110-055 Chinese Research Methods

Note

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Spoken Chinese 3B or equivalent.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject is an introduction to the discipline of sinology, that is, the methods required to access and interpret data from Chinese-language texts pre-dating the republican era (before 1911) as well as the modern period. Students will be given a systematic introduction to the intellectual foundations of Chinese systems of knowledge as well as a practical skills component that will enable you to access and interpret data from texts and other media. Topics covered will include the history of sinology in the West, the Chinese language and dictionaries, Chinese concepts of time, the Chinese calendar and historical records, Chinese biographical writing and concept of the personality, notions of the family and the construction of genealogies, notions of space, cartography and the interpretation of maps, the role of the Chinese state in the compilation and categorisation of knowledge. Topics dealing specifically with the 20th century include ethnographic approaches, researching socialist China and the investigation of politically sensitive subjects such as minority and marginal groups.

Assessment

Tutorial participation and written work totalling 4000 words.

Prescribed Texts

Materials prepared by the Institute.