Module description
This second year undergraduate module provides students with a historical and contemporary analysis of economic, institutional, political, and social developments in China. The module begins with an investigation into the reasons why and how China evolved from a socialist to a state-led market economy to issues of institutions, governance, and policy-making. The module then addresses issues in social welfare policy. We conclude with a discussion of China's re-integration into the global economy, the role of the state in international trade, the government's global economic aspirations and prospects for development. This module will therefore provide students with a firm understanding of the historical and contemporary economic, political, and social processes shaping China's development Trajectory.
Module Structure
Section I: Where did China come from?
- Week 1 - China’s Socialist Development: a historical perspective
- Week 2 - China’s Reform and Opening-up- a new model of the developmental state?
Section II: How does the State Govern?
- Week 3 - The One-Child Policy, the Two-Child Policy, the Three-Child Policy& related proposals
- Week 4 - The Hukou System and Its Discontents
- Week 5 - Education, Meritocracy and Its Backlashes
Section III: How does the Party engage with the underdogs?
- Week 6 - Reading Week
- Week 7 - Migrant Labour, Gig Workers and the Urban Underclass
- Week 8 - Gender Relations
Section IV: Has Science & Technology transformed China?
- Week 9 - Digital Economy, Technology, Innovation and the Bottlenecks
- Week 10 - Media, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- Week 11 - Reflections
Assessment details
- Group Presentation & Coursework
Educational aims & objectives
This module aims to:
- Educate students on the various theoretical approaches to understanding, analysing, and explaining the relationship between states and markets in China.
- Expose students to the history of political and economic development, as well as the policy-making process, in China.
- Familiarise students with the different contexts, experiences and outcomes of the development agenda in modern China.
- Introduce students to highly debated contemporary policy issues in China, such as global integration, social welfare policy, and environmental policy.
- Enable students to think critically about economic and social development in China.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will have:
- Understood the historical context of political, economic, and social development in China.
- Understood the changing role of the state and other key social actors in China.
- Understood how China’s development trajectory has transformed over the years, particularly from a predominantly state-owned to a state-led market model of development.
- Developed a keen understanding of the contemporary policy debates in China.
- Acquired the knowledge and skills needed to critically analyse the political and policy-making process in China.
Teaching pattern
Weekly 2-hour workshops