Much of the world's history has been shaped by experiences of empires. Even after the collapse of the major historic imperial powers during the second half of the twentieth century, the legacies of those empires continue to shape contemporary life. Historians and political analysts still talk in terms of—and seek to redefine—imperialism in reference to present polities.

 

China is central to such discourses on imperial power: it offers a particularly rich body of historical evidence for the practice of empire. This course will assess that evidence and survey the great drama of Chinese attempts to bring under single control and preserve the unity of its vast territories, so varied ethnically, culturally, and geographically. It will take in the full sweep of China’s imperial past. It will start in the third century BC, when the foundations of the imperial system were consolidated. It will extend to the end of the eighteenth century, when both internal social changes and encounters with Western powers urged a reappraisal of the imperial system. Dividing this broad chronological scope into three periods—early, medieval, and late imperial—the course will explore larger changes and continuities over time. In each period, it will bring into sharp focus the social, cultural, and political arenas in which Chinese empire was developed and maintained.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Identify and discuss major themes and issues in imperial Chinese history.
2. Apply a broad theoretical knowledge of Chinese history and historiography to a range of specific empirical examples.
3. Demonstrate the critical skills necessary to locate, synthesise, and analyse information on imperial Chinese history found in a variety of primary and secondary sources.
4. Produce and defend arguments on the key concepts and bodies of learning in imperial Chinese history, in relation both to their original historical contexts and to their present-day uses.
5. Show skills of communication, through both oral and written assignments, that present research findings and arguments to an audience of contemporaries.

Required Resources

The Open Empire: A History of China to 1600

Author: Hansen, Valerie

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.

Edition: 2000

Note: students should read the relevant sections of this book in parallel with lectures and tutorials. It is advisable to complete the assigned readings by the beginning of each section of the course ('Introductions', 'Early Imperial China', 'Medieval China', and 'Late Imperial China'). Specific page numbers appear in the lecture schedule.

Recommended Resources

The Elements of Style

Author: Strunk, William Jr. and White, E.B.

Publisher: Macmillan

Edition: 3rd edn., 1979 (or later editions)

Note: this short guide is relevant not to the content of this course but to one of its learning outcomes, the development of a good writing style. It will therefore have both general relevance and particular use for the written assignments in this course. Students will benefit from its guidelines before producing and submitting written work.

Other course materials

Other course will appear on the course Canvas site and, where necessary, will also be distributed in hard copy in class. Lists of supplementary readings will also be posted on the course Canvas site.

Course updates and announcements will appear on Canvas. It is important that students regularly consult the course site and check their University email accounts for notifications.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, and to individuals

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	INTRODUCTIONS	Reading: Hansen, The Open Empire, pp. 28-95
2	Week 1.1: Definitions	Quiz 1
3	Week 1.2: Political Foundations of Empire
4	EARLY IMPERIAL CHINA	Reading: Hansen, The Open Empire, pp. 97-149
5	Week 2.1: Belief: Establishment of Confucianism	Quiz 2; source-critical essay 1
6	Week 2.2: Ritual: Cosmological and ritual bases of empire
7	Week 3.1: Kinship: Ancestors and the household	Quiz 3; source-critical essay 2
8	Week 3.2: Foreign relations: Xiongnu
9	Week 4.1: Communication: Writing	In-class debate 1
10	Week 4.2: Material Culture: Tomb art
11	MEDIEVAL CHINA	Reading: Hansen, The Open Empire, pp. 153-258
12	Week 5.1: Belief: Religious Daoism and Buddhism	Quiz 4; source-critical essay 3
13	Week 5.2: Ritual: Ritual and legitimacy
14	Week 6.1: Kinship: Aristocracy and the state	Quiz 5; source-critical essay 4
15	Week 6.2: Foreign relations: Rhetoric and reality
16	Teaching break
17	Week 7.1: Communication: Paper	Oral examination proposal due, with student meetings
18	Week 7.2: Material Culture: Impact of Buddhism
19	LATE IMPERIAL CHINA	Reading: Hansen, The Open Empire, pp. 261-297, 335-407
20	Week 8.1: Belief: Syncretism and Neo-Confucianism	Quiz 6; source-critical essay 5
21	Week 8.2: Ritual: Localization of ritual
22	Week 9.1: Kinship: Development of a Chinese diaspora	Quiz 7; source-critical essay 6
23	Week 9.1: Foreign relations: Alternative world orders and trade
24	Week 10.1: Communication: Printing	In-class debate 2
25	Week 10.2: Material Culture: Porcelain and global Chinese culture
26	Week 11: Conclusions	Oral examination preparatory essay due
27	No lectures
28		Oral examination

Tutorial Registration

Course participants will work in class groups from Week 2. ANU uses MyTimetable to enable participants to view the timetable for their enrolled courses. Participants can also use MyTimetable to allocate themselves to a class group, so that they can better plan their time. A link to MyTimetable is available from the course Learning Management System site.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Quizzes	15 %	07/05/2026	18/05/2026	1, 2, 3
In-class debates	20 %	14/05/2026	25/05/2026	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Source-critical essays	30 %	07/05/2026	25/05/2026	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Oral examination	35 %	12/06/2026	02/07/2026	1, 2, 3, 4, 5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

No marks are allocated for participation in the course, but tutorial attendance and participation are considered crucial to the education of ANU students. They are also closely related to participants' fulfilment of this course's other assessment requirements. Course participants will therefore be expected to contribute in an active and constructive manner to all discussions.

Assessment Task 1

Quizzes

Course participants sit a short quiz each week, at the start of the week's tutorial. Quizzes are based on the content of lectures for that week and focus on the rotating themes of those lectures. Quizzes assess both recall of the content of the lectures and the ability to apply that content to historical analysis. They give course participants the empirical foundations and analytical skills necessary for tutorials and other assessment items. There are seven quizzes. Each quiz is equally weighted and worth about 2% of the course grade—a total of 15%.

Assessment Task 2

In-class debates

Course participants engage in two debates of various formats. The debates take place in tutorials. They demand that participants apply empirical data, prepared out of class, to analysis of overarching themes and concepts in the study of imperial Chinese history. They also encourage participants to respond in spontaneous fashion to challenges to their own scholarship and to arguments proposed by others. Both debates are accompanied by written evaluations.

Participants must contribute to both debates. If they fail to engage with either, they forfeit the grade for the whole assessment item. Beyond this, the first debate itself carries no marks. A written peer evaluation accompanies the debate. It counts to 5% of the course grade. The second debate counts to 10% of the course grade. Participants also submit a written self-reflection after the debate, showing how they have applied lessons from the first debate. This counts to 5% of the course grade.

Assessment Task 3

Source-critical essays

Course participants produce three short essays in source criticism. Each essay is no longer than 500 words. Essays are based on questions about weekly tutorial readings. Participants have one week in which to write each essay. They submit their essay before attending the associated tutorial. Late submission is not accepted for this assessment item.

Source-critical essays give participants practice in the close critical reading of textual and visual materials. They develop confidence in handling empirical evidence and applying it to larger analytical questions. They encourage concise written expression. They also lay the foundations for the final oral examination.

Each essay is worth 10% of the course grade—30% in total. No late submissions are accepted for this assessment item.

Assessment Task 4

Oral examination

At the end of the course, participants attend a 30-minute oral examination. They build on the themes and the empirical analysis developed throughout the course, and particularly in the source-critical essays. They explore how the themes of the essays have taken shape over the full span of imperial Chinese history. They may also assess how those historical developments are applied in present-day discourse.

In preparation for the oral examination, participants choose a contemporary academic or public debate that relates to the historical theme analysed in the source-critical essays. Participants then submit a 500-word essay in which they sketch the content of that debate and assess its strengths and weaknesses.

The examination itself comprises three parts. First, participants have ten minutes to introduce their chosen debate, to intervene in its arguments on the basis of historical evidence gathered earlier in the course, and to offer a concluding statement. Second, a 10-minute discussion follows. In all this, participants offer an empirically-grounded contribution to the debate under study. They show an understanding of how that debate relates to broader bodies of learning about imperial China. And they demonstrate how they have incorporated feedback on earlier items of assessment (the source-critical essays and the in-class debates) into their larger analysis. Third, participants sit a short quiz, comprising six questions. This is based on quizzes taken during the course and so it serves to review information covered in the lectures. After the formal part of the examination, participants have a chance to reflect on their experiences during the course.

The preparatory essay for the oral exam is worth 10% of the course grade and the performance during the oral examination itself is worth 25% of the course grade—a total of 35% for the assessment item.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations, or where specified for individual items of assessment above.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students