Module manager: David Pattinson
Email: d.pattinson@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
EAST2127 Society and Culture of Early Modern China
This module is approved as a discovery module
This module surveys the social and cultural history of China from the tenth through to the early nineteenth century, i.e. the Song dynasty until the late Qing, focusing to how people during this period viewed and responded in culture to the natural, material and social environments in which they lived. Particular attention will be paid to how people experienced the local, whether this meant the places and social groupings in which they had their roots, or other places they lived in or travelled through during their lives, or places they only heard or read about. At the same time, the local will be placed in its broader contexts, including the biological and environmental constraints of the pre-industrial world, inherited cultural traditions, material culture, the matrix of imperial government, and religious-philosophical views of humans' relationship with each other, the natural environment, and the cosmos. For most of the period covered in this module, China made up about a third of the world economy and maintained one of the most sophisticated administrations in the world, though it was not without its flaws. While its cultural predominance in East Asia dated back to ancient times, it continued to influence the states around it culturally and administratively throughout the period covered in this module. Therefore, gaining an understanding of Chinese history across this period provides important perspectives on China's place in East Asian history, as well as points of comparison for global history. It also supplies crucial context for China's more recent history, and its view of itself. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
This module aims to give students a grounding in the social and cultural history of early modern China, defined as the period from the Song dynasty (960-1279) to the early nineteenth century, with particular attention paid to the environments in which Chinese societies across that period lived. This will be done by exploring topics which may include: how people understood their place in society, the region and the wider cosmos; the built and natural environments, including agriculture; textual, visual and material culture; and the channels and forms through which ideas were exchanged.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject. They will be able to:
1. identify relevant primary evidence (in English translation where these are texts) for research questions in the social, cultural and environmental history of early modern China;
2. interpret primary sources in their historical contexts;
3. evaluate secondary scholarship on the social, cultural and environmental history of early modern China;
4. assemble and justify effectively the findings of their research relating to relevant topics in early modern Chinese history in a spatially confined format.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
5. Identify gaps in knowledge and seek out the information or evidence needed in order to understand an issue, or to address a problem or task;
6. communicate analysis and arguments cogently and conforming to standard practice for written research in the field.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Practical | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 176 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 24 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Formative feedback on primary source interpretation will be given through class discussions of primary evidence.
Formative feedback on the conference poster exercise will be given in the scheduled conference poster presentation session; the session presentations are not themselves assessed.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Primary source analysis | 30 |
| Coursework | Portfolio | 70 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 25/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team