ASIA 2022 - China Today: Ideology, Party & Society

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2017

China Today helps students understand some of the key politics underlying developments and crises in China. China Today focuses on themes and principles underlying the evolution of Chinese politics, economy and society in the People's Republic. In the first half we examine the nature of China's communist party-state political system, the aims, rise and fall of Maoism, and the reasons behind and the nature of the 1978 post-Mao Zedong economic reforms. These changes have allowed China to develop into the rapidly rising economic power it is today while the reforms have also allowed China to be increasingly influential on the world stage. In the second half, we discuss some of the current key issues and problems arising from the success of China's development strategies. These may include growing levels of social inequality, gender and age imbalances, problems of political reform, China's place in international trade and political systems, the environmental costs of success and the like. Throughout China Today, the relevance of historical, theoretical and ideological issues, such as the nature of communism, for understanding current developments in China and applying critical thinking are stressed. Where possible, the relevant underlying principles are related to Australia, particularly understandings of what 'right' and 'left' can mean in politics. Skills in learning how to write strong argumentative essays are stressed throughout.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ASIA 2022
    Course China Today: Ideology, Party & Society
    Coordinating Unit Asian Studies
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites At least 12 units of level 1 undergraduate study
    Incompatible ASIA 2008
    Course Description China Today helps students understand some of the key politics underlying developments and crises in China.
    China Today focuses on themes and principles underlying the evolution of Chinese politics, economy and society in the People's Republic. In the first half we examine the nature of China's communist party-state political system, the aims, rise and fall of Maoism, and the reasons behind and the nature of the 1978 post-Mao Zedong economic reforms. These changes have allowed China to develop into the rapidly rising economic power it is today while the reforms have also allowed China to be increasingly influential on the world stage.
    In the second half, we discuss some of the current key issues and problems arising from the success of China's development strategies. These may include growing levels of social inequality, gender and age imbalances, problems of political reform, China's place in international trade and political systems, the environmental costs of success and the like.
    Throughout China Today, the relevance of historical, theoretical and ideological issues, such as the nature of communism, for understanding current developments in China and applying critical thinking are stressed. Where possible, the relevant underlying principles are related to Australia, particularly understandings of what 'right' and 'left' can mean in politics.
    Skills in learning how to write strong argumentative essays are stressed throughout.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Professor Mobo Chang Fan Gao

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
    1 Understand the underlying nature of the Peoples Republic of China as a party-state run by the Chinese Communist Party on socialist and democratic centralist principles
    2 Recognise and be able to critically analyse how CLO 1 shapes Chinese politics, society and governance
    3 Investigate and apply the complex notions of  what constitutes 'left' and 'right' in politics
    4 Understand and apply the technical aspects of academic writing including style, standard academic genres and referencing conventions
    5 Relate practical and real life examples to the theoretical concepts and explanations covered in the course
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    A course reader will be available for purchase from the Image and Copy Centre.
    Recommended Resources
    The Research Librarian for Asian Studies in the Barr-Smith Library, Ms Helen Attar, helen.attar@adelaide.edu.au , supports the research needs of undergraduate students.

    The Barr-Smith Library tutorials web page has been redesigned to incorporate the new interactive skills videos. See  http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/help/tutorials/



    Online Learning
    Course materials will be available on MyUni. Other social media, such as weibo, Facebook etc may be used in conjunction with the course.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Lectures supported by problem-solving tutorials which develop the lecture material.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    1 x 2-hour lecture (or equivalent) per week 24 hours per semester
    1 x 1-hour tutorial (or equivalent) per week 12 hours per semester
    6 hours reading per week 72 hours per semester
    2 hours research per week 24 hours per semester
    2 hours assignment preparation per week 24 hours per semester
    TOTAL WORKLOAD HOURS 156 hours per semester
    Learning Activities Summary
    Schedule
    Week 1 What is China?
    Week 2 The century of humiliation
    Week 3 Chinese revolution
    Week 4 The making of the Chinese Socialist State
    Week 5 Socialism with Chinese characteristics
    Week 6 The Dengist reforms
    Week 7 Tiananmen
    Week 8 The rise of China
    Week 9 Domestic challenges
    Week 10 Global challenges
    Week 11 Charting China's future
    Week 12 Independent research
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Weighting Learning Outcome
    Tutorial attendance and participation Formative and Summative 10% 1-5
    Tutorial presentation Formative and Summative 20% 1-5
    Writing exercises Formative and Summative 20% 1-5
    1800 word major essay Formative and Summative 50% 1-5
    Assessment Detail
    Information available upon enrolment.
    Submission
    All assignments are submitted electronically via MyUni.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

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  • Policies & Guidelines
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