Prof. Shelley Rigger
Fall semester 1996

Chambers 324 Tues., Thurs. 10:00-11:15

Phone: 2280 (office); 896-0569 (home)
E-Mail: shrigger@davidson.edu
Office Hours: Mon. 8:30-10:00; Tue. 11:30-12:30; Fri. 2:00-5:00

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to contemporary politics in the People's Republic of China. Understanding politics in the PRC today requires a good knowledge of Chinese history, so the first third of the course will be devoted to Mao's revolution, beginning in 1911 and continuing through his death in 1976. The remainder of the course will consider Chinese politics under its current "paramount leader", Deng Xiaoping.

Even if the People's Republic of China did not have the largest population of any country on earth, it still would be worth studying. When Europeans were living in caves before the Roman invasion and dying in wars and plagues during the Dark Ages, China was a flourishing commercial state with a stable government, highly-developed literary tradition and refined, self-confident culture. Many Chinese take heart from the belief that any problems they face today are but wrinkles in the rich fabric of their nation's history.

Much to the frustration of Westerners seeking to promote everything from instant coffee to liberal democracy, the Chinese by and large are unconvinced that the West has much to teach them, aside from scientific and technical skills. China has absorbed less of our culture, less of our religion, less of our philosophy, less of our economics than almost any other country, despite the unrelenting efforts of Western traders, politicians, missionaries and thinkers to "crack the China market." China's strong sense of nationalism , national strength, national unity and national autonomy , is a central theme of this course.

In short, when we study China we study a country which cannot be understood through the logic and assumptions we use to make sense of other nations. Learning about China is an adventure; it requires us to open our minds to a way of seeing the world that is new to us, although very old.

The basic text for this course is Kenneth Lieberthal's Governing China. The book begins with an introduction to the history of PRC politics from 1949 to the early 1990s, then looks at particular topics in detail. The book by Anita Chan and others entitled Chen Village vividly describes how the tumultuous events of PRC politics affected one rural community. The volume edited by David Goodman and Beverley Hooper, China's Quiet Revolution, deals with the Deng Xiaoping era. Supplementary readings will cover topics not included in the three texts. Two copies of each of these readings will be on reserve in the library. If you have trouble obtaining a copy, please let me know and I will place an additional copy on reserve. These readings are mandatory.

1. Above all, you must read. The course will incorporate discussion and lecture, and class participation will be an important part of your performance. While I expect you to participate, I recognize that some students are more gregarious than others. If you are not a big talker, you may take heart from the fact that quality is more important than quantity, and asking a good question is just a valuable as making a good comment. We will cover a great deal of unfamiliar material, especially in the first half of the course. Please do not hesitate to raise any questions that come up in your reading or our discussions.

2. There will be two short essays (5-7 pages) on topics I will distribute later.

3. There will be a one-hour mid-term review.

4. For your final assignment, you may choose either a three-hour final exam or a research paper (15-20 pages) on a topic of your choice.

Please note: Whenever you hand in written work, please use a cover sheet with your name, the name of the course, the title of the paper and your telephone number. Staple the title page to the rest of the essay or exam. Please do not put your name on the other pages. If you use a blue book for your exams, write your name only on the cover(s) of any blue books you use. If you write your exams on loose paper, please make a cover sheet, and write your name on it only.

Participation: 5%

First essay: 20%

Second essay: 20%

Review: 20%

Final essay/exam: 35%

Anything you hand in is pledged work. But as a reminder of the honor code's importance, I would like you to write out the honor code in full on the cover sheet of any work you hand in. ("On my honor I pledge that I have neither given nor received help on this work, nor am I aware of any violation on the part of others.") Please make sure you understand the honor code, especially the definition of plagiarism. If you have any questions, doubts or concerns about any aspect of the honor code, please come and talk to me. If you are unsure of how you should cite material used in an essay, please feel free to discuss it with me.

Lateness policy: Work that is handed in after class on the day an assignment is due will be penalized 1/3 of a grade for each day it is late. That means that if you hand in an A+ paper at noon on the day the paper is due, you will receive an A. But no matter how late a paper is, it is always to your advantage to hand it in.

Computer failure is not an acceptable excuse for lateness. Back up your work. If you are having printer trouble, and your work is in an IBM format, you may bring me your disk and I will read your paper on screen. Also, leaving a voice mail message will not get you off the hook. Do not assume you have secured my permission for something unless you have spoken to me in person or received an e-mail or voice mail message from me.

Week 7

10/8: Dean Rusk Program/NationsBank Conference:

The People's Republic of China and the United States:

The Promise and Peril of a Great Power Relationship

Lieberthal pp. 330-342

Allen Whiting, "Chinese Nationalism and Foreign Policy After Deng"

10/10: China's Foreign Relations

first essay due: foreign policy briefing paper

Week 8

10/15: NO CLASS (Fall Break)

10/17: Economic Reform

Lieberthal pp. 122-153, 419-440 ("Decision of the CPC ...")

Week 9

10/22: Economic Reform Comes to Chen Village

Chan, Madsen and Unger pp. 267-308

10/24: Problems of Economic Reform

Goodman and Hooper pp. 43-63, 64-79

Week 10

10/29: Environmental and Other Costs of Economic Reform

Lieberthal pp. 259-275, 276-291

10/31: REVIEW

Week 11

11/5: Family Planning and Population Control

Peng Yu, "China's Experience in Population Matters: An Official Statement"

Tyrene White, "Postrevolutionary Mobilization in China: The One-child Policy Reconsidered"

11/7: Social Consequences of Economic Reform

Chan, Madsen and Unger pp. 309-333

Goodman and Hooper pp. 105-125

Week 12

11/12: Social Consequences of Reform

Lieberthal pp. 293-313

Goodman and Hooper pp. 80-101

11/14: Toward the Tiananmen Incident

Goodman and Hooper IX-XXI

Andrew Walder, "The Political Sociology of the Beijing Upheaval"

Xu Luo and Luo Ning, "Political and Ideological Origins of the Crisis"

Week 13

11/19: The Tiananmen Incident

Andrew Nathan, "Chinese Democracy in 1989: Continuity and Change"

Lowell Dittmer, "The Tiananmen Massacre"

11/21: Political Succession in the PRC

Lieberthal pp. 219-240

second essay due: human rights and economic cooperation

Week 14

11/26: Where is China Headed?

Lieberthal pp. 315-329

Goodman and Hooper pp. 219-231

11/28: NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)

Week 15

12/3: The Future of Hong Kong

supplementary reading

12/5: The People's Republic of China in the 21st Century

Richard Baum, "China After Deng: Ten Scenarios in Search of Reality"

Week 16

December 10 is an optional class day. I will let you know by Thanksgiving whether we will meet on that day.