EAST ASIAN STUDIES (EASC) 160gm CHINA AND THE WORLD

Lecture: Tues/Thurs 2:00 - 3:20 in THH 201

Professor: Joshua Goldstein, Associate Professor of History
Office Hours: Tues and Thurs 11-12:30 in SOS 260
SECTION TIMES AND PLACES
TIME
PLACE
Monday 10
THH 119
Monday 11
THH B9
Tuesday 9
VKC 252
Wednesday 11
VKC 260
Wednesday 1
VKC 252
Thursday 10
VKC 209
Friday 10
THH 110
Friday 11
VCK 154

SECTION #
25834R
25835R
25819R
25836R
25837R
25823R
25838R
25839R

INSTRUCTOR
Yi Shao
Yi Shao
Caitlyn Stone
Cassandra Dierolf
Cassandra Dierolf
Stefan Tsai
Stefan Tsai
Caitlyn Stone

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to Chinese politics, history, society and culture focused
specifically on Chinas interactions with the world beyond its borders. It is designed to
prepare the student to take a wide variety of upper-division courses across the humanities
and the social sciences and to introduce students to some basic research methods in
history and international relations. The overarching goal of the class is to prepare students
to understand issues related to contemporary China and more broadly across East Asia.
This course will provide an overview of the historical and contemporary issues that bring
China into ever increasing prominence in global politics, trade and culture. The course
will begin with an overview of Chinas diplomatic and political history as it provides a
repository of themes that still reverberate strongly today. We then move on to focus on
how Chinas integration into the global economy and its rise as a major power in
international trade and the East Asian region raises challenges and opportunities, both
new and old, for Chinas neighbors, the US, and in countries throughout the world, from
Africa to the Caribbean.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
After completing the course students will be able to:
Apply methods of social analysis from political science, economics, and
sociology to the study of China.
Demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between human action and
institutions and organizations in the contemporary global economy. We will do
this in several arenas. For example, a central unit of this course involves
analyzing Chinas role as the workshop of the world from the perspectives of
various Chinese individuals and groups participating in manufacturing, trade and
economic development.
Have a basic understanding of the importance of careful description and
explanation in the social sciences

Know how to identify the main argument in a reading and to interpret it critically
based on the logic and evidence presented
Use academic resources and research tools (for example, databases like LexisNexis) in order to compile, organize, and assess the usefulness of empirical
evidence, skills to be demonstrated through group work and formal presentations
Have a basic knowledge of Chinese history and contemporary Chinese society
and politics

LECTURES: You are STRONGLY encouraged to attend all lectures and take careful
notes. The content from lectures will be on the exams and will also be useful for your
writing assignments. Throughout the semester there will be several guest lectures by
eminent scholars and a few documentary films shown. These documentaries will be
available at Leavey Library, but please realize there is only one copy of each, and you
will be expected to know their content for your papers, midterms and final. In short, the
best way to ensure you have complete access to all the pertinent materials is to attend
class.
But note: I will not be taking attendance in lecture; whether you come is up to you.
Whenever possible Thursdays lecture will begin with a discussion of the news regarding
China that week. Please come to class ready to talk about what youve read or heard or
seen in the news media about China.
Also note: Only bring your laptop or other electronics to class if you plan to use them to
take notes and view documents related to the class. If you use electronics for other
purposes you might be asked to leave the room.
SECTION: Participation in discussion sections is a crucial component of the course.
Attendance at section IS MANDATORY. The teaching assistants will be doing the
grading and I will intervene only to ensure that the grades given out by each of the
teaching assistants are consistent and fair. Attendance and participation in the discussion
sections will be noted and will be reflected in your final grade.
GRADING: Your TAs will be responsible for evaluating your work and participation and
for assigning grades to your performance. If you have any questions about how your
work is being evaluated, please begin by discussing it with your TA; if you still want to
follow up you can bring your question or issue to me. If you are taking issue with a grade
on a paper or midterm be aware that if you want me to re-evaluate your grade I will regrade your work completely, with as much possibility that the grade will fall as rise.
READINGS:
All readings for the class will be available either in the bookstore or on Blackboard.
The two books in the bookstore are:
Barry Naughton: The Chinese Economy, Transitions and Growth
Leslie Chang, Factory Girls

ASSIGNMENTS
PARTICIPATION: 15%
Participation starts with coming to section. The quality of your participation will be
evaluated and graded by your TA. At the bare minimum you should be prepared to talk
intelligently about the readings and lectures for the week. Your TA, at her or his
discretion, will decide whether quizzes, discussion questions, reading notes, response
papers, or other methods will be used to spur productive conversation.
MIDTERM: 15%: An early midterm will be given in class at the beginning of
Week 5. Two weeks prior to the midterm you will get a review sheet explaining what
will be on the test.
SHORT PAPER: 10% 3-4 pages
I will post 4 folders on Blackboard, each containing 8 news articles on a specific topic
related to China. Four of the articles will be from Chinese news media, four from US
media. You will be asked to choose any one of these topics and analyze how the story is
covered differently across this range of sources and provide convincing hypotheses for
the differences you find. You are encouraged to also use readings from the course to
strengthen your argument.
TERM PAPER: 15% 6-7 pages
This paper should be approximately 2000 words in length and will explore the hotly
contested issues of the relative benefits and problems that have come with Chinas rise as
the workshop of the world. All sources for the paper will derive from the required
readings and documentary films for the class.
SECTION PROJECT: 15%
The idea behind the section project is to work with you classmates on gathering,
organizing and studying information about Chinas foreign relations and interactions
while learning how to evaluate information in the news media. During the last 4 weeks
of the semester, each section will be assigned a geographical region. Students will be
randomly assigned to one of several countries within that region and asked as a group to
research that nations relationship with China. Sections will present their findings in 15minute presentations during the last week of classes. Your work will be evaluated by
reports you hand of your individual research, and your participation in group-work. Your
TA will provide you with more detailed guidelines for these assignments in section as the
date approaches.
FINAL: 30%
As with the midterm, a review sheet will be provided well ahead of the exam date. The
final will cover the general material for the class, but will also be designed to give
students the chance to elaborate on topics they have worked on during the semester.

Students with Disabilities

Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to
register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of
verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the
letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. Your letter must be specific
as to the nature of any accommodations granted. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open
8:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The telephone number for DSP is (213)
740-0776. (This statement is suggested by the office of the Provost).
Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is a bedrock principle of any university.
Students are encouraged to consult the Trojan Integrity Guide and the Undergraduate
Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism, both available online. Incidents of suspected plagiarism
or cheating will be referred immediately to the professor and handled in accordance with
the universitys enforcement guidelines.
Extra Credit: Students that work with JEP for the semester and earn credit from them
will get 3 % points of extra credit toward their final grade in the class. More details will
be provided in the first week of class.
COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
AUG 26
AUG 28

Getting Started
Lecture: Go over syllabus; screen portions of Misunderstanding China
Class: Geographyyes it actually matters
Read: Naughton: Intro and Chapter 1

WEEK 2
SEPT 2

Pretty much all of imperial history in a week

Class: From the creation of the universe to Zhenghes voyages
Read: Sextants of Beijing, Chapter 1
Also: Documents on Blackboard: Fujiwara Seika: Letter to Prince of
Annam, Ships Oath; Hayashi Razan: Conversation w/ Korean Envoys.
Class: The Qing dynastys geo-political legacy
Read: On Blackboard: Excerpt 1 from Keith Schoppa Revolution and Its
Past: pp. 24-33. Mark Elliott: Emperor Qianlong pp. 1-5, 12-18, 86-102.
File of contemporary news articles on Xinjiang and Tibet.

SEPT 4

WEEK 3
SEPT 9
SEPT 11

Foreign relations and migrations in the early modern era

Class: The opium war and another kerfuffle or two
Read: On Blackboard: Excerpt 2 & 3 from Schoppas Revolution and Its
Past pp.46-65; 88-110. On De-Asianization by Fukuzawa Yukichi
Class: China bridge/ overseas Chinese
Read: On Blackboard: Kuhn, Chapter 3 of Chinese Among Others;
selected primary sources from Land W/out Ghosts.

WEEK 4
SEPT 16

SEPT 18
Week 5
SEPT 23
SEPT 25

China in the 20th century

Class: 50 years of war punctuated by moments of peace
Read: Naughton, Chapter 2 and on Blackboard selected writing of Mao
Zedong. Also read Wikipedia entry on Greater East Asia Co-prosperity
Sphere at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_East_Asia_CoProsperity_Sphere
Class: The Mao era and the Cold War
Read: Naughton Chapter 3; Blackboard, excerpts from Jonathan Spence
Midterm Week
Class: The Cultural Revolution
Read: On Blackboard: Kelley and Esch Black Like Mao and Cultural
Revolution biographies
Class: Midterm

WEEK 6
The Deng Era
SEPT 30
Class: Dengs Rise and Early Reforms
NOTE: Beginning with this lecture and through the two lectures over the following week
we will be screening the entire documentary Gate of Heavenly Peace and the prof will
be interrupting it w/ comments and discussion.
Read: Naughton, Chapter 4; on
OCT 3
Class: Gate of Heavenly Peace continued
Read: On Blackboard: Yu Huas Introduction, The People, and Disparity.
WEEK 7
OCT 7
OCT 9
WEEK 8
OCT 14
OCT 16
WEEK 9
OCT 21
OCT 23

1989 STUDENT MOVEMENT

Class: Finish Gate of Heavenly Peace
Reading: Factory girls 1-4; On Blackboard: articles on Hong Kong
Class: Hukou, migrant labor and Leslie Changs Ted talk
Read: Factory girls 5; Naughton Chapter 5
IF migrants are the motor
Class: The critique of globalization: Screening China Blue
Read: Factory girls 6-9; Naughton Chapters 8 and 9
Class: Finish screening China Blue
Read: Factory Girls 10-11
THEN who is the driver?
Class: China in the global economy
Read: Finish Factory Girls; Naughton chapter 16
Class: Environmental crises and social unrest
Read: Naughton chapter 20

WEEK 10
OCT 28
OCT 30
WEEK 11
NOV 4
NOV 6
WEEK 12
NOV 11
NOV 13
WEEK 13
NOV 18
NOV 20
WEEK 14
NOV 24

Class: TERM PAPERS DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS

Class: The warm fuzzies: Chinas soft power offensive and beyond SOFT
Read: On Blackboard: articles on Soft Power
China in East Asia (Section projects begin this week)
Class: China in regional perspective: Prof. David Kang guest lecture
Read: On Blackboard; TBA
Class: Looking further into China-East Asian relations today
Read: On Blackboard: recent articles on East Asian issues
China and China (or is it Taiwan?)
Class: Taiwan and the PRC in the news
Read: On Blackboard: On Blackboard, Shelley Rigger Why Taiwan
Matters Chapter 1; and recent articles on events in and relating to Taiwan
Class: China and Taiwan: guest lecture Dan Lynch
Read: articles by and/or assigned by Prof. Lynch
Chinas growing global influence
Class: China in Africa
Read: On Blackboard: Selected articles on China/Africa relations
Class: Screening When China Met Africa
Read: On Blackboard: Selections from Brautigams The Dragons Gift

NOV 26

Put a fork in a bird (or poultry substitute)

Class: LAST DAY TO HAND IN SHORT ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS
Read: On Blackboard; selected articles from the last week
THANKSGIVING

WEEK 15
DEC 2
DEC 4

Put a fork in the semester! Section Project Presentations

Section Presentations
Section Presentations