Duke TIP Field Studies – 2013
Course: Political Science and International Relations
Location: Shanghai, Xi’an, and Beijing
Instructor: Sarah Fisher
Group Leader: Ashley Staples
Instructional Counselors: Ford Johnson & Melanie Weyant
Course Materials and Pre-Departure Assignments
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The China Fantasy: Why Capitalism Will Not Bring Democracy to China 2008 by James Mann
o Read BEFORE the trip
o ISBN: 978-0143112921
o Can be purchased on Amazon.com (about $13 new or $4 used)
China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps by Larry Herzberg
o Read BEFORE the trip
o ISBN 978-1933330518
o Can be purchased on Amazon.com (about $9 new)
Print and read the following articles. You are expected to read them BEFORE the trip and bring them
with you to China. Articles from Foreign Affairs can be purchased for $0.99. Articles from Foreign Policy
and The Atlantic are available online (URL included below).
o Kaplan, Robert D. “How We Would Fight China” 2005 in The Atlantic URL:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2005/06/how-we-would-fight-china/303959/
o Nathan, Andrew and Andrew Scobell. “How China Sees America” 2012 in Foreign Affairs
o Ikenberry, John G. “The Rise of China and the Future of the West” 2008 in Foreign Affairs
o Segal, Adam. “Chinese Computer Games” 2012 in Foreign Affairs
o Fallows, James. “Arab Spring, Chinese Winter” 2011 in The Atlantic URL:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/09/arab-spring-chinese-winter/308601/1/
o Roasa, Dustin. “China’s Soft Power Surge” 2012 in Foreign Policy, URL:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/11/18/chinas_soft_power_surge
Read ONE of the following books BEFORE the trip. Bring your notes with you to China (no need to bring
the book). These are popular press (non-academic) books on China. Feel free to read more than one if
you are so inclined. These books are probably available at your local library and certainly available on
Amazon.com. All of these books are available for about $4 (used) - $12 (new).
o Red China Blues, Jan Wong
o Color of the Mountain, Da Chen
o The Good Earth, Pearl Buck
o Iron and Silk, Mark Salzman
Watch the PBS Frontline documentary The Tank Man. You can view the entire film online for free here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tankman/view/. You must watch this BEFORE the trip. This
documentary outlines the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests and subsequent government
crackdown, and, as the film explains, it is not possible to watch in China. Take notes while watching this
documentary and bring your notes with you to China.
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Medium sized journal or scrapbook (not a notebook- the pages tend to fall out too easily). You can find
these at an arts & craft store, bookstore, or online. While in China, you will be required to journal daily.
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Regular notebook/notepad and writing utensils for taking notes in class.
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OPTIONAL further reading included below. These are not required reading for the course, but they offer
some alternative thoughts/views.
o Why the West Rules—For Now: The Patterns of History and What they Reveal About the Future
2011 by Ian Morris
o Does the 21st Century Belong to China? The Munk Debate on China 2011 by Henry Kissinger, Niall
Ferguson, David Daokui Li, and Fareed Zakaria
o About Face: A History of America’s Curious Relationship to China, from Nixon to Clinton 2000 (a bit
dated) by James Mann
o I encourage you to keep up with current events surrounding China via Foreign Policy
www.foreignpolicy.com, The New York Times www.nytimes.com, and NPR www.npr.org.
Course Description
In this course, students will study historic and modern Chinese politics and economics while experiencing the “Rise
of China” first hand. The study begins in the US with a pre-departure orientation to the academic program and
cultural foundation for traveling in China. After stepping off the plane, the students are literally whisked away on
the fastest train in the world and dropped in the heart of China’s economic development- ultra-modern Shanghai.
Students will spend time exploring Shanghai’s museums and getting a bird’s eye view from the TV tower. Students
will leave Shanghai for the ancient city of Xi’an, home of the famous Terra Cotta Warriors and Ming Dynasty Wall.
After a first-class night train to Beijing, students will see the power of the Chinese state in Tiananmen Square and
the Forbidden City. Finally, the students will hike part of the Great Wall of China. Students will go home with an
in-depth understanding of historic and modern Chinese economic and political development and an informed
assessment of China’s role in the 21st century.
Objectives/Central Questions
Course Objectives and Central Questions
- Understand basic concepts of International Relations and Political Science including realism,
liberalism, and theories of decision-making.
- Develop a critical understanding of globalization by evaluating multiple views of China’s rapid
development.
- Develop an understanding of historical and modern Chinese political and economic development.
- How does Chinese culture, politics, and economics compare with other countries? Other emerging
countries?
- How do leaders make decisions? How does this impact domestic and foreign policy decisions in
China?
- What is China’s role in the 21st Century?
- What should the US-China relationship look like in the 21st century?
Course Schedule:
Class:
June 27, 2013
Time:
Morning:
Topic:
- travel from home to Detroit
Afternoon:
-transfer to hotel
Evening:
-5:00pm pre-tour orientation, dinner, stay overnight at
Hampton Inn
Breakfast at hotel, transfer to airport, check in for flight
June 28, 2013
Morning:
June 29, 2013
Afternoon/evening: -Flight to Shanghai
Morning:
-Flight to Shanghai
June 30, 2013
July 1, 2013
July 2, 2013
Afternoon:
-Arrive in Shanghai
-Customs and Immigration
- Mag-Lev train to Pudong Terminus
-TV Tower
Evening:
- Dinner at local restaurant
-Transfer to hotel
Class 1: Introduction to Political Science and International
Relations, Activities: If the World Were a Village
-Reading: Nathan & Scobell
Morning:
Afternoon:
- Urban Planning Exhibition
- Shanghai Museum
-Silk Factory
Evening:
-Dinner at local restaurant
-Journaling
Class 2: Globalization: Skyscrapers and Squat Toilets,
Activities: Book Discussion
Morning:
Afternoon:
- Lunch at Floating Restaurant
- Jade Buddha Temple
-Yu Garden
Evening:
-Huangpu River Cruise
-Dinner at local restaurant
- Pack for flight to Xi’an
-Flight to Xi’an
Morning:
Afternoon:
Evening:
July 3, 2013
Morning:
-Big Wild Goose Pagoda
-Great Mosque
-Ming Dynasty city wall
-Transfer to Hotel
-Dinner
-Check in meeting
-Journaling
Class 3: Revolutionary and Modern China, Activity: Building
Nations, Film: To Live (part 1)
-Reading: Roasa
July 4, 2013
July 5, 2013
July 6, 2013
July 7, 2013
July 8, 2013
Afternoon:
-Old Confucian Temple
-Forest of Stele
-Jade Carving factory
-Art market
Evening:
-Dinner at dumpling restaurant
-Journaling
Class 4: Revolutionary and Modern China, Activity:
Propaganda, Film: To Live (part 2)
-Reading: Segal
-check out of hotel
Morning:
Afternoon:
-Ceramics factory
-Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses
Evening
-Dinner at local restaurant
-Overnight sleeper train to Beijing
-Arrive in Beijing
-Transfer to hotel
-Breakfast and morning free time
Morning:
Afternoon:
Class 5: Decision-Making in International Relations: What
are we having for dinner, when are we going to war?
Activities: Prisoner’s Dilemma Game
-Reading: Kaplan
Evening:
-Peking duck dinner
-Journaling
Class 6: Poverty, Environmental Issues, and Economic
Development, Activities: Lifeboat Scenario
Morning:
Afternoon:
-Baiyunguan Daoist Temple
Evening:
Early morning:
-Dinner at local restaurant
-Optional early morning wake up-call to see flag raising in
Tiananmen Square
Morning:
Class 7: Modern Chinese State: The “Best” Kind of Power,
Activities: Types of Power
Afternoon:
-Tiananmen Square
-Forbidden City Palace and Museum
Evening:
-Noodle dinner at local restaurant
-Beijing Opera
-Bell Tower
-Walk & Ride pedi-cabs through Hutong district
Morning:
Afternoon:
Class 8: Humanitarian and Social Issues in China
-Reading: Fallows
Evening:
July 9, 2013
Morning:
-Dinner at local restaurant
-Journaling
Class 9: What is China’s role in the 21st Century? What
should the US-China relationship look like in the 21st
century? Activities: Debate
-Reading: Ikenberry
July 10, 2013
Afternoon:
-Summer Palace
-Temple of Heaven
Evening:
Morning:
-Dinner at local restaurant
-Journaling- finish (due tomorrow!)
-Travel to Great Wall at Mutianyu
-Journals due
-Cloisonne Factory
Afternoon:
-Great Wall
-Lunch at Schoolhouse at Mutianya- program evaluations
-Shopping at Hongqiao Market
Evening:
July 11, 2013
Morning:
Afternoon:
Evening:
-Ride subway back to hotel
-Dinner at local restaurant
-Pack to be ready for flight home
-Check out of hotel
-Dashunazi Art District (789 factory)
-Lunch
-Individual meetings with instructor
-Transfer to airport
-Customs and immigration
- Flight to Detroit
-Go home!