The Problem of Truth in Modern China
HIST 324
Spring 2011 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
EAST 324 |
| Certificates: International Relations |
This seminar challenges students to wrestle with the old but ever urgent problem of truth. In the past few decades, historians as well as the public at large moved away from a focused concern with this issue, assuming that varieties of discourse account for varying versions of reality. Now, in the wake of the momentous traumas and deceits of the 20th century, it may be possible to return to the question of truth with a new sense of urgency and clarity. Chinese culture and historians are part of this worldwide current of concern with veracity. The seminar will use voices from the Chinese past to sharpen and contextualize the question we ask about the role of truth seeking and the craft of history. Zhu Guanqian (1897-1987), for example, was a philosopher and survivor of the Cultural Revolution who wrote passionately about the importance of historical truth: Water flows and history moves on. History brings the present into the past. The past is never fully gone; just like fruits that grow from seed, the future is embedded in previous times. The present moment is significant because it includes both past and future. Confucius said that he did not regret dying in the evening, provided he had come to know the truth in the morning. The most important thing is to know the truth. |
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Essential Capabilities:
None |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS HIST |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
Oscar Handlin, TRUTH IN HISTORY
Saul Friedlander, WHEN MEMORY COMES
Eliyahu Dressler, STRIVE FOR TRUTH
B. Williams, TRUTH AND TRUTHFULNESS
A. Spitzer, HISTORICAL TRUTH AND LIES ABOUT THE PAST
C. Hansen, CHINESE LANGUAGE, CHINESE PHILOSPHY AND TRUTH
V. Schwarcz, TIME FOR TELLING TRUTH IS RUNNING OUT
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Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly essays and a long research project. |
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