HIST390

[WesMaps 98/99 Home Page] [Course Search] [Course Search by CID]

HIST390

Historiography East and West HIST390 FA

Crosslistings: EAST390, COL 390

Not Currently Offered

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 traditions. These cultural traditions, in turn, are rooted in distinct notions of time that affect and limit any one historian's effort to transform the remnants of the past into meaningful history. The seminar examines the specific cultural assumptions that have shaped an individual historian's approach to his or her craft. Such a multilevel 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

J. Russen, Si MaQian, Thucydides, Vico,
Zhang XueCheng, Gu Jiegang,

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Weekly essay and one longer research project.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

COL students must take this course for CR/U grade. All students NOT in COL must take this course for a letter grade. Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

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

Prerequisites: None

Last Updated on MAR-22-1999

Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions.