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Campus | Bryn Mawr |
Semester | Fall 2020 |
Registration ID | EALCB270001 |
Course Title | Topics in Chinese History-History of the Silk Road |
Credit | 1.00 |
Department | East Asian Languages and Cultures |
Instructor | Mi,Xiuyuan |
Times and Days | MTh 08:40pm-10:00pm
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Room Location | |
Additional Course Info | Class Number: 2130 This is a topics course, course content varies.; The trade routes that stretched across Eurasia, now known as the Silk Road, brought a multitude of cultures together before the Age of Discovery. This class follows the steps of earlier travelers and examines the missionary impulses, the lure of wealth, the fascination with the exotic, as well as expansionist ambitions that set the key for pre-modern cross-cultural encounters. We will explore together the crucial roles played by nomads and travelers in facilitating the flow of goods and ideas as well as the shaping of cultures. We will cover the history from pre-history to the Mongol Empire. Primary readings include: Life Along the Silk Road (reconstructed tales); Ballads and Stories from Tunhuang, The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call the Tartars. Marco Polo's Description of the World, and the Travels of Ibn Battuta. Approach: Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC), Inquiry into the Past (IP); Enrollment Cap: 24; If the course exceeds the enrollment cap the following criteria will be used for the lottery: Major/Minor/Concentration; Senior; Junior; Sophomore; Permission of Instructor; This course would adopt the hybrid mode in the case that I will be able to return to the states from Beijing, and remote one otherwise. This course has no exam, but requires completing a series of short essays guiding you to think through different sets of issues related to cross-cultural encounters. The final project will be a collaborative effort to create a website similar to a virtual tour to the past. Everyone in the class will adopt a segment of the "Silk Road" based on travelers' records or archaeological findings, and write a critical guide about that route. Remote Only. |
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