Page 103 - SYU Prospectus

History

HIST 211 History of Sui Tang and the Five Dynasties
1 Term; 3 Credits
The course examines the development of Sui, Tang and the Five Dynasties through
lectures and tutorials. Coverage includes important themes in politics, military, institutions,
personalities, ideologies, culture and international relations, etc in this period of Chinese
history. It also aims at preparing students to undertake research on these particular dynasties.

HIST 220 The Modern World
1 Term; 3 Credits
This second year required course explores the birth and unfolding of the modern world
after 1500 A.D. It examines how European nations expanded to dominate most of the other
continents and the development of transoceanic, global system of colonial empires. In addition
to major political, diplomatic and military developments, attention will be given to socio-economic,
scientific, intellectual and cultural changes to explain Europe’s rise. Attempts will be made to
include responses, consequences and comments on such dramatic expansion and dominance
from non-European perspectives to prevent an overly Western-centred or Eurocentric
approach to world history.
(Note: This course is supplemented by HIST 350 China and Europe in the Making of the
Modern World (1500-1900) which examines in more depth interactions on different fronts
between China and Europe.)

HIST 230 Study of Chinese Historical Sources and Materials
1 Term; 3 Credits
This second year course familiarizes students with two major categories of Chinese
source materials: archaeological discoveries and historical documents. It introduces students
to crucial latest archaeological finds in China and their contributions to the understanding of
Chinese history, especially of the earlier dynasties. Secondly, it examines key official and
unofficial documents bequeathed to us in the long historiographical tradition of Chinese
scholars of the past dynasties.

HIST 240 History of Hong Kong
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course is an introduction to the development of Hong Kong from a fishing outpost on
the South China coast into an international metropolis of over 7 million inhabitants. The focus
is on the political, social, cultural and economic transformation of Hong Kong under a century
and a half of British colonial rule up to the 1980s, when the Sino-British agreement ushered in
a period leading to the resumption of sovereignty by the People’s Republic of China on 1 July
1997. The first part of the course is a chronological survey of the major developments of
colonial Hong Kong, whereas the second part adopts a thematic approach to delineate the
historical forces behind those developments.

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