This course introduces students to a series of important topics in recent scholarship on late imperial and modern Chinese history. It covers major methodological and theoretical issues and debates such as the relationship between history and interdisciplinary theory, Orientalism and postcolonial studies, women and gender study, print culture, history of emotions, nationalism and modernity, economic history, microhistory, archives and knowledge production, and rethinking of Chinese legal "tradition." The assignments could include research paper, one or more critical/reflective book reviews from a reading list, and/or critical reflection essays on the class readings.