POS 4931
U.S.-Chinese Relations
Spring 2013
Instructor: Chi-hung Wei
Office: Anderson Hall 321
Phone: 352-273-2394
Email: chwei@ufl.edu
Course Time: Tuesday 5-6 (11:45am-1:40pm) and Thursday 6 (12:50pm-1:40pm)
Course place: MAT 18
Office Hours: Tuesday (1:40pm-2:30 pm) and Thursday (1:40pm-2:30pm)
Course Objectives
This course will examine U.S.-China relations and Chinese foreign policy. It counts toward the
program of the IR certificate if you are pursuing one. It will also be helpful for students considering
doing senior honor theses or going to graduate school in the social sciences in general and China
studies in particular. Before the spring break, we will primarily discuss the historical backdrop before
the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, including the Chinese tribute system, the Chinese treaty system
following the Opium War, the U.S. policy of Open Door, and U.S. relations with Communist China.
Shortly before the spring break, we will begin a number of contemporary topics, including U.S. China
policy after Tiananmen, China’s WTO accession, the rise of China, China’s use of force in territorial
disputes, relations between China and Taiwan, Chinese soft power, U.S.-China economic relations, and
Chinese economic statecraft in Asia.
Readings
There is only one required textbook:
Warren I. Cohen, America’s Response to China, fifth edition, New York: Columbia University Press,
2010.
There are additional readings, including book chapters and journal articles. Book chapters, in PDF, are
placed on poliscicourse@gmail.com for you to download, while it is the student’s responsibility to
locate journal papers via the library’s website or the internet. Readings may be added or deleted as we
proceed during the semester.
Course Requirements
Research paper: Students will develop an original research paper over the course of the semester. It
can be about U.S.-China relations or Chinese foreign policy in general or toward a country or a region
(for example, Japan). But it CANNOT be about U.S. foreign policy toward countries other than China.
You can choose any time periods, from imperial China to the present, for your research. Topics about
Chinese domestic politics are also acceptable.
The first step toward your final paper is to write a 1-2 page proposal stating the puzzle you wish to
answer, which can be summarized in a single question. The other details in the proposal should explain
why this is a puzzle and how you might research it. To come up with a research puzzle, you can refer
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to academic journals (e.g. China Quarterly, China Journal, Journal of Contemporary China,
International Security, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Asian Survey, Asian Perspectives, Journal of
East Asian Studies, Journal of Asian Studies, and so on). Your proposal is due on January 29. After
submitting your proposal, you cannot change your research topics without my approval. You should
talk to me about your thoughts on your paper at least once in person during my office hours.
The second step is to provide a preliminary bibliography of 12-15 scholarly works that will likely be
discussed in your final paper. Also include a brief (1-2 sentences) description of why each one may be
useful for your final paper. This assignment is intended to make sure you are off to a good start in
finding sources. It is due on February 26.
The third step is to write a 7-9 page literature review on your research question. You should address
what approaches or perspectives have been used by the literature. You should also address their
strengths and weaknesses. Finally, you explain what approach or perspective you will use and why.
The literature review, after revision, should be a part of your final paper. It is due on March 28.
The body of your final paper should be no more than 20 double-spaced pages, in twelve-point font,
with one-inch margins, including tables and footnotes (but not bibliography). Please use the
parenthetical citation style that is standard in political science. Your final paper is due Friday, April
26 at 11:00 am, in my office.
Late assignments will be penalized at a rate of two points (that is, two percent of the total grade for the
course) per day. Deadline extensions will be granted only under special circumstances and only if
requested prior to the deadline.
Attendance and participation: Attendance will be taken randomly, with an attendance sheet passed
around for you to sign. Your grade will be reduced by 0.5 points off your final grade for each absence.
Absences will be excused only when you have a documented medical excuse or non-medical
emergency. You are also expected to participate in class discussions. 15 percent of your final grade
will be based on your participation (only participation, not including attendance). You are expected to
read all of the assigned materials before coming to class.
Grades: The breakdown of the final grade for the course is as follows:
Research proposal
Bibliography
Literature review
Final paper
Participation
10% (pass-fail)
10% (pass-fail)
25%
40%
15%
Letter grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
A
AB+
B
BC+
93-100 points
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
C
CD+
D
DE
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
Below 60
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Students requesting classroom accommodations for disabilities must register with the Dean of Students
Office and provide documentation from this office. All students are required to abide by the
University’s
Academic
Honesty
Guidelines,
which
are
available
at
http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/academic/php
Course Schedule
Introduction
January 8 (T)
Course overview
January 10
Andrew J. Nathan and Robert S. Ross, “Chapter 1: China’s Place in the World,”
in The Great Wall and the Empty Fortress: China’s Search for Security, pp. 3-18.
Chinese Culture: Defensive or Offensive?
January 15 (T)
Nathan and Ross, “Chapter 2: Legacies,” pp. 19-34.
Alastair Iain Johnston, “Chapter 3: Chinese Strategic Culture and the Parabellum
Paradigm,” in Cultural Realism: Strategic Culture and Grand Strategy in
Chinese History, pp. 22-31, 61-108. You can skip pp. 73-93.
January 17
Chinese Strategic Culture continued.
The Chinese Tribute System
January 22 (T)
John K. Fairbank, “A Preliminary Framework,” in John K. Fairbank (eds.), The
Chinese World Order: Traditional China’s Foreign Relations, pp. 1-19.
Mark Mancall, “The Ch’ing Tribute System: An Interpretative Essay,” in
Fairbank (eds.), The Chinese World Order, pp. 63-89.
January 24
John E. Wills, Jr., “Ch’ing Relations with the Dutch,” in Fairbank (eds.), The
Chinese World Order, pp. 225-256.
Partition of China
January 29 (T)
Movie: The Last Emperor
Research proposal due.
January 31
Cohen, Prologue and Chapter 1.
The United States and Open Door
February 5 (T)
February 7
Cohen, Chapter 2.
Cohen, Chapter 3.
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Communism in China
February 12 (T)
February 14
Cohen, Chapter 6.
Cohen, Chapter 7.
U.S.-China Rapprochement
February 19 (T)
Cohen, Chapter 8.
February 21
Richard Madsen, “Chapter 3, Nixon’s China: Propaganda of a Liberal Myth,” in
China and the American Dream: A Moral Inquiry, pp. 59-85.
After Tiananmen: From Sanctions to Engagement
February 26 (T)
Film: The Tank Man
Bibliography due.
February 28
Cohen, Chapter 9.
March 5 (T)
March 7
Spring break
Spring break
March 12 (T)
Harry Harding, “The Debate over America’s Policy toward China 1989-1997,” in
Gungwu Wang and John Wong (eds.), China’s Political Economy, pp. 277-290.
Margaret M. Pearson, “The Case of China’s Accession to GATT/TWO,” in
David M. Lampton (eds.), The Making of Chinese Foreign and Security Policy in
the Era of Reform, 1978-2000, pp. 337-370.
March 14
The Case of China’s Accession to GATT/TWO continued.
The Rise of China: Fact and Theory
March 19 (T)
Cohen, Chapter 10.
Aaron L. Friedberg, “The Future of U.S.-China Relations: Is Conflict
Inevitable?” International Security, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Autumn, 2005), pp. 7-45.
March 21
The Future of U.S.-China Relations continued.
China’s Use of Force in Territorial Disputes
March 26 (T)
M. Taylor Fravel, “Power Shifts and Escalation: Explaining China’s Use of Force
in Territorial Disputes,” International Security, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Winter
2007/2008), pp. 44-83.
M. Taylor Fravel, “Regime Insecurity and International Cooperation: Explaining
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China’s Compromises in Territorial Disputes,” International Security, Vol. 30,
No. 2 (Fall 2005), pp. 46-83.
March 28
Erica Strecker Downs and Phillip C. Saunders, “Legitimacy and the Limits of
Nationalism: China and the Diaoyu Islands,” International Security, Vol. 23, No.
3 (Winter 1998-1999), pp. 114-146.
Literature Review due
China and Taiwan
April 2 (T)
Nathan and Ross, pp. 203-225.
Susan L. Shirk, “Chapter 7: Taiwan: A Question of Regime Survival,” in China:
Fragile Superpower, pp. 181-211.
April 4
No class, ISA Annual Convention.
April 9 (T)
Movie: The Soong Sisters
Chinese Soft Power?
April 11
Bonnie S. Glaser and Melissa Murphy, “Soft Power with Chinese Characteristics:
The Ongoing Debate,” in Chinese Soft Power and Its Implications for the United
States, pp. 10-26.
U.S.-China Economic Relations: Chimerica?
April 16 (T)
Ted C. Fishman, “Introduction: The World Shrinks as China Grows,” in China,
Inc.: How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World,
pp. 1-17.
Niall Ferguson, “Chapter 6, From Empire to Chimerica,” in The Ascent of
Money: A Financial History of the World, pp. 283-340.
April 18
Daniel W. Drezner. “Bad Debts: Assessing China’s Financial Influence in Great
Power Politics,” International Security, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Fall 2009), pp. 7-45.
Chinese Economic Statecraft in Asia
April 23 (T)
Ellen L. Frost, “China’s Commercial Diplomacy in Asia: Promise or Threat?” in
William W. Keller and Thomas G. Rawski (eds.), China’s Rise and the Balance
of Influence in Asia, pp. 95-117.
April 25
No class. Reading day
April 26 (Friday)
Final paper due
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