This seminar takes scholars on a journey through the laws and the history of China. We encounter a series of case studies: scholarly analyses of sets of historical materials from different periods and various contexts that illustrate types of law and ways of writing history. Students read and analyze a wide variety of case materials: legal sources, trial accounts, printed records, and archival materials from different times and places in Chinese history to familiarize themselves with a range of texts used to narrate and analyze histories of law. At the same time, students familiarize themselves with materials used to study the law, and discuss and critique a diverse range of case studies written for various audiences. Working simultaneously with case materials and case studies, students become familiar with both the range of sources and the variety of methods used to study law and history in China.
The seminar is open to students with all levels of Chinese language comprehension. Instructor permission required.
