INSTRUCTOR: Matthew Davis
TIME: Mon – Fri (Daily) 1:15-2:45
ROOM: Sharp Lab 105
OFFICE HOURS: ____________________________ (TBA)
OFFICE: ____________________________ (TBA)
CONTACT: davism@udel.edu / (302) 753-1233

Course Description and Objectives

China's astoundingly rapid ascent over the last two decades is almost unique in the modern experience. The People's Republic of China has experienced rapid growth both in its economy (with growth rates often exceeding 10% a year or more) and in its international influence. This, combined with China's increasing integration into the world's economic and political systems, has placed China in the position of being perhaps the first newly rising super power of the 21st century. Yet, for all its importance, Chinese culture and politics are often poorly understood by both the the businesses and politicians who are attempting to benefit from China's ascent and peacefully integrate a rising China into the international order.

This course is designed to provide a solid background for your understanding of modern Chinese politics. As politics does not exist in a vacuum – it is situated in culture and often bound by history – we will begin by briefly surveying the historical origins of the modern Chinese political order. The course will survey the major events of 20th century Chinese politics, focusing on the modernization efforts of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, and the legacies of these two defining leaders. Throughout, we examine the ways that these historical experiences, combined with Chinese culture, contribute to and shape modern Chinese politics. We will conclude the course with a consideration of the challenges facing China's leaders today and into the future, focusing on the tensions between dualities such as openness/control and reform/retrenchment.

Required Texts:

• Governing China: From Revolution Through Reform, Second Edition
• by Kenneth Lieberthal (Author)
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton; 2 edition (December 19, 2003)
  • ISBN-10: 0393924920

• China's Deep Reform: Domestic Politics in Transition
• by Lowell Dittmer (Editor), Guoli Liu (Editor)
  • Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (April 28, 2006)
  • ISBN-10: 0742539318

• The Search for Modern China
• by Jonathan D. Spence (Author)
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 2 Sub edition (January 1999)
  • ISBN-10: 0393973514

• Chinese Politics in the Hu Jintao Era: New Leaders, New Challenges
• by Willy Wo-Lap Lam (Author)
  • Publisher: M.E. Sharpe (September 30, 2006)
  • ISBN-10: 0765617749

• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
• by Jung Chang (Author)
  • Publisher: Touchstone (August 5, 2003)
  • ISBN-10: 0743246985

• Wild Grass: Three Portraits of Change in Modern China
• by Ian Johnson (Author)
  • Publisher: Vintage (March 8, 2005)
  • ISBN-10: 0375719199

• Optional Text For Final Book Review:
• China's New Nationalism: Pride, Politics, and Diplomacy
• by Peter Hays Gries
  • Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (July 5, 2005)
  • ISBN-10: 0520244826

E-mail:

I will regularly use the UD POBox system to send e-mails to the class, including important emails such as updates to the syllabus, last minute schedule changes, etc. Therefore, it is imperative that you have an activated UD account that you check regularly (or have your UD email forwarded to an account that you check regularly).

Grading:

Your grade in this class will be based on class participation, essays, and exams. There will be two grading options – one for those who prefer to take exams, and one for those who prefer to write essays.

Students choosing "option 1" will only have to write the first two book reviews, but will have to take the final exam. Students choosing "option 2" will have to write all three book reviews, but will not have to take the final exam. You must notify me by Friday, July 18th of which grading option you will pursue. If you do not notify me, I will assume that you are pursuing option 1.

Grading Scale:

A 93-100
A- 90-93
B+ 87-89
B 84-86
B- 80-83
C+ 77-79
C 74-76
C- 70-73
D 65-69
F 64 and below

Exams: Two exams will be offered – a mid-term and a final. The final exam will not be intentionally cumulative, but some questions may draw on concepts discussed in the first part of the semester. Exams will be "blue book" style, given in-class, and may consist of definitions, short answer, and essay questions.

Book Reviews: In this class you will be required to write two or three (depending on which grading option you choose) mid-length (5-6 pages, typed, double spaced, 1" margins) essays based on the books Wild Grass, Wild Swans, and/or China's New Nationalism. Essays should respond to the book under review, but also tie in to our other readings and class discussion. See the hand-out sheet on book reviews for more information.

Class Participation: Since this is a small class, your participation is crucial. Class will alternate between lecture and seminar formats, and I expect that you will be prepared to discuss the readings each day that class is held. You will be graded on class participation, and students who are consistently unprepared for discussion or do not do the readings will find this is reflected in their final participation grade.

Extra Credit: Throughout the course there will be four days (each Friday) set aside specifically for class discussion. On those days you may write a 2-page paper in which you lay out your thoughts on the subject to be discussed. Each discussion paper completed will be worth up to 1% of your grade, so a student who completes all four discussion papers in a satisfactory manner will receive +4%, or approximately one-half of a letter grade (i.e. if you have a B- for the course you would raise it to a B+, and so on).

Requirements & Administrative Notes:

Daily attendance is required for this course, and excessive absences will be reflected in your participation grade. If you must arrive late, please be as unobtrusive as possible and sit near the back of the room.

Since we are discussing political issues, class debates during discussion may at times become heated. Please be polite to your peers and respect their different opinions. Students who are rude or disrespectful during class discussion may be asked to leave. Anyone disrupting lecture will be asked to leave. Please turn of your cell phones before coming to class, and mute your laptop if you are using one to take notes. Do not send text messages during class. If I see you doing so, you will be asked to leave.

You are expected to complete the assigned readings for the day by the beginning of that day's class (i.e. if I have assigned chapter 5 for Thursday, read it before Thursday's class and be prepared to discuss it). Our schedule is compact and we are covering quite a bit of material, but I have tried as much as possible to limit the amount of required reading and to be give you some flexibility in when assignments will be due.

Book reviews should be turned in on the dates due, as indicated on the syllabus Late work will be penalized by one-half a letter grade for each day that it is late. Extra credit papers may not be turned in late.

Academic Integrity:

Cheating and/or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Anyone caught cheating or submitting work that is not their own will be reported to the Judicial System as outlined in the Student Guide to University Policies.

Illnesses & Extenuating Circumstances:

If you cannot fulfill the course requirements due to a legitimate extenuating circumstance (illness, death in the family, emergency, etc.) please contact the Office of Campus Life (http://www.udel.edu/campuslife/). The staff there will help you with the necessary documentation and notify your professors as needed.

Important Dates:

Book Review 1 Due: Wednesday, July 23rd
Mid-Term Exam: Monday, July 28th
Book Review 2 Due: Wednesday, August 6th
Book Review 3 Due: Friday, August 15th
Final Exam: Friday, August 15th

Schedule and Assigned Readings: