PREMODERN EMPIRES AND STATES IN EAST ASIA

Academic year
2025/2026 Syllabus of previous years
Official course title
IMPERI E STATI PREMODERNI DELL'ASIA ORIENTALE
Course code
LT2880 (AF:452429 AR:253793)
Teaching language
Italian
Modality
On campus classes
ECTS credits
6
Degree level
Bachelor's Degree Programme
Academic Discipline
L-OR/23
Period
1st Semester
Course year
3
Where
VENEZIA
Moodle
Go to Moodle page
The class constitutes an integrative learning course of the bachelor's degree program LICSAAM.
Formative objectives of the course are:
- to acquire the basic methodological tools for analyzing the nature of state formation and modes of governance in pre-modern East Asia, with a focus on the role of historical Chinese and Inner Asian forms of state organization in the management, maintenance and distribution of human and material resources;
- to acquire the tools to address primary source issues, as well as to critically analyze secondary sources;
- to be able to conduct independent scholarly research and produce written papers.
Knowledge and Comprehension
By the end of the course, the student will have acquired an awareness of the diachronic development of the history of states in pre-modern East Asia, as well as the tools for critical evaluation and analysis of primary sources; will be able to contextualize major works, outline their structure and textual history; and will be able to identify and critically analyze secondary sources.

Knowledge transfer and communication skills
The student will be able to process the state-of-the-art, to formulate hypotheses and argue theses, and evaluate different solutions and critical alternatives on the basis of objective textual evidence; will have acquired the ability to cite sources adequately and to attend to the formal aspects of textual production.
This course is intended for students who have already taken the History of China 1 class and at least one semester of classical Chinese.
This course delves into topics related to the formation of states and empires in premodern East Asia (historical China and Inner Asia) up until the 10th century, focusing on resource management, legitimization strategies, and imperial institutions.
An updated list of reference texts and course material will be published in moodle shortly before the beginning of the course.
A paper/book review (2000 words, excluding bibliography and notes). The final examination consists of an oral test.
written and oral
The course consists of a frontal lecture part and a seminar part.
This programme is provisional and there could still be changes in its contents.
Last update of the programme: 30/03/2025