Core Curriculum
Institutional and Social Transformation in Contemporary China
This course will provide an overview of China’s political, economic and social transformation since 1978. The course traces and articulates a narrative of reform and opening up that contextualizes students’ understanding of China in the past, present and in the foreseeable future. Lectures and readings first review the institutional background and configuration before 1978, elucidate structural reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s as a turning point in China’s trajectory, and then further explore and evaluate the ongoing evolution and its consequences in political, economic and social realms.
On completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand the origin, evolution and future prospects of China’s political, economic and
social institutions - Examine how institutional continuities and changes have shaped both policy making and
individual lives in China - Form a deeper understanding of the political, economic and social challenges faced by China and the broader implications to the rest of the world