This course discusses Chinese society, its social organisation, and its economic development and exposes students to the contrasting socio-political, cultural and economic contexts of a modern Asian socialist state with a thriving market economy. It provides a broad sweep of the historical context of social change and seeks to equip students with a good appreciation of the history, culture, society, economy and policy in China through lectures and seminars as well as through direct communication and discussion with China experts.
China has been transformed from a traditional centrally-planned economy into a market economy, and an enormous new middle class has been born. The rapid rise of China is one of the telling stories of our times and, from a business perspective, it is a land of abundant opportunity. However, questions have also been raised about the environmental sustainability and social costs of the Chinese success story. Moreover, China's rise has been met with scepticism and doubt in the West, mainly in the US and the EU. How will this all play out? What are the implications of China's rise?
The course combines regular teaching with guest lectures from people with extensive experiences of dealing with China (either in private or public sector). In addition to formal lectures, the course relies on case studies, recent research studies, media coverage and insights from domain experts. The course materials, taken together, will provide students with a solid understanding of China and enable them to benefit from and fully participate in the meetings that take place throughout the course.