EUB353 China and its Region

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

The unit provides you with the knowledge the ancient beginnings of Dynastic China,  to Western Imperialism, through to the rise of Communism and Maoist China. The role of powerful individuals, and an understanding of how the country's fortunes changed over time are additional features of the content. To enhance understanding, and for comparative purposes, the unit also examines significant events in the history of India and Cambodia. Through appreciating the circumstances and personalities that have shaped China and its neighbours historically, you will be able to more readily and articulately analyse and interpret major events taking place in modern China.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Analyse, Synthesise and Evaluate information and historical debates, from numerous primary and secondary sources
2. Compose historical, evidence-based arguments that effectively communicate knowledge and ideas.
3. Show how historians shape contemporary understandings of history.
4. Develop a hypothesis from self-initiated research.

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you will learn through exposure to various interpretations of history. Lecturer-provided information will emphasise the contested nature of historical knowledge with often pivotal historical understandings exposed to scrutiny. China and its Region consists of lectorials – that combine lectures with student involvement while tutorials are student-centred with discussion and expressions of different opinion strongly encouraged. Student-directed or lecturer-initiated discussions and debate are designed to promote understanding, the exercise of higher order thinking and the formulation of original hypotheses and stances. The unit thus provides diverse perspectives and multi-disciplinary approaches to methods of learning.

Activities will involve you demonstrating an understanding of content; gaining an appreciation of the variety of approaches to interpretations of the past; showing how history and historians shape the present and the future; identifying and interpreting secondary and primary sources; undertaking research according to methodological and ethical conventions of the discipline including being aware of the consequences of plagiarism; analysing historical evidence and representations of the past; constructing evidence-based arguments and identifying and reflecting critically on knowledge and skills.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will gain feedback in this unit by participating in online discussion forums and weekly tutorials with academics, and peers. You will also receive feedback on your initial development of your research question for Assessment 1.

Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:

• a range of formative exercises will be discussed in class
• comments on summative assessment work in addition to criteria sheets
• generic comments back to the cohort via QUT Canvas
• criteria sheet grading
• feedback from peers.

Assessment

Overview

The General Assessment for this unit is both formative and summative.

1. Research and multimodal presentation/project. You will research and present a topic chosen from the unit content. This task requires sustained analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the stimulus material provided in order to fully support a presentation.
2. An Argumentative Essay Exam involving unseen questions of the topics studied in each session. You will write two essays responding to primary and secondary historical sources. 

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Presentation

Individual Multi-Modal Research Presentation Project

In this activity, you will undertake, original research based on the era studied to present an analytic multi-modal presentation.

The purpose of this activity is for you to exercise the research, writing and presentation skills implemented by professional historians.

You will present your research as a 10 minute presentation that to demonstrate your ability to detect and organise historical information based on your findings, and present an argument with supportive evidence allowing five minutes for questions.

Presenting this account or circumstance will involve considering differing viewpoints. You will particularly seek to discover bias and you will provide different interpretations of issues.

In this task you are expected to demonstrate your capacity to:

• comprehend terms, issues and concepts;
• devise historical questions and conduct research;
• analyse historical sources and evidence to show understanding;
• synthesise information from historical sources and evidence to form a historical argument;
• evaluate historical interpretations to make judgements;
• explain the ways that historians shape understanding;
• create a response that communicates meaning to suit purpose; and
• Reflect on your sources and your research skills.

The intensive nature of your research, your ability to gain an understanding of a circumstance, the persuasiveness and authority of your account, and your ability to mount a consistent sustained argument, will be evaluated in the assessment criteria.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Examination (written)

An Argumentative Essay Test (written)

An Argumentative Essay Test involving unseen questions of the topics studied during the semester. Utilising knowledge acquired during the semester, you will write 3 essays responding to primary and secondary historical sources provided. Your response will have an introduction (which sets context and includes a hypothesis and outline of the argument); body paragraphs with topic sentences and a conclusion (which draws together succinctly the main ideas and arguments).

Understanding of content, gaining an appreciation of the variety of approaches to interpretations of the past, showing how history and historians shape the present and the future, identifying and interpreting secondary and primary sources, analyzing historical evidence and representations of the past, constructing evidence-based arguments and identifying and reflecting critically on knowledge and skills.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

Pei-kai Cheng, Michael Lestz, with Jonathan D. Spence (Eds), The search for modern China: a documentary collection. (New York : Norton, 1999)

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with the general conduct of this unit. Workplace health and safety protocols in relation to computer use will apply.