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

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

Teaching staff

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

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 2 September 2024

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Seminar participation attendance and active contribution in class	10%	Ongoing	N/A
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Mid-term Exam Mid-term exam	40%	Week 07	2.5hr / 2500wd
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Proposal The research proposal is a structured outline for the final essay.	10%	Week 09 Due date: 29 Sep 2024 at 23:59	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Essay submitted work	40%	Week 13 Due date: 03 Nov 2024 at 23:59	3000wd
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

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.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

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.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes

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

Mark W. Frazier, ‘ “Single sparks’ and legacies: An eventful account of the May Fourth Movement’, The China Quarterly, 2023, 253, 1-18.

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

Mary E. Gallagher, ‘ “Reform and Openness”: Why China’s Economic Reforms have Delayed Democracy’, World Politics, 2002, 54(3): 338-372.

Week 5: Xi Jingping and The Chinese Communist Party

Holly Snape, ‘The Rise of Party Law: Rewiring the Party, Recalibrating the Party-state Relationship’, The China Journal, published online June 10 2024, 1-26.

Wen-Hsuan Tsai and Wang Zhou, ‘Centralizing Rules: How Party Regulations are Reinforcing Cadre Loyalty in Today’s China’, The China Journal, published online May 31 2024, 1-19.

Week 6: Women in Politics

Minglu Chen (2024). ‘Women’s Political Leadership and the Party Agenda: The Coverage of Female Politburo Members in the People’s Daily’, The China Journal, 91, 44-66.

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: Mid-term Exam, in class

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.

Tony Huiquan Zhang, Jianhua Xu and Jinjin Liu, ‘How do Toothless Tigers Bite? Extra-Institutional Governance and Internet Censorship by Local Governments in China’, The China Quarterly, 2024, 1-20.

Wang Zheng, ‘Detention of the Feminist Five in China’, Feminist Studies, 41(2), 2015, 476-482.

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

Beibei Tang, ‘Grid Governance in China’s Urban Middle-Class Neighbourhoods’, The China Quarterly, 2020, 241: 43-61.

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.

C. Cindy Fan and Mingjie Sun, ‘Regional Inequality in China, 1978-2006’, Eurasian Geography and Economics, 2008, 49(1), 1-20.

Walder, Andrew G. (2023). ‘China’s extreme inequality: The structural legacies of state socialism’. The China Quarterly, 90, 1-26.

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.

Ying Miao, ‘Privilege and Prejudice: Han Victimhood and Legitimizing Islamophobia in China’, The China Quarterly. Published online 2024: 1-22.

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.

IP Iam-Chong, ‘Politics of Belonging: A Study of the Campaign against Mainland Visitors in Hong Kong’, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 2015, 16(3): 410-421.

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.

Shouzhi Xia (2022), ‘Amusing Ourselves to Loyalty? Entertainment, Propaganda, and Regime Resilience in China’. Political Research Quarterly. 75(4): 1096-1112.

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 reading list, reduced the number of assessment tasks, and introduced mid-term exam.

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

Support for students

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, 2024 [Normal evening] - 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

Support for students

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