POLIS 2113 - Chinese Economy, Politics and Business

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2016

The course information on this page is being finalised for 2016. Please check again before classes commence.

China?s economic and geopolitical rise is arguably the most significant phenomenon defining the early 21st century. But what is `China?? The media and academia often portray China as a unitary actor, a `black box? or `China, Inc.? which `does?, `says? or `demands? something. In reality though, this monolith hides enormously complex and fascinating domestic political, economic and social processes, which interplay influences economies and societies of not only Australasia, but also more distant Americas and Africa. Chinese Economy, Politics and Business will reveal these diverse patterns of political and economic development, competing state agencies, problems of cross-department coordination, mismatch between central and local policies and the relevance of all of these for the wider world. It will do so by examining China?s contemporary economic and political system, as well as its business environment. More specifically, Chinese Economy and Politics will clarify the Chinese governmental structure and identify key domestic actors competing for political and economic power in China. It will discuss the political and economic reforms and their effectiveness in addressing the growing middle class?s demands for greater political participation, well-paid jobs, affordable housing, safe food, clean air and water. It will also consider the Chinese government?s capacity to tackle major problems facing contemporary China, including the middle-income trap and persistent regional economic disparities. Furthermore, Chinese Economy and Politics will discuss the politics of doing business in China and the extent to which Hong Kong, Taiwan and the West contribute to China?s economic growth. The course will end by evaluating Beijing?s diplomatic strategies in the context of its developmental agenda.

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Course Details

Course Code	POLIS 2113
Course	Chinese Economy, Politics and Business
Coordinating Unit	Politics and International Relations
Term	Semester 2
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 I undergraduate study
Incompatible	POLI 2113
Assessment	Small group discovery (25%), Online test I (15%), Online test II (20%), Research paper (40%)

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Czeslaw Tubilewicz

Office: Napier 410
Phone: 8313 5169

Course Timetable

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

Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:
1. Debate the evolution of the Chinese state in the pos-1978 era
2. Define the key features of the Chinese political, economic and social systems
3. Discuss the significance of centrifugal and centripetal forces in Chinese history and the significance of the ‘Century of Humiliation’
4. Identify and discuss the key economic, political and social challenges facing contemporary China
5. Debate China’s role in the Asia-Pacific region and the world
6. Participate in group discussions about contested concepts with confidence and with tolerance for other points of view
7. Strengthen problem solving and critical thinking skills
8. Navigate the large amounts of research material available in this subject through both traditional academic sources and through the use of information technology
University Graduate Attributes

No information currently available.
Learning Resources

Required Resources

You will need to purchase the Course Reader, which contains the required reading for all tutorials.
There is no textbook assigned for this course.

One copy of the Course Reader will be available in the Reserve Collection of the Barr-Smith Library. Electronic copies of all readings will be also placed on Myuni.

To purchase the Course Reader, go to https://shop.adelaide.edu.au/konakart/Welcome.action. You can pick up your purchased copy for collection from the Image and Copy Centre, Level 1, Hughes Building.

Recommended Resources

Recommended academic readings are also made available on Myuni.

Internet Resources

Asian Studies Virtual Library http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html
Brookings Institution Center for Northeast Policy Studies
http://www.brookings.edu/CNAPS.ASPX
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace http://www.ceip.org
Center for Nonproliferation Studies, China Database http://www.nti.org/db/china
Central Asia-Caucasus Institute http://www.cacianalyst.org
China Data Center (University of Michigan) http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/chinadata
China Documentation Center at George Washington University’s Gelman Library
http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/seearr/cdc
China Statistical Yearbook Online http://www.stats.gov.cn
Chinese Military Power http://www.comw.org/cmp
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.fmprc.gov.cn
Chinese Studies Internet Resources
http://www.library.ucla.edu/eastasian/china.htm
CIA World Factbook: China Report
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/countrytemplate_ch.html
Council on Foreign Relations http://www.cfr.org
Council on Security Cooperation in Asia-Pacific http://www.cscap.org
CSIS Pacific Forum http://www.csis.org/pacfor
Federation of American Scientists, China page
http://www.fas.org/news/china/index.html
Human Rights in China http://www.hrichina.org
Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org
Lowy Institute for International Policy http://www.lowyinstitute.org/
National Bureau of Asian Research http://www.strategicasia.nbr.org
National Committee on U.S.-China Relations http://www.ncuscr.org
National Security Archive http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv
Nautilus Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network Daily Report
http://www.nautilus.org/napsnet/dr/index.html
NDU Center for Chinese Military Studies
http://www.ndu.edu/INSS/CHINA_Center/INSS_About_CSCMA.htm
RAND Corporation http://rand.org
Republic of China (Taiwan) Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.mofa.gov.tw/webapp/mp?mp=6
Taiwan Security Research http://www.taiwansecurity.org
UNDP http://www.undp.org
US-China Economic and Security Review Commission http://www.uscc.gov

Online newspapers
China:
China Daily http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/
People’s Daily Online http://english.people.com.cn/
China Internet Info Centre http://www.china.org.cn/index.htm
China National News http://www.chinanationalnews.com/
China News Net http://www.chinanews.net/index.php
China Tech News http://www.chinatechnews.com/
Shanghai Daily http://www.shanghaidaily.com/
Radio China International http://www.chinabroadcast.cn (multilingual)
Xinhua News http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/

Hong Kong:
South China Morning Post http://scmp.com (paid subscription only)
The Standard http://www.thestandard.com.hk/

Taiwan:
China Post Online http://chinapost.com.tw
Taipei Times http://taipeitimes.com
Taiwan News http://taiwannews.com.tw

International:
International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/pages/index.php
Radio Free Asia http://www.rfa.org/english/china/
Voice of America, Asia Service http://www.voanews.com/english/asia.cfm

Online Learning

The POLI 2113 MyUni site contains announcements, copies of many course materials such as lecture notes, lecture recordings, assigned and recommended readings, a discussion forum, and links to useful web sites. You should check this site regularly.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

The two lectures outline the material to be discussed in each week’s tutorials. The online lecture provides the background for the in-class lecture. The tutorials are your opportunity to ensure that you understand the key concepts discussed during the lectures. The full tutorial programme is in the Course Reader and on Myuni.

You will be expected to have completed the assigned reading so that tutorial discussions proceed on an informed basis. The tutorial questions and tutorial activities are designed for you to get the most out of the assigned reading, so complete the reading with those questions or activities in mind. In small group teaching,students learn from each other and the process is governed by the questions raised by students as well as the questions in the Course Guide.

Workload

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

Class contact (12x2 hour lectures + 1 x 1 hour tutorials) 36 hours
Tutorial preparation (3 hours per tutorial) 33 hours
Preparation for the mid-term online test 10 hours
Preparation for the final online test 18 hours
Research preparation 25 hours
Writing the research essay 34 hours
Total 156 hours

Learning Activities Summary

Subject to change: See MyUni and the Course Guide for the latest programme.

Week 1 Unity, stability and Development in Contemporary China
Week 2 How China is ruled?
Week 3 Political Change in post-Mao China
Week 3 Ethnic minorities and their challenge
Week 4 The politics of economic reforms
Week 5 Federalism with Chinese characteristics
Week 6 Energy security
Week 7 Environmental sustainability
Week 8 Food security and safety
Week 9 Integration with Hong Kong
Week 10 Taiwan and China’s reunification project
Week 11 China in the world

Small Group Discovery Experience

All tutorial activities are structured around small group learning that encourages and supports team work and a lively exchange of ideas.

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

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

Assessment Summary

Small group discovery 20%
Team project 15%
Mid-term online test 5%
Final online test 10%
Research paper 50%

Assessment Detail

Please refer to the Course Guide posted on Myuni.

Submission

Please refer to the Course Guide posted on 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.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator