Course Title：中西文化交流史

*For BFSU students who selected this course, the 2 credits will be transferred to the Module of General Education: Language, Translation and Cross-cultural Communication. This course is designed to introduce students to the main events in the history of Sino-Western relationships. Some important recent developments in the relation between China and the West will also be debated. The cultural interchange between China and various countries included in the Chinese notion of the “West”. The countries in question are as different as India, Arabic countries, various European states in different stages of their existence (covering the time from the Roman Empire to Modern Europe), Russia (including the Soviet Union) and the United States of America. The course will be divided into 16 thematic units according to the chronological order. The students that successfully completed this course will gain a broad scope of knowledge about the history of Sino-Western relationship. The knowledge about the cultural interchange taking place between China and Western countries for several millennia will allow the students to see the history of their own country in more differentiated light. The recognition of China’s great contributions to the cultural and technological development of mankind is certainly of great importance and will be duly stressed in the course. However, it is also important to realize and acknowledge the mutual interdependence that existed between different counties along time. This realization will prepare students for everyday life in a world that is becoming increasingly globalized and in which the ability to have diversified perception of phenomena is highly appreciated.