Historiography East and West HIST390 FA

Section  Limit  Enrollment  Available
  01       30      0         30

This seminar will explore some of the different ways in which the past has been shaped into history in China and the West. The core assumption here is that "history"--or more precisely historical consciousness--is something that societies acquire over time: It is created by individuals who are working within distinct cultural tradition. These cultural traditions, in turn, are rooted in distinct notions of "time" which affect and limit any one historian's effort to transform the remnants of the past into meaningful history. Throughout the seminar, we will attempt to make comparisons between Chinese and Western notions of "time," "natural law," "historical patterning," and "revolution." Wherever comparability breaks down, we will proceed to examine the specific cultural assumptions that have shaped an individual historian's approach to their craft. Such a multi-level process of investigation will, inevitably, require students to confront presuppositions of their own historical consciousness and to examine them critically in light of the readings.

MAJOR READINGS

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UG Credit: 1.00 Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS HIST

Prerequisites: None

Last Updated on MAR-10-1997