GV523-6-AU-CO:
The Politics of Modern China
2021/22
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 07 October 2021
Friday 17 December 2021
15
11 May 2021
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
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This module focuses on the politics of the People's Republic of China, with an emphasis on the contemporary effects of the political and economic transitions that occurred during the Reform Era. The purpose of the module is to provide a working knowledge and critical lens for understanding how and why political events and change are occurring in modern China.
This module highlights a comparative approach to Chinese politics that seeks to understand how the Chinese case can inform and be informed by existing empirical methods and theories of politics and government.
The first portion of the module covers an introduction to China's historical background, the structure of political institutions and governance, overview of China's population, and its market systems.
The second portion of the module examines the causes and consequences of two defining policy decisions – the one-child policy and the state's response to mass internal migration -- which have led to broader challenges facing Chinese society.
The aims of the module are:
1. To provide students with a solid foundation of knowledge about the modern Chinese political, economic, and social system.
2. To engage with a wide range of applied empirical material relating to the political system, specific policy adoptions, and state-societal relations in modern China.
3. To present a range of contemporary societal and policy challenges in China, which are discussed both from a theoretical point of view and an empirical perspective.
4. To distinguish the effectiveness of state-sponsored policies in combatting social conflict in China.
By following this module, students will gain the following skills:
1. Identify and employ appropriate material that contains required information and data.
2. Synthesize the obtained information to use it for relevant purposes (e.g., essays and discussions).
3. Formulate arguments clearly and coherently in both written and oral forms.
4. Explore complex social, economic, and political challenges and analyze their main characteristics, determinants, and consequences.
Weekly topics:
1. Chinese historical trends and influences
2. China's political institutions and actors
3. The structure of China's economy
4. The composition of Chinese society
5. Origins and application of the One-Child Policy
6. Demographic and societal effects of the One-Child Policy
7. Conflicts over policy implementation: challenges to revising the One-Child Policy
8. Origins and early stages of internal migration
9. Later stages of internal migration
10. Conflicts over policy implementation: challenges facing an economy built on internal migration
This module will be taught in a weekly 2-hour seminar. In the first part of the seminar, the module supervisor will present a lecture. The second part of the seminar is devoted to class discussion. Student participation in the second half of the seminar is absolutely crucial. Students are expected to do the required reading for each seminar and to be prepared to engage in discussion on this material.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Test 1 |
|
30% |
| Coursework |
Test 2 |
|
30% |
| Coursework |
Essay |
|
40% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Mohammed Rodwan Abouharb
University College London
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Government
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