Chinese Politics

This course is class-restricted to sophomores, juniors and seniors. This course provides an in-depth exploration of Chinese political institutions and behaviors from a comparative perspective. The course has three components. First, it surveys the historical development of the Chinese state and examines how its past legacies have shaped its modern political norms and practices. Second, it examines the roles and functions of the PRC's major political institutions, including the Chinese Communist Party, the central and local bureaucracy, the peoples congresses, the judiciary, and so on. Lastly, it explores key governance challenges facing the contemporary Chinese regime, including corruption, censorship and propaganda, ethnic conflicts, Taiwan, and other pressing issues.