Grinnell College

Pol 275.01
Government and Politics of China

(4 credits)

Spring 2002-03 T14:15-15:05, Th14:15-16:05 Noyce Science 1405
Instructor: Byron Weng (301 Carnegie, Ext. 3308, Box G-5, weng@grinnell.edu)

Description

This course purports to introduce interested students to the governments and politics of the People’s Republic of China. It deals with the formal structure and process of the political system as well as the key issues in the evolving politics of China after 1949. With regard to the former, an emphasis is placed on the role of the Communist Party of China. As to the latter, attention is focused on the reform period, i.e., 1978 to the present. Students are expected to have had a course in political science or China studies. Otherwise, a student must demonstrate that he/she has a basic familiarity with the analytic tools and concepts of comparative politics and/or some area-specific knowledge of China.

Efforts will be made to conduct the class as objectively and openly as possible. Hopefully, students will acquire a broad and balanced understanding of the Chinese political system, whatever their political persuasion. Along the way, a keen student should have learned about analytical tools for China studies and useful literature on the subject as well.

Reading Sources

Books

Reading assignments are taken largely from the following books.

  1. June Teufel Dreyer, China’s Political System: Modernization and Tradition (3rd Edition) (New York, Longman, 2000).
  2. Joseph Fewsmith, China Since Tiananmen: The Politics of Transition (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001).
  3. Suisheng Zhao, ed., China and Democracy: Reconsidering the Prospects for a Democratic China (New York: Routledge, 2000).
  4. Roderick MacFarquhar, ed., The Politics of China, 2nd edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997)
  5. Jung Chang, Wild Swan: Three Daughters of China, (New York:Anchor Books, 1992)

English Periodicals

Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with as many as possible of the periodicals listed here early in the semester.

Asian Survey

Beijing Review, Weekly, Beijing

China Daily, Beijing

China News Digest (CND), online news service

China Quarterly, UK

China Journal, Australia.

Chinese Economy

Chinese Law and Government

Chinese Education and Society

Contemporary Chinese Thought

Current History (September issue)

Far Eastern Economic Review, weekly, Hong Kong

Issues and Studies (Taiwan)

Journal of Asian Studies

Journal of Contemporary China

Modern China

South China Morning Post, Daily, Hong Kong

           

Useful Internet Sites

  1. CNN Special Series--China in 1999 at 50
    http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/china.50/
  2. WWW Vertual Library, Internet Guide for Chinnese Studies
    http://sun.sino.uni-heidelberg.de/igcs/igpol.htm
  3. People’s Daily
    http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/home.shtml
  4. The 16th CPC Congress
    http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/zhuanti/Zhuanti_251.shtml
  5. US Embassy in China
    http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/index.html
  6. China News Digest
    http://www.cnd.org/
  7. China Gateway
    http://www.mac.doc.gov/china/chinagateway.html
  8. Chinese Law Net
    http://www.law.washington.edu/clnet/

Grades

All students taking the course for credit are expected to read the assigned materials and participate in the tutorial/discussion faithfully. Grades will be given on the basis of book reports (20%), mid-term examination (20%), final examination or research paper (40%) and tutorial/discussion contribution (20%).

Tutorials, Book Reports and Examinations

The two book reports (due February 13 and April 03, 2003 respectively) are meant to have students go through two worthwhile books (one to be chosen from one of the four required texts and the other, from the list distributed, in consultation with the instructor) with some care. Each report (5-7 double-spaced pages) should give a full citation of the book, followed by a synopsis of its main thesis and major contents, a critique on its salient features, and a personal reflection.

The mid-term and final examinations are to ascertain students' learning as well as to help the instructor in his evaluation of effective teaching. Examinations will be in essay form, covering materials in both lectures and required readings. The mid-term will take 50 minutes and the final, 100 minutes. However, a research paper may be substituted for the final examination.         

Students who choose to do a research paper should register their tentative topics with the instructor no later than March 11. It is to be understood that a research paper must follow established academic format, with proper documentation of sources and reflect clarity in organization and argumentation. There is no limitation as to the length, normally, perhaps 15 to 25 pages for this level. Research papers are due on May 8, 2003.

Tutorials on Tuesdays, beginning February 11, are to provide opportunities for teams of students to take charge of a session, make a presentation (no more than 15 minutes each) and lead discussions on a question or an issue. For this purpose, it is recommended that a single page “pointed outline” be distributed. Observing each other's performance may also be a helpful learning process. The instructor will assist in preparation and give his critical comments.

Schedule, Topics and Readings

In general, there will be two hours of lecture and one hour of tutorial each week. The lectures by the instructor are meant to cover the topics of the week, but not at the expense of effective learning. Students are welcome to cut in with questions, differing opinions and other pertinent contributions during the lecture. The tutorial session will deal with a question or an issue (See suggested list.). It is also possible to combine this with the book reports.

Lecture topics are outlined below. Coordinated reading assignments will be provided in separate sheets.

Government and Politics of China

I.

Introduction: China Studies: Sources and Methodology
       

II.

Historical Background
       
 
  • Political Traditions: Thought and Institutions
  • Western Challenge
  • Reforms and Revolutions
  • The KMT (Guomintang) and the Republic of China
  • The CPC and the People's Republic of China
       

III.

The Government Apparatus of the PRC
       
 

1.

The 1982 Constitution of the PRC
 

2.

Central Government
   

a)

the National People's Congress
   

b)

the Standing Committee of the NPC
   

c)

the President
   

d)

the State Council
   

e)

the Central Military Commission
   

f)

the Supreme People's Court
   

g)

the Supreme People's Procuratorate
   

h)

the CPPCC

 

3.

Local Government

 

4.

Law in a Communist System: Socialist Legality
       

IV.

The Political System

 

1.

The Communist Party of China
   

a)

organization--the shadow government
   

b)

management--democratic centralism
 

2.

The "Democratic Parties"
 

3.

The Political Role of the Military
 

4.

Characteristics of the Leadership and the Succession Problem
 

5.

Popular Participation
 

6.

Socialist Legality and Socialist Democracy
       

V.

The System in Evolution
 

1.

The PRC's Developmental Experiences: Periodization
 

2.

The Second Revolution a la Deng Xiaoping
 

3.

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
 

4.

Prospects of Democracy in the PRC
       

VI.

The Obsession with National Unification
       

VII.

China’s Quest for a Place in the Sun

Suggested List of Tutorial Topics

1.

The Relevance of Confucianism Today

2.

Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong in the Scale of History

3.

The Reformer's Dilemma—the Cases of Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang

4.

The 1989 Tiananmen Massacre in Retrospect

5.

“The Theory of Early State Socialism”

6.

Civil Society in China as of 2002

7.

China as the Factory of the World

8.

Central-Local Relations in Jiang Zeming’s China

9.

The Problems of Sannong (Agriculture, Village, and Peasants)

10

Internet Control in China

11.

US-China Relations: the Question of Taiwan

12.

China and the American Policy of Anti-Terrorism

Weekly Schedule

Note: * Asterisked items are on reserve at the Library

Jan 21

Introduction
 

China Studies: Sources and Methodology

23

China and the PRC: Salient Characteristics

 

Readings:

Dreyer, Chapter 1.

   

*Harry Harding, “The Contemporary Study of Chinese Politics”

 

  

The China Quarterly (No. 139), pp. 699-703.

 

  

Jung Chang, Wild Swan: Three Daughters of China, Anchor Books, 1992 Chapters 1-6
     

Jan 28

Historical Background
 

Political Tradition and Revolutionary Experiences

30

(Course organization)
 

Readings:

Dreyer, Chapter 2-

 

  

Zhao, Chapters 1-4.

     

Feb 04

The 1982 Constitution of the PRC

06

(No class)

(TBA)

The Government Apparatus: Central Government

 

Readings:

The 1982 Constitution of the PRC http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/constitution/constitution.html

 

  

*Kenneth Lieberthal, Governing China: From Revolution Through Reform, Norton, W. W. & Company,1997. Chapters 6, 7.
     

Feb 11

(No class)

  

(TBA)

Tutorial: Relevance of Confucianism Today

 13

(Book Report I due date)

 

Local Government
 

Readings:

*Tony Saich, Governance and Politics of China, 2001, Chapters 5-6.
     

Feb 18

Tutorial: Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong in the Scale of History

 20

Law in a Communist System: Socialist Legality
 

Readings:

Dreyer, Chapter 8
     

Feb 25

Tutorial: The Reformer's Dilemma

 

—the Cases of Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang

 27

The Communist Party of China
 

 a)

Organization - the shadow government

 

b)

Management - democratic centralism
 

Readings:

The 1982 Constitution of the CPC http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200211/18/eng20021118_107013.shtml

 

  

Jiang Zemin, Build a Well-off Society in an All-Round Way and Create a New Situation in Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics (Delivered at the Opening of the 16th CPC Party Congress on November 8, 2002)

   

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/features/16thpartyreport/home.html
     

Mar 04

Mid-Term Examination

 06

The Political Role of the Military

 

    
 

Readings:

Dreyer, Chapter 9
     

Mar 11

(Registration of Research Topic)

 

Tutorial: Civil Society in China as of 2002

 13

The System in Evolution
 

Readings:

MacFarquhar, All Chapters
     

(Mar 15-31 Spring Recess)
     

Apr 01

Tutorial: China as the Factory of the World

 03

Book Report II due)

 

Politics under Mao Zedong

 

Readings:

Dreyer, Chapter 5

 

  

Chang, Chapters 7-27
     

Apr 08

Tutorial: Central-Local Relations in Jiang Zeming’s China

 10

The Second Revolution a la Deng Xiaoping
 

Readings:

Chang, Chapter 28, Epilogue

 

  

Dreyer, Chapter 6

 

  

Fewsmith, Introduction, Chapters 1-5
     

Apr 15

Tutorial: Sannong (Agriculture, Village, and Peasants) Problems

17

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
 

Readings:

Dreyer, Chapter 7, 12

 

  

Fewsmith, Chapters 6, 7, Conclusion

 

  

*Lucian W. Pye, “An Overview of 50 Years of the PRC:

 

  

Some Progress, but Big Problems Remain,”

 

  

The China Quarterly (No. 159), pp. 569-579.
     

Apr 22

Tutorial: Internet Control in China

 

Prospects of Democracy in the PRC
 

Readings:

Zhao, Chapters 6, 9, 10, 11
     

Apr 29

Tutorial: US-China Relations: the Question of Taiwan

May 01

The Obsession with National Unification
 

Readings:

Dreyer, Chapter 9
     

May 06

Tutorial: China and the American Policy of Anti-Terrorism

 08

China’s Quest for a Place in the Sun
 

Readings:

Dreyer, Chapter 14, 15

 

(Research Paper due)
     

May 15

Final Examination

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