Hum 231 and Hum 232 respectively focus on the themes of “humans and nature” and “empires.” Each course comprises four modules on governance, information/misinformation, food/diet, and travel. The first two modules provide a macro-level understanding, while the last two delve into individual lives. Unbound by dynastic periodization, both courses are loosely chronological, covering antiquity and the middle period, from creation myths to the Mongol conquest. Geographically, Hum 231 and Hum 232 concentrate on areas that are now within the borders of present-day China but also highlight transregional exchanges through trade networks (e.g., the Silk Roads) and nomadic conquests (e.g., the Mongol empire). Additionally, comparative perspectives are embedded in many readings. Students are expected to draw connections on certain topics (e.g., comparing the myth of Great Yu with the Gilgamesh flood myth in Hum 110). Hum 231 and Hum 232 are organized around translated primary sources, supplemented with scholarly literature for context and interpretative frameworks.
HUM 231 Human and Nature (Ancient and Early Medieval China)
Hum 231 examines the relationship between humans and nature in the political, intellectual, and social lives of ancient and early medieval China. It comprises four modules: ideologies and governance, knowledge, food and medicine, and residence and mobility. The first two modules address competing visions of harmony between humans and nature, seen as the foundation of good governance and rulership. The latter two modules explore how individuals embodied the ideal of unity between the cosmos and humanity in everyday life.
HUM 232 Empires (Medieval China: From the Tang to the Yuan Dynasty)
HUM 232 focuses on cosmopolitanism in the middle period of China, which saw the formation and fall of the Tang and Yuan empires. Empires are characterized by diverse subjects and territories. Between empires, transregional cultures continued to thrive on their ruins. This course examines four aspects of medieval cosmopolitanism—rulership, epistemology and emotions, food and medicine, and mobility. The first two modules discuss the coexistence of Chinese and non-Chinese traditions in high politics and ideology, while the latter explores the globalization of goods, knowledge, and beliefs during this period.