Shanghai

Catalog description

This course covers the history of the city of Shanghai from the nineteenth century until the present day. Readings and assignments focus on Shanghai’s transformation from a sleepy fishing village into an international treaty port in the nineteenth century, the development of the city’s innovative fashion, music, and media industries in the early twentieth century, the Communist Party’s vilification of the city’s capitalist culture, and its post-Mao reemergence as a vibrant, cosmopolitan, and truly global city. Key themes of the course include imperialism, international trade, war, communism, fashion, literature, film, and gender and sexuality. Counts as an elective in the History major and minor. Counts as an elective in the East Asian Studies major and minor. Counts as an elective in the Chinese Studies minor. Satisfies the Historical Thought requirement. Satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement.