Modern Chinese History - Foreign Language Paper Assignment

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Writing

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Your final paper will be between 1,500 and 2,000 words in length (5-8 pages). The topic is of your choosing, and you should pick a subject that interests you, but it must address an issue in modern Chinese history relevant to the course. I recommend that you come up with a specific question that you are seeking to answer (in general, the more specific you can be, the better). For instance, “footbinding” is a bad topic. “Why did footbinding end?” is a somewhat better topic, but still not ideal. And “to what extent was the campaign to end footbinding linked to a broader feminist movement and how did it impact the lives of Chinese women?” is a much better topic that would help you write a solid paper. It may require a bit of research to figure out how to productively narrow down your topic – do not neglect this step! This paper will require a small amount of outside research, though if you choose your topic well, you should be able to use some material, particularly primary sources, from the assigned course reading. I will expect you to cite a minimum of 4 primary sources and 4 secondary sources (scholarly books and/or articles. Wikipedia articles, or other encyclopedia articles, do not count, though they can be a good way to find links to sources, and you are certainly welcome to use primary sources hosted on a site like Wikisource, which will count as primary sources. Though you may cite the textbook and lecture – as little as possible, I hope, since the goal is to get beyond them – these do not count toward your 4 secondary sources). Primary sources may include visual material as well as written texts. If you can read Chinese or another relevant foreign language, you are welcome to use sources written in it, though this is certainly neither required nor expected (if you are learning Chinese as a foreign language, please make sure that you have an accurate understanding of any Chinese-language sources you use – you would be well-advised to consult either with me or with your Chinese language teacher; sources from before the mid-20th century, in particular, are likely to be written in a very different style than you are accustomed to). A few good places to start looking for primary sources on Chinese history that have been translated into English include (in addition to The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection, which you will be using regularly in class) Sources in Chinese History: Diverse Perspectives from 1644 to the Present (eds. David and Yurong Atwill), Volume 2 of Sources of Chinese Tradition (From 1600 through the Twentieth Century) (eds. William Theodore de Bary and Richard Lufrano) and Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook (ed. Patricia Ebrey). You are free to peruse these during my office hours – and I will also aim to put them on course reserve at Snell. If extensive portions of a primary source are quoted in a secondary source, you may count those excerpts as a primary source, though please consult with me first to confirm. Some topics, particularly (but not only) those dealing with China’s interactions with foreigners, will have primary sources originally in English, which you should also consider using. As part of the paper writing process, I will ask you to complete three intermediate steps. First, you will need to submit a paper proposal, identifying the topic of your paper (again, as specific as possible) and at least two relevant primary sources and two relevant secondary sources. The proposal will be worth 5% of your grade on the final paper and is due March 11. Second, I will ask you to write an analysis of one of your primary sources. This should look like the primary source-response papers that you are asked to do for class (maximum 500 words, but in this case, you may want to keep it a bit shorter if possible). You should be sure that when discussing the significance of the source, you connect it directly to your paper topic. The same source might be important in multiple ways – I want to know how it helps you answer your question. This will be worth 15% of your final paper grade and is due March 25. Third, I will ask you to write an analysis of one of your secondary sources. This should look like the article-response papers that you are asked to do for class. Here, you will want to be sure to identify how the argument of the article/book relates to the question you are exploring in your final paper. In addition, your assessment of the article/book should include some consideration of how you will use it in your paper. Does it provide evidence for a crucial argument that you want to make – if so, why do you think that evidence is reliable? Do you disagree entirely with its conclusions – if so, what do you think is wrong with the argument and how will you challenge it? This will be worth 15% of your final paper grade and is due April 1. Finally, you will submit the paper itself. You should make use of the intermediate assignments as you write the paper – you probably won’t want to include the entirety of either of them, verbatim, but they are an opportunity for you to begin developing the arguments that you are making in your paper, and, assuming they were successful, I expect that you will want to incorporate their analysis into your final product. You may re-use the same phrasings that you used in the earlier assignments – I consider them stages of the writing process, not separate assignments. Be sure to cite your sources appropriately (you may want to refer to the Chicago Manual of Style for help with this) and include a full bibliography (again, the Chicago Manual of Style is your friend). Footnotes that are used merely for citations and your bibliography will not count toward the paper’s word-limit (again, you’re aiming for 1,500-2,000 words. Be absolutely sure not to exceed 2,200). Double space your paper, include page numbers, and use a readable and appropriately sized font. These all make reading your paper easier for the reader (i.e., the person who is grading you). The remainder of your final paper grade (65%) will be based on the final product that you submit, which is due April 20

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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Modern Chinese History

Name
Class Information
Date

1

Freedom of Press in China

China is one of the countries that have the most restrictive environments over which the
media can operate, as well as a sophisticated censorship system. The country’s ruling party, the
CCP, controls the main media outlets through direct ownership, certification of journalists, day
to day directives to the media houses as well as websites to guide the coverage of news and
severe penalties for government criticism through publications as well as online posts1 . By
directly managing the telecommunication infrastructure, the state is able to block specific
websites, removing phone applications out of the domestic market as well as deleting microblog
posts, messages and social media accounts that spread information regarding forbidden political,
economic, religious and social topics2 . The room for liberal commentary and investigative
journalism in China is limited and it has further shrunk under the leadership of the current
President Xi. There are a series of new legislations that have been imposed by the administration
for internet censorship, even on the famous WeChat messaging tool, and other video streaming
platforms online. However, in spite of the huge obstacles and risks, there are some prominent
news outlets, social commentators and journalists, who have publicly condemned the efforts of
the government to control the media and suppress its freedom, while the majority of citizens are
continuing to find other ways of getting and sharing unrestricted information.

Legal Environment
1

Dan, H. U. A. N. G. "From Freedom of Speech to Freedom of News Media: The Historical
Evolution of Western Thoughts of Freedom of the Press." Journal of Zhejiang University
(Humanities and Social Sciences) 1 (2004): 18.

2

Ibid, 15

2

The constitution of China under article 35, guarantees the citizens freedom of association,
assembly, speech and publication, although these rights can easily be overridden by the ruling
party, because of its absolute power over most institutions in the country 3 . Furthermore, the
courts cannot also go against the government, even though the judges are supposed to pursue any
individual, institution or government officials who violate the constitution. This is b...

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