the debate over China's role in the global economy and international security.

Dao 道 (sometimes written Tao) means path or road and extends to mean methods and principles. It has a broad range of usage across different schools, most obviously philosophical and religious Daoism. In this research group, we will be reading and discussing selections from the foundational texts of Daoism, the Laozi (also known as Daodejing) and the Zhuangzi, and their direct historical and current reception. We will read texts of both religious and philosophical Daoism. Reading suggestions from participants are welcome. This research group is open to interested bachelor’s and master’s students of all disciplines. Prior engagement with Chinese philosophy is welcome but not required, as we will be starting with the foundational texts.

This is the first part of basic courses "Ancient History of China" for undergraduate students of department of history, covering the history from Xia Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasty. The content is divided into four parts: the pre-Qin periad, the Qin and Han periad, Wei, Jin and the Southern and Northern Dynasty periad, the Institutional history part. The aim of the lessons is to enable students to understand the basic facts of this periad, its the main problems and developing issues, to establish an Overview of political, economic, institutional, cultural, ethnic changes, learn the basic methods of historical research, understand related academic works, important researchers and the latest academic trends, cultivate professional spirit, thus lay the foundation for the further study.

Utilizing a multi-disciplinary approach based on infrastructural history, this course introduces students to modern and contemporary East Asia. While investigating the formations and transformations of empires and nations as sites of contests and tensions between different ethnicities, polities, and cultures, it also explores major cities in China, Japan, and Korea as the infrastructure of modernity rooted in the mobility of ideas, goods, capitals, and peoples. In doing so, it aims to gain an understanding of the dynamics of changes and continuities that shaped and are shaping the East Asian empires, nation-states, and societies. The major foci of attention are the intra-relations among the three East Asian nations, and the inter-relations between East Asian civilizations and Western civilizations from the late 19th century to now. 

An exploratory culture course for foreign students, Japanese Culture C offers insights into various aspects of the living culture of Japan. The course comprises of three basic approaches: Discussing certain cultural characteristics of the nation; reading some representative literature and conducting fieldwork at venues of cultural significance. Students can also enroll in Japanese Culture C; the course contents of both classes alternate between fall and spring semesters. Fall-only students can enroll in one class but may join fieldwork activities of the other class if there are openings available. 

This course examines the interconnection between the history and culture of the Tohoku Region, including the rebuilding efforts from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It also addresses the variety of ways people have expressed themselves at different periods of history. 

This course targets to help you understand important topics of management in the Chinese context or with the Chinese people. You will learn concepts, theories, research results, and successful management stories related to this domain. You will learn from the lectures, your classmates, as well as your own explorative learning activities. This course requires highly interactive class participation and your own exploration outside the classroom.