Harvard offers a wide range of courses on China and Chinese Studies from across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and professional schools. Check out our full guide to courses for undergraduate and graduate students for the Spring 2027 semester below.
*The current list is not exhaustive of all China-related courses offered in Spring 2027. Additional courses may be announced later in the year. Please check back regularly for updates.
Language Courses
Harvard offers language courses at all levels in Chaghatay, Mandarin Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian, and Uyghur through the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Classical Tibetan and Colloquial Tibetan are offered through the Department of South Asian Studies. Other languages like Taiwanese/Southern Min are offered subject to petition and instructor availability.
For current details, be sure to check the Harvard Course Catalog: https://courses.my.harvard.edu/
Spring 2027: For Undergraduates and Graduate Students
| Course ID | Course Title/Instructor | Course Description |
| EASTD 197 | China’s Cultural Revolution Daniel Koss | This course introduces a cataclysmic movement that brought the People’s Republic of China to the brink of anarchy: The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The first part looks at historical precursors, including rebellion in the imperial era, political movements in the Republican Era, Communist campaigns and purges, as well as the Great Leap Forward famine that cost tens of millions of lives. Paying equal attention to elite politics at Mao Zedong’s “court” and the lived experiences of ordinary citizens, the second part focuses on the evolution of the turmoil, once Mao had called for “bombarding the headquarters” of his own party state, discussing the “Gang of Four,” the “attempted coup” by Lin Biao, the Red Guards and the worker rebels in Shanghai, local power seizures and factional warfare, military crackdowns, and the return to order. The third part begins with the reception of the movement abroad, and focuses on its afterlives, including the quasi- pluralist lessons drawn in the immediate aftermath, the role of Cultural Revolution legacies in decisions such as the violent crackdown on the Tiananmen protesters in 1989, and memory politics under Xi Jinping. No language requirement. |
| CHNSHIS 146 | The Modern History of Rural China Michael Szonyi | It’s only in the last twenty years that China has become known as a place of cities and factories. Before then, the majority of Chinese people lived not in cities but in villages in the countryside, and made their living from agriculture. This lecture/discussion course, intended mainly for undergraduates, will introduce you to the modern history of rural China. We’ll approach that history chronologically, thematically, and historiographically. No background knowledge of China is required, but the course might interest you even if you have some previous background, because it will show you the People’s Republic of China from a very different angle than what you’ve likely encountered before: that of its villages and the people who live in them. You’ll come to appreciate their perspective better through taking their role in two interactive games. You’ll also learn why the fate of China’s countryside matters to the future not only of China but also the whole world. |
| ANTHRO 1210 | The Origins and Emergence of Chinese Civilization Rowan Flad | What are the origins of Chinese civilization? What was society like before the development of the large states that would eventually merge to form the Chinese empire over 2000 years ago, essentially forming the basis of modern China? How does this process of development compare with other early civilizations? This course surveys the archaeology of China from the Paleolithic (ca. 1 million years before present) up to and including the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1050 BC), with an emphasis on great transitions in human history. The class will focus both on specific, detailed discussions of some of the most important archaeological finds from China, as well as more general discussions of various anthropological themes as they relate to data from early Chinese contexts and emerging complex society. The lectures are generally organized in chronological order, starting in Week 2 with the Paleolithic and subsequently focusing on the early and Later Neolithic and the Shang period of the Bronze Age. Students will develop a thorough familiarity with Chinese archaeological sites and cultures over the course of this term and also explore the way that Chinese archaeology relates to general issues in anthropological archaeology. Students of any level, from First Year Undergraduates to Graduate Students, are welcome. Important themes covered in the class include the emergence and migration of modern hominins, the origins of agriculture, animal domestication, and sedentary villages, early urbanism, changes in burial practices and religion, ritual, writing, and production, the development of complex society, and the presentation of archaeological information in modern contexts. The course will provide students with a basic understanding of these topics in relation to early China. Occasional discussions will review the lecture material and focus on clarifying, deconstructing and debating topics in Chinese archaeology about which there is little consensus. We will also explore Chinese materials in museum collections at Harvard and produce a small exhibit using these materials. |
| HIST 38 | Modern China: 1894-Present Arunabh Ghosh | This lecture course will provide a survey of some of the major issues in the history of post-imperial China (1912- ). Beginning with the decline of the Qing and the dramatic collapse of China’s imperial system in 1911, the course shall examine how China has sought to redefine itself anew over the past one-hundred years. The revolutionary years of 1911, 1949, and 1978 will serve as our three fulcra, as we investigate how China has tussled with a variety of ‘isms’ (such as republicanism, militarism, nationalism, socialism, and state capitalism) in its pursuit of an appropriate system of governance and social organization. In so doing, we shall also explore the social, economic, cultural, and scientific changes wrought by these varied attempts at state-building. |
| PHIL 109 | Early Chinese Ethics Seth Robertson | Early (Pre-Qin era) China was a hotbed of philosophical activity: scholars developed careful and fascinating ethical views in the context of serious philosophical debates between major schools of thought. This course focuses on some of these ethical debates between Confucian, Mohist, Daoist, and Legalist philosophers in early China. We’ll read both classical texts such as the Analects of Confucius, Mengzi, Xunzi, Mozi, and Zhuangzi and important contemporary scholarship on these texts. Several moral questions will be of particular importance: What is the relationship between etiquette and morality? What are the most important virtues to acquire? Should we think of morality and moral development as something natural or artificial? Are we justified in caring more about some people (our closest friends and family) than others? We will have a special focus on three important interpretive themes for the course: (1) How can understanding the particular contours of the debates each scholar is engaged in help us understand their overall views? (2) How does each philosopher’s view of human psychology and epistemology constrain, guide, and support their moral theorizing? (3) How can an understanding of early Chinese ethical thought, theory, and debate help enrich contemporary discussions in ethics and moral philosophy? No previous experience or coursework in Chinese philosophy is required for this course. |
| CHNSE 140B | Advanced Modern Chinese: Literary Perspectives and Social Change Nichimin Lu | Continuation of CHNSE 140a. This course is designed to bring students with ACTFL Advanced-Mid level Chinese language proficiency to Advanced-High proficiency. It aims to further develop students’ ability to use Chinese to analyze complex social issues and express nuanced ideas. The course uses a wide range of literary genres—including prose, short stories, drama, poetry, and multimedia texts—as points of entry into the study of social change in China. Through these diverse perspectives, students will examine changing understandings of family, tradition, religion, identity, citizenship, gender, youth, history, and the relationship between individuals and society. The primary goal is to deepen students’ understanding of Chinese society and the historical and cultural forces that have shaped it, while also encouraging them to consider how different forms of expression reveal, question, or reinterpret social values and realities. The course will involve in-depth reading and discussion of authentic texts in Chinese, with an emphasis on accurate comprehension, expansion of vocabulary for expressing increasingly refined and sophisticated ideas, and development of the ability to understand and use increasingly complex and idiomatic Chinese in context. Students will learn to identify and compare different ways of understanding social issues, interpret implicit meanings, and relate these interpretations to broader social and historical contexts. |
| EASTD 194 | Historical Legacies in East Asian Politics Daniel Koss | How does the historical past shape politics in the present? East Asia and its recent political developments provide a most striking universe of cases, where legacies of the past influence both domestic politics and international relations. Located at the intersection of history and political science, this course is grounded in theories of institutional development, introducing concepts such as path dependence, critical junctures, and unintended consequences. Beginning with China, the course discusses explanations of development successes grounded in grand narratives going far back in time; the impact of cultural norms, imperial techniques of statecraft, revolutionary practices; the uses and abuses of history in the service of the party state; and the long-term impact of Christian missionaries, Japanese colonizers, and a decade of warfare. Through the case of Japanese domestic politics, we explore how tradition is transmitted through habits and memories of individuals; through institutions such as the perennial ruling party; and through a broadly defined civil society. As examples of critical junctures, we will discuss North Korea’s early postwar history and South Korea’s democratization process, discovering their enduring influences on both political systems. Turning to international relations, this course asks whether foreign and security policy is the result of a deeply rooted strategic culture, how diplomats maneuver the divisions over historical guilt of World War II, and what narratives such as the “century of humiliation” reveal about actors’ strategic thinking. Throughout the course, we will pay attention to regional linkages. |
| CHNSE 166R | Chinese in the Humanities Jennifer Li-Chia Liu & David Wang | Advanced language practice through the reading and analysis of authentic academic texts in humanities disciplines (e.g., art, literature, cinematic studies). May be offered independently in Chinese, or linked with an English-language content course. Specific content varies by year. |
| CHNSLIT 172 | The Monster That Is History: History, Violence, and the Politics of Writing David Wang | This is an intermediate level course (100 level for both undergraduate and graduate students) that seeks to delineate the multivalence of Chinese violence across the modern century and inquire into its ethical and political consequences. Taking into account the campaigns of violence and brutality that have rocked generations of Chinese―often in the name of enlightenment, rationality, and utopian plenitude―this course places its arguments along two related axes: history and representation, modernity and monstrosity. |
| TIBET 300 | Readings in the Commentary on the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra by Wŏnch’ŭk [Yuáncé圓測] (613-696) Leonard van der Kuijp | The Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra deals arguably in part with a theory about the history of Buddhist thought. Written by the Korean monk Wŏnch’ŭk, this monumental work was translated into Tibetan in the ninth century and is occasionally cited in the later Tibetan literature. In this course, we will read several excerpts from it using the Chinese text and the Tibetan translation. |
| EASTD 143B | Digital Tools and Methods in East Asian Humanities: Coding Approach Kwok-leong Tang | This course is designed for students in East Asian Humanities who are interested in adopting digital methods in their research with basic Python coding. It will introduce fundamental programming concepts, SQL and relational databases, popular Python libraries in data cleaning, text analysis, and supervised and unsupervised machine learning. Students completing the course will be able to integrate and apply the Python libraries taught in class into their research and to explore the rapidly growing newcomers without hurdles. |
| TIBET 242 | Bod mkhas pa Mi pham rnam rgyal’s (1618-1685) History of Nag rtsis and Other Relevant Texts Leonard van der Kuijp | Tibetan sinitic astrology has barely been studied outside of the Tibetan region. As our point of departure, we will examine a short text on its history written by seventeenth century savant Bod mkhas pa. Thereafter, we will examine several of its earliest discussions. |
| TIBET 245B | Readings in the Oeuvre of Bcom ldan ral gri (1227-1305) Leonard van der Kuijp | This course will examine the breadth and depth of one of the most versatile and interesting scholars of Tibetan history. Being one of the most prolific writers of the 13th century, we will be reading a large number select passages from his main writings. This is a full year reading course. |
| TIBET 241 | Readings in the Oeuvre of Zur mkhar ba Blo gros rgyal po (1509-1579) Leonard van der Kuijp | Zur mkhar ba was not only a famous traditional Tibetan physician, but he was also a poetician, a grammarian, and writer of epistles. In this course, we will examine his writings in various genres of Tibetan literature and examine a corpus of his letters that shed light on his social history. This is a reading course. |
| ANTH E-1210 (Harvard Extension School) | Chinese Archaeology: From Human Origins to Chinese Civilization Rowan Flad | This course surveys the archaeology of China from the Paleolithic (circa one million years before present) up to and including the Shang Dynasty (circa 1050 BC), with an emphasis on great transitions in human history. The course focuses both on specific, detailed discussions of some of the most important archaeological finds from China, as well as more general discussions of various anthropological themes as they relate to data from early Chinese contexts and emerging complex society. The lectures are generally organized in chronological order, starting with the Paleolithic and subsequently focusing on the early and later Neolithic and the Shang period of the Bronze Age. Students develop a thorough familiarity with Chinese archaeological sites and cultures over the course of this term and also explore the way that Chinese archaeology relates to general issues in anthropological archaeology. Important themes covered in the course include the emergence and migration of modern hominins, the origins of agriculture, animal domestication, and sedentary villages, early urbanism, changes in burial practices and religion, ritual, writing, and production, the development of complex society, and the presentation of archaeological information in modern contexts. The course provides students with a basic understanding of these topics in relation to early China. Occasional discussions review the lecture material and focus on clarifying, deconstructing and debating topics in Chinese archaeology about which there is little consensus. Students also explore Chinese materials in museum collections at Harvard University and produce a digital exhibit based on one or more objects in the collections framed in relation to a broader theme related to the course. |
Spring 2027: Primarily for Undergraduate Students
| School | Course ID | Course Title/Instructor | Course Description |
| FAS | GENED 1091 | Classical Chinese Ethical and Political Theory Michael J. Puett | What if many of our assumptions about the self and about how to live fully are limiting and even dangerous, and what other possibilities might we be able to find in classical Chinese philosophy? What is the best way to live a fuller and more ethical life? Concretely what should we do to begin to live in a more flourishing and inspiring way? Questions such as these were at the heart of philosophical debates in China. The answers that classical Chinese thinkers developed in response to these questions are among the most powerful in human history. Regardless of whether one agrees with them or not, they should be studied and taken seriously by anyone who cares about ethics, politics, and the ways to live life more fully. |
| FAS | GENED 1119 | Law, Politics, and Trade Policy: Lessons from East Asia Christina Davis | Must the East Asian Growth Miracle always lead to trade wars or can international law bring cooperation? How do states balance the challenges and opportunities of international markets? Importing ideas and resources while exporting manufactured goods underlies the East Asian growth miracle but also builds conflict with other governments. This course examines the transformative role of trade policy for Japan, Korea, and China. From the “unequal treaties” of the nineteenth century to the World Trade Organization today, trade law binds the interactions between East Asia and the world. Japan grew from an isolated samurai nation to a leading economic power but now confronts stagnating growth. Korea relied on business conglomerates for rapid industrialization and embraced liberalization to steer its way out of financial crisis. China turned to the WTO to anchor domestic economic reforms but now faces U.S. resistance to its export dominance. East Asia offers models of the success and problems that accompany globalization. |
Spring 2027: Primarily for Graduate Students
| School | Course ID | Course Title/Instructor | Course Description |
| FAS/HDS | EABS 255/HDS 3232 | Readings on Chinese Religions: Recent Scholarship on Chinese Buddhism and Daoism: Seminar James Robson | This seminar aims to discuss significant new works in the field of Chinese Religions by focusing on the historical, doctrinal, and philosophical development of the Buddhist tradition in China. |
| FAS | EAFM 220 | Topics in Chinese Film and Media Studies: Cinematic Soundscapes Jie Li | This seminar examines the soundscapes of Chinese film and audiovisual media, with musical highlights from the dawn of sound cinema to the present day. We will proceed chronologically from Republican-era Shanghai cinema, through 1950s to 1970s Cold War musicals and post-1980s New Wave auteurs, to contemporary televisual theme songs and KTV music videos. The film and media under discussion include musical comedy and musical horror, adaptations from Hollywood and from traditional opera, historical costume films and teen melodramas punctuated by song-and-dance numbers, martial arts cinema with choreographed fight scenes, revolutionary model operas and ballets, postmodern arthouse musicals, documentaries, and popular television dramas with viral musical interludes. Expanding, transforming, and rejuvenating across time and borders, Chinese musicals provide us with a prism to focus and refract many critical issues such as sound studies, genre theories, intermedial relationships, aesthetic traditions, transnational influences, political propaganda, and entertainment industries. Students are encouraged to develop original research papers or to make creative projects such as music videos to contribute to the emerging field of Chinese film and media studies—as well as to sing along at screenings! |
| FAS | MANCHU 210A | Introduction to Sources for Manchu Studies Mark Elliott | This course introduces a range of Manchu-, Chinese-, and Western-language materials used for research in Manchu studies, both pre- and post-conquest periods. The goal is to become familiar with the types of sources available for research in Manchu studies, in particular those available in the Harvard-Yenching library, in order to produce a seminar paper on a subject of individual interest. Reading ability in Manchu and literary Chinese is required. |
| FAS | CHNSHIS 253 | Topics in Late Imperial History Michael Szonyi & Mark Elliott | Review of historical scholarship on China from roughly 1500 to the early 20th century. This course is designed to aid in preparations for the general examinations and in developing a dissertation topic. |
| FAS | CHNSLIT 229R | Topics in Early Medieval Literature Xiaofei Tian | This semester’s topic will be the poetry and prose writings of Tao Yuanming (365–427) and Xie Lingyun (385–433) in their historical and cultural contexts as well as the commentaries on their works from Song through Qing. |
| FAS | EASTD 271 | Language, Script, and Power in East Asia Si Nae Park | In this graduate seminar, students will explore the ways in which debates and negotiations about languages, writing systems, and linguistic and script diversity in East Asia matter in the formation and dispersal of imagined communities, establishment of and challenge to political power, social reproduction, and more. The course’s wide-ranging readings are culled from diverse fields and disciplines including the history of writing, reading, and the book in East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam); linguistic anthropology; sociolinguistics; and studies of modernity/modernism and of colonialism and post colonialism. Examining the relationships between language, culture, and society in societies of East Asia in the past and the present, students will develop comparative (cross-regional, cross-temporal, and cross linguistic/script) and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of East Asia. This seminar is not a language or linguistics course. All readings are in English. |
| HES | HIST E-1827 (Harvard Extension School) | The United States and China: Opium War to the Present Erez Manela | This seminar focuses on the history of Sino-American relations and interactions since the Opium War (1840s). It examines these relations through the lens of major events such as the Boxer intervention, the first and second world wars, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Mao-Nixon rapprochement, and the post-Mao transformations. Central themes include trade, diplomacy, conflict, mutual perceptions, cultural influences, and migration. |
Spring 2027: Graduate School Courses
| School | Course ID | Course Title/Instructor | Course Description |
| HLS | LAW 3182 | Tibet and China TBD | This Reading Group will focus on the question of and solutions for Tibet. It will look at the historical status of Tibet and the current situation of the Tibetan people. The class will examine the guarantees and practices of national minority rights under the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China in light of international human rights standards. Do China’s guarantees respecting national minority rights meet international standards regarding the right to self-determination or the protection of minorities. Might reference to the rights of indigenous people be helpful? The approach of the seminar will be to interrogate the best ways to address these issues and find solutions. We will look at the evolution and major changes in the stand of the Dalai Lama from seeking independence, to what he has described as a zone of peace for Tibet, and finally to “genuine autonomy for Tibetan people” within the framework of the Constitution of the PRC. His efforts have included nine rounds of dialogue between envoys of the Dalai Lama and the PRC government. We will also explore comparative issues of Hong Kong and Xinjiang to understand PRC approaches toward regional autonomy . The Reading Group will also explore the unique approach of the Dalai Lama in developing a democratic polity in exile, as well as complex religious issues relating to reincarnation and religious freedom. Finally, we will examine the US Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 to understand the role of the US government in respect of political, diplomatic and legal obligations relating to Tibet and its people. |
| HLS | LAW 2461 | Comparative Law: Why Law? The Experience of China William Alford | This course uses the example of China as a springboard for asking fundamental questions about the nature of law, and the ways in which it may (or may not) differ in different societies. Historically, China is said to have developed one of the world’s great civilizations while according law a far less prominent role than in virtually any other. This course will test that assertion by commencing with an examination of classic Chinese thinking about the role of law in a well-ordered society and a consideration of the nature of legal institutions, formal and informal, in pre-20th century China-all in a richly comparative setting. It will then examine the history of Sino-Western interaction through law, intriguing and important both in itself and for the broader inquiry into which it opens concerning the transmission of ideas of law cross culturally. The remainder (and bulk) of the course will use the example of the People’s Republic of China – which has, for example, gone from 3,000 to more than 850,000 lawyers in a few decades – to ask what it means to build a legal order. Simply stated, what is central and why, what is universal and what culturally specific and why, and so forth? In addition to examining the principal institutions of the Party-state and the uses to which law is put, the contemporary parts of the course will consider issues of the economy (e.g., corporate governance and trade), human rights, the family and much more. This course, which satisfies the Law School’s international legal studies graduation requirement for JDs, is intended to be inviting to individuals both with and without prior study of China. |
| HKS | IGA 108 | China and the World: Challenges, Competition and Cooperation Rana Mitter | How has China’s rise changed the world of the twenty-first century? And what are the forces and factors that shape its global behaviour? This course takes a range of themes to interpret contemporary China’s actions in the world, and understand how China’s history can explain important aspects of contemporary policy and decision-making. The course takes key themes and examines them in both contemporary and historical context. Among the themes explored are: China’s role in international organizations including the United Nations, influence in shaping regional and global norms and patterns on trade and technology, military expansion, action on climate change, development of identity as a leader of the Global South, and promotion of new forms of ideology. The course will examine ways that China conforms and embraces some aspects of the current global order, and confronts or revises others, including its relationships with the US, the Global South, and areas of cross-border concern (such as climate change or technological norms). We will examine the changing nature of China’s global thinking in the twenty-first century, and provide comparisons and contrasts with a range of historical events that have shaped that thinking, such as the conflicts with European empires in the late 19th century, the development of new forms of reformist and revolutionary political thinking in the early 20th century including ideas on class, ethnicity and gender, China’s war against Japan in the 1930s and 1940, and the revolutionary turmoil of the era Mao Zedong in 1949-76. The course will illustrate how much, and in what ways, China’s growing prominence has changed the world, and show that analysing China’s history and thought is a key tool for interpreting its actions and intentions in the present day. |
| HLS | LAW 3137 | China and International Legal Order Mark Wu | In the Xi era, China has started to cast aside the long-standing maxim of “keeping a low profile and biding one’s time” in international affairs. What does China’s rise portend for the international legal order? In what ways is China seeking to reshape global norms versus uphold a status quo order exhibiting increasing fragility? This seminar examines this question for various domains of international law, including climate change, economics, sovereignty, human rights, and development. It will consider the ways in which history, geostrategic competition, domestic politics, and economic interests impact these questions. |
| HMS | LN 701B | Intermediate Medical Mandarin Shasha Li & Rose Molina | The Intermediate Medical Mandarin course provides an excellent opportunity for students with Mandarin experience to refresh their skills and synthesize newly learned medical knowledge in Mandarin. The course will meet for 1.5 hours weekly during the semester. The first 45 minutes of the class will focus on didactic lecture-based instruction. Students will learn common clinical terminology and phrases related to the various clinical topics. The second half of the class will be devoted to interactive verbal practice in order to reinforce the material learned in the first half of class. Students will have the opportunity to practice their Mandarin speaking and listening skills with various guest tutors (faculty and staff from affiliated research laboratories and hospitals) in small groups using a series of mock clinical scenarios. Students will conduct medical interviews in Mandarin and, as the course progresses, will accumulate experience and verbal proficiency. The Medical Mandarin course will be taught at an intermediate instruction level. Students with a significant conversational background in Mandarin are best positioned to benefit from this course. The classes will be taught in Mandarin Chinese with English and Pinyin used at a minimum to facilitate understanding and true linguistic immersion. Attendance is obligatory. Only 3 excused absences are permitted. Please notify the instructor as soon as possible if you need to miss a class. Failure to attend more than 3 classes will result in a Fail grade. As this is mostly a conversational course, making up a missed session might be an option based on the instructor’s discretion. |