US-China Relations from Conflict to Engagement, 1949-2016

3 units

This course examines the tangled relations between the United States and China in the competitive geopolitics from the mid-20th century to the recent past. The intensity of U.S.-China partnership and rivalry can be discerned in a wide range of national and international events such as imperialism and nationalism in the early 20th century, the Communist revolution and the Cold War, the economic reform and pro-democracy movement in China, and the U.S.-China normalization in the era of engagement. It aims at helping students understand the formation and transformation of U.S.-China relations and its impacts on domestic, regional, and global history. Drawing upon visual images, literature, films, policy statements, and social and cultural history, the course will examine the perceptions that have shaped the understanding of realities of the bilateral relations. It, which uses an interdisciplinary approach, will include discussions and debates from both American and Chinese perspectives.