5409555: FU_China at the eastern end of the continental and maritime silkroads - past and present

Description

The course will give you a broad understanding of the Chinese civilization and its relations to the people of the western hemisphere during the last two thousand years.

Students:

• learn about Chinese history, civilization, religions, economy and politics, including the new policies of President Xi Jinping
• get to understand the differences in thinking, behavior and action of the Chinese in contrast to the people in the West.
• learn about the economic relations between China, South East Asia, South Asia, Middle East and Near East and the West along the continental and maritime silk roads. The global East-West-trade is more than 2000 years old.

Lecture Goals

After successful completion of this module, students

• will understand the major differences in thinking, behavior and action between Chinese and Western people.
• will have sophisticated instruments of communication with Chinese. Intercultural misunderstandings are the major obstacle for multinational companies.
• understand the complex economic and cultural relations between China, India, the Islamic states in the Near East and the countries in Europe.
• will be able to understand the Chinese way of decision making.
• will understand that each age has its winners and losers worldwide and what we can do about it.

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this module, students

• will understand the major differences in thinking, behavior and action between Chinese and Western people.
• will have sophisticated instruments of communication with Chinese. Intercultural misunderstandings are the major obstacle for multinational companies.
• understand the complex economic and cultural relations between China, India, the Islamic states in the Near East and the countries in Europe.
• will be able to understand the Chinese way of decision making.
• will understand that each age has its winners and losers worldwide and what we can do about it.

Lectures Method

Lectures, self-study and paper writing, paper presentation

Admission Requirements

Interest in the topic

Literature

Bernstein, William: A splendid exchange. How trade shaped the world, London 2008.
Brown, Kerry: The world according to Xi, London 2018.
Englert, Siegfried: Quanzhou, Annweiler 2012.
Frankopan, Peter: The silk roads: a new history of the world, London 2015.
Gunn, Geoffrey C.: History without borders. The making of an Asian world region 1000 - 1800, Hongkong 2011.
Hamilton, Clive / Ohlberg, Mareike: Hidden hand. Exposing how the Chinese communist party is reshaping the world, Melbourne 2020
Hansen, Valerie: Silk Road, a new history, New York 2017.
Spence, Jonathan: The search for modern China, New York 1990.
Wood, Frances: The silk road, Berkeley 2002.
Yang Jisheng: Tombstone, Hongkong 2013 (in China and Hongkong all sales were forbidden in the meantime, but there are French and German translations available).
Yang Jisheng, The world turned upside down, London 2021 (will be forbidden soon in China).

Comments

cross-faculty course:
Rules for registration: www.uni.li/cross-faculty