A Syllabus for

His. 1250
China and East Asia
Fall 2019

Instructor: Dr. Xiansheng Tian

Office: CN 211-M Phone: 303-615-1238 E-mail: tian@msudenver.edu
Office Hours: MW 12:30-15:15 or by appointment

General Studies Mission:  
The General Studies program provides the foundation for the Bachelor’s degree. Students 
develop thinking, reasoning, and communication skills while discovering new ideas and 
expanding their views.  The coursework is designed to create the opportunity for learning across 
different disciplines and builds experiences for students as they grow into lifelong learners.

Historical and Global Diversity Courses
Description:  Historical thinking contextualizes the present by using a wide range of sources and 
methods to understand how people experienced the past. Global Diversity refers to a student’s 
ability to critically analyze and engage complex, interconnected global systems (such as natural, 
physical, social, cultural, economic, or political) and their implications for individuals, groups, 
communities, or cultures.  These courses will introduce students to various concepts toward 
valuing diversity and the importance of inclusivity.  Students should seek to understand how 
their actions affect both local and global communities.  Courses in this category must contain a 
majority of material from one or more regions or countries outside the U.S.

Guaranteed Transfer (GT) Pathways Course:
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education has approved HIS 1250 for inclusion in the Guaranteed 
Transfer (GT) Pathways program in the GT­HI1 category. For transferring students, successful completion 
with a minimum C‒ grade guarantees transfer and application of credit in this GT Pathways category. For 
more information on the GT Pathways program, go to 
http://highered.colorado.gov/academics/transfers/gtpathways/curriculum.html.

Course Learning Objectives and GT Pathways Content Criteria and Competencies:
1. Demonstrate the ability to locate sources when information is needed, and to evaluate
the authenticity, validity, and reliability of resources applied to a specific purpose. (GT-
HI1 Content Criteria 1, 3; GT Competency: Critical Thinking 4a; GT Competency
Criteria: Information Literacy 3a, 3b)
2. Communicate in writing with an awareness of audience, by using language
conventions appropriate to the occasion and task. (GT-HI1 Content Criteria 4; GT
Competency: Information Literacy 4a, 5a)
3. Demonstrate historical knowledge of modern East Asia. (GT-HI1 Content Criteria 1;
GT Competency: Critical Thinking 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 5a)
 4. Demonstrate, using historical sources, how context and contingency influenced world
modern East Asian history. (GT-HI1 Content Criteria 1, 2; GT Competency Critical
Thinking 5b)
5. Develop an effective historical interpretation in East Asian history and marshal primary
and/or secondary source evidence to support it. (GT-HI1 Content Criteria 1, 4; GT
Competency: Critical Thinking 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 5a)
6. Describe the implications of global interconnections, including their impact on culture,
societies, the environment, or the individual.
7. Analyze connections between worldviews, experiences, and power structures of
differing cultures in historical or contemporary contexts.

Course Description

The course will cover the span of the histories of China, Japan, and Korea since 1800. It will
Discuss the major theories on the formation and evolution of the cultural values in the three countries and
the political, economic, and social development since then on. Emphasis will be on the interrelationships
between the East Asian countries and rest of world. Some discussion will be given to the immigration
experience of East Asian immigrants and their contribution to American civilization.
Upon finishing the course, students are expected to demonstrate the ability to locate sources of
information and evaluate the authenticity and reliability of the sources. They are expected to become better
in communication through writing that demonstrate their understanding of historical knowledge of modern
East Asia and their ability to use historical sources, primary and secondary sources in the context, thus
develop and support their effective historical interpretations.

Textbooks:

Charles Holcombe, A History of East Asia (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011or newer version). Required

Attendance/participation:

All students are required to attend every lecture. Good class notes and careful reading as well as your
discussion participation are necessary for success in this class. Students are responsible for all
information announced in the classroom: explanation of assignments, handouts, changes in due dates or
exam dates, etc.

Research Paper/Examinations:

All students are expected to write long essays in their exams, with good grammar and sentences. (More
details will be discussed in class). There will be ONE mid-term exam and ONE final exam through the
semester. The final exam will NOT be comprehensive but will cover only the material after the midterm
exam. Each exam will consist of one or two essay questions(s), several identification items, and/or some
multiple choice or fill-in questions, all based on the readings and class discussions. Students are expected
to have two (2) green exam books ready for the tests. Beyond essays in exams, each student is required to
turn in ONE research paper based on topics they find interesting in their readings. The paper should be
typed (double space, 8 pages), with good grammar and sentences as well as historical contents. More
details will be discussed in class.
Make-up exams: Make-ups for the mid-term exam will be given only for valid reasons with strong
evidence. Those who miss the mid-term exams should contact the instructor as early as possible for an
appointment to take the make-ups. No early exam will be scheduled for the final exam so it is important to
arrange your schedule well to avoid any time conflict. The total points in the course will be awarded as
follows:

Two (2) exams @ 100 each 200

One (1) Research paper 80
Attendance/participation 20
----------------------------------------------------------------
Total 300
(270 and up=A, 240-239=B, 210-239=C, 180-209=D, 179 & below=F)

Schedule of Reading/Lectures:

Weeks Holcombe_Book_____ _________________

1. Week One Introduction/Discussion (Chapters1-5)
2. Week Two East Asia’s Traditional Order (Chapters 1-5)
3. Week Three East Asia’s Traditional Order (Read Chapters 1-5)
4. Week Four External Challenges (Chapters 6-7)
5. Week Five Internal Challenges (Chapters 7-8)
6. Week Six Continues above Chapters and Review
7. Week Seven China’s Response to the challenges (Chapters8)
8. Week Eight Responses of Japan and Korea (Chapters. 9)
Mid-term Exam---Oct.9 and 10
9. Week Nine China in Disintegration (Chapter. 9-10)
10. Week Ten Japan as a World Power (Chapter 10)
Korea under Japanese Control (Chapters 11)
11. Week Eleven WWII in Asia (Chapters 9-11 summary)
12. Week Twelve Communist victory in China (Chapters 12)
13. Week Thirteen China after Mao (Chapters12)
14. Week Fourteen Japan since WWII/Post-war Korea (Summary)
Paper due---Nov. 20 and 21
15. Week Fifteen Fall Break (Nov. 25-30)
16. Week Sixteen East Asia Today: Discussion/US-East Asian Relations
-------Final Exams Week –Dec. 9-13 (Time and place to be announced later)

Notes:
1. Any changes in this schedule will be announced in advance.
2. Zero tolerance on any forms of cheating on exams. An automatic F will be granted if caught.
3. Do not miss classes; Feel free to talk to the professor; Do not accumulate your questions.
4. Read the General Information/Syllabus Policy about your rights and responsibilities (check your MSU
Denver email to get the attachments). Students with disabilities are strongly encouraged to contact the
ACCESS center for your conditions and special arrangements.