The rise of China in the Asia-Pacific region

This course will introduce you to contentious political issues in contemporary China, with a view to equipping you to better understand the politics of the Asia-Pacific region.  You will begin by surveying China’s major internal political changes over the past decade. You will examine why Chinese Communist Party places so much emphasis on internal stability since Tiananmen 1989, Xi Jinping’s rise to power, and the effects of thee COVID-19 pandemic. You will then delve into the causes and consequences of censorship and public protest. In the second half of the course you will examine some of the major political challenges associated with the rise of China. You will examine environmental pollution, gender inequality, rural/urban inequality, repression in Xinjiang, political polarization in Hong Kong, and foreign policy challenges including  Taiwanese reunification. The unit concludes by placing the growing geopolitical polarization between the West and China in a broader historical context. You will explore an ongoing geopolitical conflict by critically analyzing the relevant academic literature, relating the literature to ongoing news and current events, and developing your own policy proposal on how best to resolve this conflict.