China 2024: Tech, Soc State

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Most Western analysts these days view China’s advanced technologies solely through the lens of geopolitics, drawing attention to national security risks and tech competition with the U.S. “China 2024” shifts focus to another dimension equally important to understanding our shared digital future: the impact of these new and rapidly evolving technologies on ordinary Chinese in their everyday lives of work and leisure. In other words, the course emphasis is on China from the inside rather than on topics that take geostrategic issues as their starting point. For example, how wide is the digital divide in China between internet users young and old, rural and urban? What is the current and potential role of tele-health and online education in promoting health equity and access to tech sector jobs? How have new technologies like e-commerce and super apps impacted consumer behavior and use of social media? And, what is the likely way forward for digital governance in China in this age of fast-tempo AI development? “China 2024” is designed to lay the groundwork for answering these kinds of real-life questions; it is meant to be an eye-opener. By the end of the course, students will have gained a new understanding of Chinese society as it undergoes the digital revolution changing all of our lives.