Course Information

• Course Title: A Special Study of US-China Relations: Through the Life of Helen Foster Snow
• Semester and year: Winter 2023
• Tuesday & Thursday, 12:00pm, HRCB 150
• Format: blended

Instructor Information

Instructor name: Peter Chan

Email: peter.chan@byu.edu

Office Hours: by appointment

Course Description

Helen Foster Snow was a remarkable woman born in Cedar City Utah in 1907, who lived in China during the 1930s and became an important author, a lifelong humanitarian, and a bridge-builder between the United States and China. As a Utah native, her pioneer heritage had a substantial impact on her major initiatives, among which was the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Movement (also known as Gung-Ho or INDUSCO). It led her to two Noble Prize for Peace nominations.

Her courage, attitude, personal passion, and determination made her a distinctive individual who was not only a witness but also an active participant in the formation of modern China. Today, even after more than two decades since her passing, she remains one of the most revered foreign friends of China. Her legacy continues to inspire scholars and activists to follow her footsteps as a friendship ambassador for the betterment of humanity. 

The course offers students a unique perspective on the evolving of modern China since 1931 and the development of US-China relations by studying the life of Helen Foster Snow, whose lifelong commitment was to build friendship and understanding between the past and future, between different political parties, between different cultures, and between different countries. The course will explore what contributed to Helen Foster Snow’s courage and commitment to the causes she took on in China and why her story still matters to the young generation of today’s America and China. 

Required Textbook/Course Materials

Required Textbook:

Snow, H. F. (1984). My China Years. William Morrow & Co

Other Required Materials:  

• Combat Films (2001). Helen Foster Snow: Witness to Revolution (Video). New York: Filmakers Library.
• Additional required materials are listed in individual lessons. 

Recommended Materials (optional):

• Snow, E. (1938). Red Star Over China. Random House
• Snow, H. F. (1939). Inside Red China. Da Capo Press
• Snow, H. F. (1941). China Builds for Democracy: a Story of Cooperative Industry. New York: Modern Age Books.
• Snow, H. F. (1941). Song of Ariran: A Korean Communist in the Chinese Revolution. New York: The John Day Company.
• Snow, H. F. (1945). The Chinese Labor Movement. New York: John Day
• Snow, H. F. (1967). Women in Modern China. Mouton
• Snow, H. F. (1972).  The Chinese Communists: Sketches and Autobiographies of the Old Guard. Greenwood Publishing Company
• Bischoff, S. F. (1997). Bridging. Shumway Family History Services
• Bischoff, S. F. (1997). Helen Foster Snow Day: A Beginning of China-American Association in Cedar City, Utah. Self-publishing. 
• Long, K. A. (2006). Helen Foster Snow: An American Woman in Revolutionary China. University Press of Colorado

 

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe the social and cultural transition of China from its dynastic past to the new republic;
• Describe the role Helen Foster Snow played in China’s critical transitional period between the 1930s and the 1940s.
• Describe how the role and status of women have evolved as a result of the revolution in China
• Introduce the impact of the Gung Ho (Indusco) Movement on the revitalization of the Chinese economy during Japan’s war on China 
• Determine how Helen’s example can inspire young generations, especially women today to make constructive contributions to society, influence positive change, and ultimately become a bridge of understanding between countries and cultures.
• Compare the cultural connections of Utah and China and how they have shaped Helen Foster Snow’s world view and her views on China.
• Examine the historical ties, common interests, the need and potential of mutual understanding and friendship through cultural and educational exchanges between the people of China and America, which reflects Helen Foster Snow’s ultimate and long-term desires and goals.
• Explore how modern America and China can learn from each other in dealing with global challenges together.

Course Overview

This class is being taught hybrid. This is not a self-paced class. You will first learn how to use Canvas to find materials, take quizzes and exams, and submit completed works electronically. You should do your work in this course with a high priority and complete reading assignments, group discussions, and exams on time. Timely submission of class assignments is important to your success in this course.

Course requirements

• You are expected to take a quiz for each lesson.
• All students are expected to read the assigned chapters each week. Please review each week’s objectives before you read the assignments.
• You should expect to contribute substantive and relevant posts to the discussion area for each module topic for the best learning experience. Postings must demonstrate your comprehension of the module’s concepts.
• Final project: You choose a topic related to the course theme (A Special Study of US-China Relations: Through the Life of Helen Foster Snow) and then conduct primary and secondary research. After you have analyzed and interpreted your sources, and have drawn a conclusion about the significance of your topic, you will then be able to present your work in one of five ways: as a paper, an exhibit, a performance, a documentary, or a website. (https://www.nhd.org/categories)

Grading Scale

• A = (94-100%); A- = (90-93%)
• B+ = (87-89%); B = (83-86%); B- = (80-82%)
• C+ = (77-79%); C = (73-76%); C- = (70-72%)
• D+ = (67-69%); D = (60-66%)
• F= (≤ 59%)

Assignments

Refer to the Course Schedule for due dates for each assignment, as well as the Assignment Details for more information on these assignments. Each student is responsible for completing all assignments and activities as specified by the instructor. See the Assignment Details for specific information about each assignment, including how it will be evaluated. All assignments should be completed to pass the course. 

You must complete all major assignments to get a passing grade. You must honestly complete all the work yourself, but you are encouraged to share ideas with each other. If you want to do any assignments in a group, talk to your instructor to approve this before you begin the assignment.

Late & Makeup Work
Due dates for assignments are listed on the calendar and on the assignments. A minimum 10% late penalty will be assessed for work submitted after the assignment deadline unless I have previously approved a later deadline due to extenuating circumstances.  No late work is accepted after the final exam prep day of the regular semester before final exams begin.

Assignments on which you received at least 70% credit can be resubmitted until you achieve the grade you desire IF YOU HAVE TURNED IN THE ASSIGNMENT ON TIME. You also have TWO WEEKS from the time you receive feedback from me to turn in this revised work. I allow revision of your work because this is the way we learn new technologies: We keep trying and retrying! 

Breakdown:

Weeks Late	Maximum Score
1 or less	90%
2	75%
3	50%
4	25%
5	0%

 

University Policies

Honor Code

In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and every instructor's expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.

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In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Brigham Young University prohibits unlawful sex discrimination against any participant in its education programs or activities. The university also prohibits sexual harassment-including sexual violence-committed by or against students, university employees, and visitors to campus. As outlined in university policy, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking are considered forms of "Sexual Misconduct" prohibited by the university.

University policy requires all university employees in a teaching, managerial, or supervisory role to report all incidents of Sexual Misconduct that come to their attention in any way, including but not limited to face-to-face conversations, a written class assignment or paper, class discussion, email, text, or social media post. Incidents of Sexual Misconduct should be reported to the Title IX Coordinator at t9coordinator@byu.edu or (801) 422-8692. Reports may also be submitted through EthicsPoint at https://titleix.byu.edu/report (Links to an external site.) or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours a day).

BYU offers confidential resources for those affected by Sexual Misconduct, including the university's Victim Advocate, as well as a number of non-confidential resources and services that may be helpful. Additional information about Title IX, the university's Sexual Misconduct Policy, reporting requirements, and resources can be found at http://titleix.byu.edu (Links to an external site.) or by contacting the university's Title IX Coordinator.

Student Disability

Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the University Accessibility Center (UAC), 2170 WSC or 422-2767. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities. The UAC can also assess students for learning, attention, and emotional concerns. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the UAC. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB.

Respectful Environment

"Sadly, from time to time, we do hear reports of those who are at best insensitive and at worst insulting in their comments to and about others... We hear derogatory and sometimes even defamatory comments about those with different political, athletic, or ethnic views or experiences. Such behavior is completely out of place at BYU, and I enlist the aid of all to monitor carefully and, if necessary, correct any such that might occur here, however inadvertent or unintentional. "I worry particularly about demeaning comments made about the career or major choices of women or men either directly or about members of the BYU community generally. We must remember that personal agency is a fundamental principle and that none of us has the right or option to criticize the lawful choices of another." President Cecil O. Samuelson, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010 "Occasionally, we ... hear reports that our female faculty feel disrespected, especially by students, for choosing to work at BYU, even though each one has been approved by the BYU Board of Trustees. Brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be. Not here. Not at a university that shares a constitution with the School of the Prophets." Vice President John S. Tanner, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010

Mental Health

Mental health concerns and stressful life events can affect students’ academic performance and quality of life. BYU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS, 1500 WSC, 801-422-3035, caps.byu.edu) provides individual, couples, and group counseling, as well as stress management services. These services are confidential and are provided by the university at no cost for full-time students. For general information please visit https://caps.byu.edu (Links to an external site.); for more immediate concerns please visit http://help.byu.edu (Links to an external site.).

Academic Honesty

The first injunction of the Honor Code is the call to "be honest." Students come to the university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but also to build character. "President David O. McKay taught that character is the highest aim of education" (The Aims of a BYU Education, p.6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim. BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.