OBJECTIVES

This course focuses on China's policitical and economic change during the past 30 years.  During this time, China has been converting the Stalinist communist system into new blend of a mixed economy with liberalized Leninist political system.  This has turned out to be a very complex process, with many winners and loosers.  The course gives students an understanding both of the general problems of revising communism as well as the specific situation in China, embedded in its distinctive historical and cultural setting.

 CONTENT

 By the late 1970s, after the death of Mao Zedong, it was clear that China's classic communist system failed in its utopian attempts to obliterate traditional values and to create a new type of society and people. Under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s, China started to reform and restructure its political-economic system. Many problems emerged. The Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 dramatically revealed the contradictions of reform.    Since then, economic restructuring has continued, and the Chinese economy has been growing very rapidly. After Deng's death, the next generation of leaders,  Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rungji, carried out bold economic reforms that fundamentally marketized much of the Chinese economy and society. Economic growth continued and social contradictions also continued.  The current leaders, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, face the challenge of maintaining growth while dealing with the social contradictions of a rapidly changing society.  Throughout this period of rapid economic growth and social change, the political system has remained a one-party dictatiorshipdly prohibiting democratic political competition.  However, there have been a few political reforms, including local elections and expanding the idea of rule of law.

This process has created a very complex political situation.  A new political elite has been consolidating its rule, with one foot in the communist party and the other in business. Many ordinary people are benefiting from economic progress too. At the same time, the transition from cozy security on state welfare to the uncertainty of a market society has hurt many wokers and created great anxiety. People are angry about corruption and abuse of power. In addition, China faces complex problems in managing its expanded interaction with the global system (as a result of its entry into the World Trade Organization.  Its increasing exports and competition for natural resources generate pressures for change (and resistance) in may other countries.  China also has very complex problems with ethnic minorities in Tibet and Western China as well as with its relations with Taiwan.  All these issues intertwine with its critically important relationship with the United States.

Can China's economy continue to grow at a rapid pace?  Will economic growth generate more demands for democracy?  Will ethnic minorities demand autonomy and independence?  Will a crisis explode out of the Taiwan situation?  What pressures will the United States put on China?  Can the United States tolerate China's economic, technological, and military rise?

All in all, China has many crosscurrents, and this will certainly be a very interesting semester for studying China.

 By the end of the semester, we should have a good idea about the old and new political and economic systems in China, the complex new demands and challenges the Chinese political system is facing, the responses the political system is making to these challenges, and the overall current situation in China. (Consider this paragraph to be a preliminary study guide for the final exam!)

We will use a comprehensive text book to give us an outline of China's background and  structure.  Simultaneously, we will read a more journalist book will give us detailed empirical examples that illustrated the general structural issues.  We will use video materials to get a more concrete image of China and its people.  For the final part of the course, students will do original research with primary materials (in translation) about recent developments in China.

This course is an upper division course in both Political Science and Asian Studies. It is an elective course in the Asian Studies program.  There are no preqrequsites but some background about China or communist systems is desirable.

Disability Statement: This course is open to all students who meet the academic requirements for participation.  Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible.  Contact Disability Resources and Services at 215-204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. 

Statement on Academic Freedom: Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link: http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02. 
 

REQUIRED TEXT BOOKS:

Tony Saich,  Governance and Politics of China.  New York: Palgrave, 2005. 
ISBN:  0-333-71693-0. (At Temple bookstore) (Note: You will buy the new edition; my schdule with reading assignments has page numbers to the old edition.  I'll update these page numbers soon.)

James Kynge, China Shakes the World.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. 
ISBN: 978-0-618-70564-1    0-61870564-3
 

COMPUTER AVAILABILITY AND SKILLS

Computer skills are needed for this course.

Class materials, including this syllabus, class schedule, study guides for exams, grades, and other materials will be distributed from the class web site, which you should "bookmark":

http://www.temple.edu/cs/connect/proxy/contents.html

 http://www.temple.edu/asian_studies

In addition, email will be commonly used mode of communication for the class. The class has a monitored listserv. Email sent to the class listserv will be delivered to everyone who is signed onto the list, if appropriate. This provides a simple way for class discussions to be continued and for me to reach all students with new insights or suggestions.

Term papers can be submitted as attached files to email.

You  can sign onto the listserv, send email to it, and review previous postings at

http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/polsci236-stavis.html

You can also send email to the list at this address:

  polsci236-stavis@listserv.temple.edu

Students who have not done so already should obtain a computer account and develop the necessary skills. Temple University has frequent training programs and many computer laboratories available for student use.

OTHER READING

It is desirable for students to keep abreast of magazines with an Asian and Chinese focus, such as Beijing Review, Far East Economic Review, Asian Wall Street Journal, etc. An excellent source for Chinese perspectives is the China Daily. A wide range of magazines and other materials are available in the Asian Studies Reading Room, 420-21 Gladfelter Hall.   It is also recommended that students in this course read the New York Times regularly.  Subscriptions are available at a very advantageous student price in areas where there is regular home delivery. Contact the New York Times College Program directly at 610-660-9940 and/or 1-800-631-2500 for information.

These web sites are particularly useful:

• China Daily
• Taiwan Security Web Page
• New York Times International News
• Access library's World News Connection

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Class discussions and lectures will supplement and highlight materials in the readings. Regular class attendance is necessary to master the materials of the course and is expected. Students who miss a class have the responsibility to find out from classmates (or the instructor) the material covered in that class.

OFFICE HOURS

Students are most welcome meet with me in my office and/or contact me by email or telephone to discuss any issue of the course or for academic advising in Political Science or Asian Studies. It is best to make an appointment during office hours, but other times are available.

 Office hours: 439 Gladfelter Hall,

Tu, Thur,  1:30-2:15 and 4:15-5:00 and by appointment. 
 To make an appointment during office hours or other times if necessary, please email me: bstavis@temple.edu

tel: (o) 215-204-7793

WITHDRAWLS AND INCOMPLETES

If students who are properly enrolled in the course decide to withdraw from the course, they must be inform the instructor and submit appropriate forms to the academic advising office by the deadline, roughly in the ninth week of classes.  Failure to manage the paper work usually results in the couse staying on the transcript and the grade being an "F".  Students should be very careful to manage paper work properly within deadlines to avoid this unfortunate result.

Students who want a grade of Incomplete so that they have a little extra time to make up assignments or tests should discuss this with the instructor in advance.  The professor allows incompletes for medical or similar problems that make it impossible for the student to complete the course within the normal teaching calendar.  University policy requires students to sign a contract with the professor concerning the work remaining, the time for completion, and the default grade if the work is not done.  Students should download the appropriate form, available at the bottom of the "Undergraduate Studies"page of the Political Science website: http://astro.temple.edu/~bstavis/ps/undergrad.htm .

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING

Requirements:

Scores on assignments and tests will be weighted as follows:
 
 

Testing:

The tests and final exams will be a mixture of multiple choice, short answers, and essay questions. They will cover material in class lectures and readings; study guides will be provided. Brief multiple choice quizzes will cover the readings and concepts discussed since the last test or quiz.

 Films:

 In addition to in-class videos, students are encouraged to borrow and watch video tapes of Chinese feature films and documentaries. The Media Learning Center (Ground Floor, Anderson Hall) has many, and they are frequently available at video rental shops.

Written Assignment:

Students will research some aspect of recent politics in China.  Let's see if we can figure out the emerging priorities and policies of Hu Jintao.  The papers should focus on one of the following topics:

• Political structure-- reforms and adaptations of political and economic system for new needs ownership reforms, changes in labor law, status of women, labor unions, etc.
• Rule of law-- new laws in international trade and investment or any other field.
• Economic issues
• Nationality issues -- Tibet, Taiwan, Central Asia
• Foreign Policy -- with U.S., Japan, other states and regions

Additional resources are avaiilable in the Asian Studies Program (420-421 Gladfelter Hall).  Get the key from Ms. Beh, in the Political Science Department.  Information in Annex 1 will help you place articles in some political context. Articles from journals such as The China Journal, China Quarterly, Pacific Affairs, The Far Eastern Economic Review, Asian Survey, and The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs can be used also. (See Annex 2)

Before doing the term paper, each student must submit a prospectus. The prospectus should be one page only, with a concise statement of the theme of the paper. It must include:

• a concise statement of the theme of the paper, linking some broad analytical issue to some data.
• at least one properly formatted footnote to a book that has been located using the library's Diamond System
• at least one properly formatted footnote to a journal article that has been located using the Academic Search Premier system. (Attach printout from the search.)
• at least properly formatted footnote to a Chinese article (Beijing Review, China Daily or other Chinese article from World News Connection).
• the prospectus must be formatted as specified below for the final draft.

Each student's written term paper should be about 10 pages (double spaced) long. The paper MUST use footnotes to cite the publications discussed. Here are examples of proper format for footnotes for a newspaper, a book, a journal article. For references to FBIS, the citation should show the citation to the original Chinese source as well as the citation in translation.  Samples of proper formats are available at:

http://astro.temple.edu/~bstavis/courses/asw300syl.htm#Footnote

For citations to the internet:

If the internet citation is previously published (on paper) material, give the full citation to the original paper document, followed by "available on the web at (give URL)." 

If the internet citation has not been previously published and exists only on the web: Give full URL, information about the ownership of the website, and the date accessed. 

 Both the prospectus and the final written report must be a finished piece of work, at an "adult level of presentation." This means typed, double space, one side of the paper, reasonable margins, neat, page numbers on the pages, and stapled together, etc. If you are using a dot matrix printer, print the final draft in high density (NLQ). Footnotes must be presented in the format specified above.

 Adult level of presentation requires proper grammar, including agreement between subject and verb, consistency in verb tense, etc. Poor spelling and typographic errors must be avoided. Misuse of homonyms such as their-there-they're, due-do-dew, its-it's, to-too-two, whether-weather, principle-principal, site-sight-cite, red-read. steal-steel etc., and confusion of the plural (...s) with the possessive (...'s) are unacceptable in adult level of presentation. Remember that even though "spell-checker" is very helpful, it can not identify such errors. (check out: http://astro.temple.edu/~bstavis/courses/spell.htm) While this is not a writing or grammar course, it should contribute to your ability to write effectively. In the long run, writing is one of the most valuable skills you will learn in college. You are strongly urged to buy a style book that will give you complete rules for preparing papers for this course and all others you will do at Temple and beyond. Two excellent ones are Kate Turabian, Student's Guide for Writing Papers or Chicago Manual of Style. Both are available at the book store.
If you need additional help in writing, please visit the Writing Center (201 Tuttleman Hall, 204-0700) and arrange for specialized instruction (free). http://www.temple.edu/writingctr

If you hand in a draft two weeks before the deadline, you can get comments to use in preparing your final draft.

Students should always keep a copy (or original) of their term papers so it can serve as a sample of writing to accompany applications for jobs or graduate school. If papers are not returned during the semester, students should pick them up during the following semester. I will not be responsible for papers not picked up after one semester.

MAKEUP POLICY

If realities of life (illness, funerals, etc.) create irreconcilable scheduling conflicts with exams, contact me IN ADVANCE. I will try to work out a suitable alternative, generally before the normal exam time. I will be far less flexible if you wait until after the event to explain why you missed it. Written assignments handed in late will be penalized.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

We learn in a group environment, but we must demonstrate our mastery of materials on an individual basis. Misrepresenting other people's work as one's own is a serious breach of academic honesty. I manage the class on the basis of trust in each student's academic honesty, and this enables our class to be informal and flexible. The other side of the coin is that any act that undermines this trust in academic honesty is a serious matter.

• All tests must reflect a student's own, individual work, and must be done in the specified time period. Cheating or helping others cheat violates the spirit of trust that we all prefer.
• Cheating will be considered an admission that a student does not understand the material, and grading will reflect this admission.
• Written assignments must be based on the student's own research and writing specifically for this course.
• No Plagiarism!  It is normal to quote other people's work to show how your own studies fit into academic literature.  When you do this, you MUST use quotation marks and footnotes to show clearly the line between your own work and someone else.  Footnotes must conform to the format specified in the syllabus.  Citations to web resources must include a full URL that works.  A URL that fails to open the specified page does not count.  If you fail to use these techniques to make the distinction between your work and other people's work clear, you are plagiarizing.  This is a very serious violation of the principles of academic integrity in will result in penalty.  When in doubt, check with the instructor about how to reference materials.
• Papers written for other courses can not be submitted again for this course.
• One paper may not be submitted to two courses unless there is prior approval from both professors.
• You should listen to  Prof. Lehr's story concerning Prof. Lobachevsky's views and use of  plagiarism, but do not follow his advice.

The study of politics inevitably touches on sensitive and controversial topics.  Indeed, a primary assumption in political science is that people have different and conflicting interests, reflecting their different conditions, needs, cultures, values, etc.  Political science analyzes the actual, empirical process by which these conflicting values are managed and resolved.   The discipline can not say what are the correct or good policy choices; at best it can suggest the likely outcome of policy choices.  Accordingly, in this course, we will strive to find agreement on descriptions of empirical reality and political dynamics and relationships.  We should expect disagreement on personal values and policy choices.   My job is to help you understand the logic of empirical processes and of alternative policy choices.  My personal values and preferences are irrelevant to this course.  Tests and written assignments will be cover the empirical aspects of politics and will have no connection to anyone's value or policy preferences. 
 

STRATEGIES FOR DOING WELL IN THIS CLASS

Ultimately, your grade depends on your ability to master the material. I can assign materials to read and lecture about them; but only you can actually integrate the materials into your own thinking. As you read, ask yourself, "What is important here? What are general principles, and what are examples? Why does Prof. Stavis want me to remember this name or date?" Focus on learning the structure of concepts and the examples that demonstrate them, rather than trying to memorize disconnected facts. The lectures will highlight the most important principles and examples, so regular class attendance is extremely useful to master the materials of the course and is expected.  Print up class lecture notes from the internet before class, and add your notes to the printed ones.  These will be extremely useful in preparing for quizzes and tests. Quizzes and tests will emphasize major concepts, institutions, and policies, as well as some names and dates that provide the vocabulary for understanding major themes. Review your lecture notes and readings. Use the study guides (on the internet)  to organize your review of materials for the tests. In fact, print up the study guides early and add notes on them as various topics are covered in class.  For the term paper, follow precisely the instructions given above.  If you approach the class in this spirit, you should find the class easy and you should do well.

 GRADES

 Grades will be assigned based on an evaluation of a student's mastery of the course material. Grades will reflect the following levels of mastery: