WELLESLEY COLLEGE
Spring 2007
POL2 308S: Advanced Topics in Chinese Politics
Prof. William A. Joseph, PNE221, x2201
Office Hours TBA

Purpose of the course: This course is designed for students who LOVE to study Chinese politics! It is intended for those who have already had a course in the politics or modern history of China. It is expected that students will be familiar with the most important events, people, and issues involved in China's political development since the mid-19th century. Students who have done intensive work on the politics of another country or area of the world and who are interested in learning about China to gain a broader comparative perspective may sometimes be admitted to the course with the permission of the instructor and the preparation of some background reading. The focus of the course is on contemporary China (post-Mao, perhaps even post-Deng) with an emphasis on the political system, party-state policies, contentious issues, and current challenges.

This is only the third time that this course has been offered, so it is still, to a large degree, experimental -- or at least a work in progress. The topics and reading assignments may change a bit as we make our way through the course. I want to leave enough flexibility so that we can adjust the syllabus if there is are areas that students would like to explore. In fact, all the topics and reading assignments should be considered tentative.

Requirements & grading:

• Participation (30%), which includes the following:

  -- Attendance at all class meetings, except for illness or other essential absences.

  -- Completion of readings before class. Everyone is expected to do the required readings, which are marked on the syllabus. For some weeks, student may be doing different selections from some of the required reading, which will hopefully contribute to the diversity and livliness of our class discussions. In total, each student should prepared to read about 100-150 pages per week for this course.

  -- Thoughtful participation & attention during class.

  -- Keeping up with current events in China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan). The New York Times does a pretty good job covering China. For suggestion about other sources on current events in China, see: http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/China/chinalinks-new.html. Ten or fifteen minutes at the start of each class will be spent talking about current events. Students will take turns leading this part of the course and are expected to post an article or link to an article about a current event on the course conference no later than 4pm on the day before the seminar.

  -- Taking responsibility for sharing leadership of a weekly discussion, or part of it, and/or making a presentation one or more times during the semester.

• A short paper (5-7 pages) reviewing and (most importantly) reflecting upon the topic of one of the seminar sessions (other than the last three) based on the reading assignments. This can be handed in anytime during the term as long as it is no more than two weeks after the topic has been discussed (20%).

• A research paper (about 20-25 pages) on a topic to be chosen in consultation with the instructor due by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 21st (50%). A one page statement of your paper topic and a preliminary bibliography are due no later than Friday, April 27th.

Please see the list of "Responsibilities and Expectations" for the course that is attached to this syllabus.

Books ordered for the course:

• Marc Blecher, China Against the Tides: Restructuring through Revolution, Radicalism, and Reform, 2nd edition.
• Peter Hays Gries and Stanley Rosen, State and Society in 21st Century China: Crisis, Contention, and Legitimation.
• Richard Curt Kraus, The Party and the Arty in China: The New Politics of Culture.

Click here for Class Schedule & Assignments