New course: China and the World

* This course satisfies both the General Education Category II: Global Cultures and Traditions requirement and the Diversity requirement.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The rise of China in the world economy has become the outstanding geopolitical issue of the contemporary era. This general education course is an advanced-level introduction to China and its relations with the wider world in historic and contemporary perspective. The course begins with examination of the historical emergence of a Chinese world order in relation to European expansion through cross-cultural relations, international trade, labor migration and the origins of the Chinese diaspora. These themes continue as we shift toward studying the People’s Republic of China in the second half of the twentieth century to the present, with an emphasis on the reform period after 1978.

The conceptualization of the course emphasizes a contemporary geographical perspective that treats China not just as a geopolitical unit, i.e. a nation-state, but as a country of regions with vastly different conditions that hold significant implications for China’s economic growth, social stability, international relations and ultimate future in the world order. Specific topics to be covered include economic development, regional industrialization, urbanization and the new cities, Chinese nationalism, migration and emigration, contemporary culture, including gender relations, popular culture and the Internet, environmental impacts, and intensified demands for natural resources, especially the new global extraction economies. While U.S.- P.R.C. relations is a central theme of the course, we also examine relations between China and the other major world regions with coverage this year of China’s relations with East and Southeast Asia and Latin America, and with specific focus on China-Iran relations. Pedagogically, the course emphasizes in-class discussion, critical analysis of key concepts and written work.

Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:30 - 4:50 p.m.
Taper Hall, Room 301
For more information, please contact Prof. Cartier at 213-740-0063, cartier@usc.edu