Chinese Politics Beyond the Headlines

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

This course presents the major political and social transitions in the People’s Republic of China, with a focus on domestic politics in the post-reform era (1979-present). Delving beyond news headlines, the course challenges students to examine the conditions that have catapulted China from a poor, developing nation to a global power in three decades, as well as the political and social consequences of such rapid change. Part I of the course introduces the major structural changes in China. Part II of the course delves into ongoing and controversial issues in the headlines. Together, these two parts combine an overview of major political reform with a topical focus on ongoing scholarly debates in the study of Chinese politics.