Global Studies and Geography

Lehman High School

The Policy of Isolationism In China

http://www.instantweb.com/d/danehip/opium/opium.html

Introduction:

Throughout history China has developed numerous forms of technology, which have had a dramatic impact on the world. However, as history progressed the Chinese developed a deep sense of ethnocentrism. This resulted in the development of a strong policy of isolationism. China tried to withdraw from all forms of contact with other parts of the world. The Chinese continued to perpetuate the notion of the Middle Kingdom. Through it all Chinese products such as silks, teas and porcelains were still coveted by western consumers. China before 1840 was completely closed, isolated from the rest of the world, except for the limited foreign trade in the city of Canton. The Western countries that wanted to penetrate the huge Chinese market, used the opium incident to wage the Opium War. China was soon overwhelmed by more advanced western technology (military) and signed the Treaty of Nanjing. According to the Treaty, China opened its ports and markets to Western merchants, concessions were created in major cities and China became a semi-feudal semi-colonial state. The Chinese economy had to adapt and reform in order to compete with Western countries. The disastrous defeat of the Chinese army in the Opium War convinced every Chinese that China was no longer the "Heavenly Middle Kingdom". Western ideas were brought in, and their consequences were felt at every level of society. Intellectuals believed that the root of China's weaknesses lay within its backward political structures, and initiated many short lived political reforms.

Task:

You are a reporter for a European newspaper. You will develop a three page typewritten, double-spaced newspaper article that identifies describes, and evaluates the development of China’s policy of isolationism and the effect it had on its foreign policy. You will randomly pick from a hat to further focus on the positive and negative aspects of China’s isolationism in relation to its foreign affairs. In your report be sure to include the vocabulary terms listed in the process. You may also use thought questions to help you develop you newspaper article. Discuss some of these views and the foundations for which these views were based. You must use the 6-step Public Policy Analyst approach.

Process

Use the following guidelines to complete your product.

Guidelines

Each student in the class will pick from a hat which side they are going to defend. You will research weather ethnocentrism (hyper-nationalism) had a positive or negative effect on China’s Foreign policy.
Research the sources listed below in order to come up with an informed decision about how ethnocentrism and self imposed isolation positively and negatively affected China.
Use the 6-step public policy analysis work sheets before writing your report www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS.htm;

After you complete your six worksheets, begin drafting what issues are significant for your presentation and how they support your stance;

· Write a rough draft of your paper, where you discuss the Pros or cons of Chinese foreign policy.

Upon completing your rough draft, submit it to your instructor who will read and offer you feedback to further enhance your paper. Your rough draft should be type and double-spaced. For added safety you should invest in a three and one half floppy disk (31/2) to save your work.
Upon request present your final draft to your instructor for a final grade.

1. Define and describe the problem (social conditions, players, public policy)

2. Gather evidence for this problem

3. Identify causes for this problem

4. Describe and evaluate the existing policy for this problem

5. Develop solutions/policies for the problems for this existing policy

6. Select the best policy for this problem

Define the following terms:

Nationalism

Extraterritoriality

Ethnocentrism

Opium

Boxer Rebellion

Treaty of Nanjing

Spheres of Influence

Isolationism

Identify China, Great Britain, India, and Russia on a world map.

Questions to Think About

How does this map reflect China’s ethnocentrism?

Why are there no other countries represented on China’s map of “their” world?

Why were European countries so eager to interact with China?

How would interaction with China benefit the Western World?

(Please list 2 examples.)

5. What motivated the British to supply the Chinese with Opium?

How might the western powers benefit from the Opium trade in China?

How are the actions of the Chinese government to ban the smoking of Opium similar to the actions of the United States to ban illegal drugs (i.e. marijuana, cocaine)?

8. Why did the Chinese government use such drastic measures to stop the British opium trade?

9. What advantages did the British Army and Navy have over the Chinese armed forces?

10. What factors lead to the Chinese boxers organizing a rebellion?

11. How was the Americans quest for independence, Latin American independence movements and the Boxer Rebellion similar?

12. How was China’s national identity impacted by the Opium War?

13 What are some long term effects of western contact with China?

The Boxer Rebellion (click for more Information)

References:

Search: The Opium War

www.google.com www.infoseek.com

www.altavista.com www.webcrawler.com

www.dogpile.com www.hotbot.com

www.askjeeves.com www.worldbook.com

www.Regentsprep.org

EVALUATION

You will be evaluated based on your rough draft and final paper. Your Paper should be a minimum of three pages typed, double spaced with a font no greater than 14 pts. You should pick a side and defend weather China’s nationalistic views had a positive or negative effect on their foreign policy. Discuss some of the key events and social policies held by China, which led to the ultimate show down with Great Britain. Explain what kind of effect this show down had on China’s social, economic and political policies. You can also use the guided reading questions to help you construct your paper.

Use the following rubric to determine your grade.

Your report will be graded based on the following criteria:

Objective	Unsatisfactory	Satisfactory	Excellent	Earned Points
Identify the Problem	0 points • Does not accurately identify a social problem that existed in China • No worksheet	5 points • Identifies a social problem experienced in China • Partially completed worksheet.	10 points • Accurate description of specific social problem at a specific time in China’s history • Completed worksheet.
Gather the Evidence	0 points • Does not provide evidence of a social problem that existed in China • No worksheet	5 points • Vague or inaccurate evidence to support the existence of a social problem experienced in China • Partially completed worksheet.	10 points • Accurate and complete examples to support the existence of a specific social problem at a specific time in China’s history • Completed worksheet.
Describe the Causes of the Problem	0 points Does not accurately describe the cause of a social problem that existed in China • No worksheet	5 points • Vague or inaccurate description of the causes of a social problem experienced in China • Partially completed worksheet.	10 points • Accurate description of the causes of a specific social problem at a specific time in China's history • Completed worksheet.
Evaluate the Policy	0 points Does not identify or evaluate a policy that attempted to address the social problem that existed in China; does not offer alternative policy • No worksheet	5 points • Identifies a policy that attempted to address the social problem experienced in China • Does not evaluate the policy and/or does not offer alternative policy • Partially completed worksheet.	10 points • Identifies and evaluates a policy that attempted to address the specific social problem at a specific time in China's history • Offers an alternative policy • Completed worksheet.
			Score:

Conclusion:

By the end of this report you will have identified a social problem that existed in history. You will have examined attempts made by individuals who lived during that time to correct the situation. Using the resources given and any other outside knowledge of social studies you possess, you will detail a plan of your own that you would have implemented had you ruled Athens at that time, improving the situation to keep your people happy and to maintain your rule.

Upon completion of this project, you will have become familiar with some problems faced by rulers in the past, and the means available to them to propose solutions. You will become aware of the difficulties faced by governments at times when people are dissatisfied with their rule, and the lengths to which they are forced to go in order to maintain their power.

Students completing this project will meet the following New York State Standards:

New York State Education Standards

Social Studies Standards

Standard 2: World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 3: Geography

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

Standard 4: Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and non-market mechanisms.

English Language Arts Standards

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.