Formation of Chinese Civilization: The Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) was the first great age of Chinese civilization that
built on the accomplishments of earlier dynasties. Explain the significant contributions to the formation of Chinese
civilization during the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties. Include information and explanation on the following topics:
Chinese written language
Mandate of Heaven
Veneration of ancestors
Chinese classic texts (Book of Changes, Book of History, Book of Songs, Book of Rites, Analects, Daodejing)
Confucianism & Daoism
Shihuangdi & unification of China
Han Wudi, centralization and expansion of China
Other accomplishments of China during the Han dynasty (like education, manufacturing).
Your essay should consist of more than providing information about each of these topics. Write a history of China from the
Shang through the Han dynasty in which you explain the origins of these characteristics of Chinese civilization. Identify the
dynasty (time period) associated with the origins of each characteristic. You might find information about some topics (like
Chinese writing and the classical texts) in more than one dynasty (and both chapters 5 and 8).
TOPIC #2 2 pages
Review Chapters 28 through 31. Topic: Nationalism, Liberalism, Industrialism: The American and French revolutions and the
industrial revolution in Britain brought revolutions and reforms throughout the world in the 19th century. How successful
were nationalism, liberalism, and industrialism in Mexico, Russia, China, and Japan? Evaluate the revolutions, reforms, and
industrialization in these four countries.
You will find information for this essay in chapters 28 through 31. Give examples of specific historical events, revolutions,
reformers, change or no change.
Use only your textbook as the source of the information in your essay, but do not use direct quotations. The essay should be
entirely in your own words
Traditions and Encounters, 5th edition (any somewhat recent edition will work)
Jerry Bentley & Herbert Ziegler
McGraw Hill (2011),
Citations: You must use citations in your essay (using the Modern Language Association or MLA format for citations) showing
the source of the information in your sentences and paragraphs. For example, if you found information on page 33 of your
textbook and included it in a sentence of your essay, you would put a citation (Bentley and Ziegler 33) at the end of that
sentence. You must include citations in your essay, even though you are not using a direct quotation from the source. Most of
the paragraphs in your essay will include information from more than one chapter or page, and therefore should have more than
one citation. Don’t just put one citation at the end of the paragraph. Put the citation immediately following the sentence or
series of sentences containing the information. When you give examples in your essay, do it like you do the identifications
on the study guides. Try to include who, what, when, where, and the significance. Be sure to use dates to indicate when and
in what order events happened. Include both factual information and make sure you explain why the example you use is relevant
to the topic of your paragraph and the overall thesis of your essay. It is not necessary to put it on a separate page. You
can discuss the essay in the essay section of the forum, but you have to write the essay individually.
