Outline

Overview

This unit will examine the internal governance of the People's Republic of China and aspects of its external relations. It begins by tracing the emergence of the PRC's political system after 1949, focussing on key features of Maoism and the rationale of Post Mao reforms. It then considers the remarkable economic, demographic and social changes that have occurred in recent years and how the Communist party-state has responded to a range of crucial challenges. Finally the unit will analyse the impact of these issues on the Chinese Communist Party's legitimacy.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	GOVT6111
Academic unit	Government and International Relations
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Minglu Chen, minglu.chen@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Online task	Reading quizzes Multiple choice questions based on required readings	10%	Multiple weeks	500 words equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Seminar participation attendance and active contribution in class	10%	Ongoing	N/A
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Paper 1 submitted work	40%	Week 07 Due date: 14 Sep 2023 at 23:59	2500wd
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Paper 2 submitted work	40%	Week 13 Due date: 02 Nov 2023 at 23:59	3000wd
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found in the Canvas site for this unit.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	China’s revolution(s): 1911-1949	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	China under Mao: 1949-78	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	China’s economic reform: post 1978	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Xi Jinping and The Chinese Communist Party	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Women in Politics	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	The China Model: A model for the rest?	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Participation and protest	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Governance beyond the Central	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 10	Addressing Inequality	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Ethnic relations in the Chinese society	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	The issue of Hong Kong	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Regime Legitimacy	Seminar (2 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Week 1: Introduction

No required readings for this week.

Week 2: China’s Revolution: 1911-1949

Rana Mitter, A Bitter Revolution: China's Struggle with the Modern World, (Oxford UK: Oxford University Press, 2005), pp. 3-40

Joseph W. Esherick, ‘Ten theses on the Chinese revolution’, Modern China, 1995, 21(1), 45-76.

Week 3: China under Mao

Frederick C. Teiwes, “The Chinese State During the Maoist Era,” in David Shambaugh eds., The Modern Chinese State, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000), pp. 105-160.

Andrew G. Walder, China under Mao: A Revolution Derailed, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2015), pp. 315-344

Week 4: China’s economic reform: post 1978

Susan, L. Shirk, The Political Logic of Economic Reform in China, (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1993), pp. 23-51

Barry Naughton, The Chinese Economy: Transitions and Growth, Cambridge: MIT Press, 2007, pp. 85-111.

Week 5: Xi Jingping and The Chinese Communist Party

Richard McGregor, The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers, New York: Penguin, 2010, 70-103.

Zheng Yongnian and Chen Gang, ‘The Chinese Communist Party: an institutional perspective’ in David S.G. Goodman (ed), Handbook of the Politics of China, Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, 2015, 57-75.

Week 6: Women in Politics

Minglu Chen (2022), ‘ “Innocent young girls”: The search for female provincial leaders in China’, The China Quarterly, 251, 751-775.

Xinhui Jiang and Yunyun Zhou (2022), ‘Coalition-based gender lobbying: Revisiting women’s substantive representation in China’s authoritarian governance’, Politics and Gender, 18(4), 978-1010.

Week 7: The China Model: A Model for the Rest?

Barry Naughton, “China’s Distinctive System: Can it Be a Model for Others,” Journal of Contemporary China 19 (65), 2010, pp. 437-460

Minglu Chen and David Goodman, “The China Model: One Country, Six Authors,” Journal of Contemporary China 21 (73), 2012, pp. 169-185

Week 8: Participation and Protest

Pierre F Landry, Deborah Davis and Shiru Wang (2010), ‘Elections in Rural China: competition without parties’, Comparative political Studies, 43(6), 2010, 359-78.

Yongshun Cai and Titi Zhou, “Online Political Participation in China: Local Government and Differentiated Response,” The China Quarterly 238, 2019, pp. 331-352

Mangred Elfstrom, ‘Two steps forward, one step back: Chinese state reactions to labour unrest’, The China Quarterly, 240, 2019, 855-879.

Week 9: Governance Beyond the Central

Jean C. Oi, ‘Fiscal reform and the economic foundations of local state corporatism in China’, World Politics, 45(1), 1992, 99-126.

Jae Ho Chung, China’s Local Governance in Perspective: Instruments of Central Government Control,” The China Journal 75, 2015, pp. 38-60

David S G Goodman, ‘Central control and local governance: the political economy of change since 1949’, in Ceren Ergenc and David S G Goodman (eds) Handbook of Local Governance in China, Edward Elgar, 2023. (PDF will be provided to students)

Week 10: Addressing Inequality

Yingyan Xu, Bingqin Li & Xiaoxing Huang, ‘Outsiders to urban-centric growth: the dual social exclusion of migrant tenant farmers in China’, Third World Quarterly, 42:6, 2021, 1314-1329.

John A Donaldson, ‘Regional development policy and regional inequality’, in David S.G. Goodman (ed), Handbook of the Politics of China, Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, 2015, 187-204.

Goodman, David S G. ‘What’s wrong with inequality: Power, culture and opportunity’, in Wanning Sun and Yingjie Guo (eds), Unequal China: The Political Economy and Cultural Politics of Inequality, Oxon: Routledge, 2012, 200-207.

Week 11: Ethnic Relations in the Chinese Society

James Leibold, ‘Preferential policies for ethnic minorities in China’, in Xiaowei Zang (ed) Handbook of Ethnic Minorities in China, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2016, 165-188.

Mackerras, Colin. “Tibetans, Uyghurs, and multinational ‘China’: Han-minority relations and state legitimation.” In Peter H Gries and Stanley Rosen (eds) Chinese Politics: State, Society and the Market, London: Routledge, 2010, 222-242.

Frank N. Pieke, Knowing China: A Twenty-first Century Guide, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016, Chapter 5, 121-143.

Week 12: The Issue of Hong Kong

Steve Tsang, “The Rise of A Hong Kong Identity,” in Leila Fernández-Stembridge, Taciana Fisac eds., China Today: Economic Reforms, Social Cohesion and Collective Identities, (London Routledge, 2003), pp. 222-239.

Wang Gungwu and John Wong, “After Smooth Handover, Now the Hard Part,” in Zheng Yongnian and Chiew Ping Yew eds., Hong Kong under Chinese Rule: Economic Integration and Political Gridlock, (Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2013), pp. 3-18

Week 13: Legitimacy

Gunter Schubert, ‘One-party rule and the question of legitimacy in contemporary China: Preliminary thoughts on setting up a new research agenda’, Journal of Contemporary China 17 (54), 2008, 191-204.

Peter Gries and Yi Wang, ‘Proscribing the “spiritually Japanese”: nationalist indignation, authoritarian responsiveness and regime legitimation in China today’, The China Quarterly, 245, 122-141.

Hongxing Yang and Dingixin Zhao, ‘Performance legitimacy, state autonomy and China’s economic miracle’, Journal of Contemporary China, 24(91), 2015, 64-82.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. develop a clear understanding of the patterns of political change and continuity in Chinese politics
LO2. become familiar with different methods used to study Chinese politics
LO3. demonstrate the ability to synthesize, analyse, and critique scholarly writing on Chinese politics
LO4. enhance critical reading, analytical, and scholarly writing skills.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

I have updated the lecture topics to make the course content more relevant. I have also adjusted the assignment tasks to better access students' learning outcomes.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

GOVT6111: Chinese Politics

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect