Political Science 346
Edward Friedman
II, 2009-2010
Syllabus
China in World Politics
Beginning with the fabulous economic rise of post-Mao China, the course focuses on the
question of how an economic superpower China changes world politics and the world economy.
While examining analysts who do not believe that China’s economic rise can be sustained, the
course will assume that China’s rise will continue. The course will try to clarify both how
China’s ruling groups experience and try to use their new power and how China’s behavior as a
world power is understood and responded to both by governments among its neighbors and also
all over the world.
Required Books:
Susan Shirk, China Fragile Superpower.
Robert Suettinger, Beyond Tiananmen: The Politics of US-China Relations, 1989-2000.
Martin Jacques, When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a
New Global Order.
Contemporary International Relations (Beijing), most recent issue, to be purchased in class. US
$10. To arrive in April
Book chapters are available on the library’s e-line.
Assignments: There will be 3 exams, a 7 week, an 11 week and a final. All exams are open
book. Essay questions will be available a week before the exam date. All tests include short
answer identification questions.
I. Approaches to Chinese foreign policy: deep history? strategic culture? realism? liberal
internationalism? two-level games? (3 weeks)
Jacques, chapters 1,2,4,5,7 and 8.
Nieh Rongzhen, Inside the Red Star, ch. 23, the Korean War.
Gao Wenqian, Zhou Enlai, ch. 7, “Trapping the ‘Chinese Khrushchev’.”
Ma Jisen, The Cultural Revolution in the Foreign Ministry, ch. 15, “The Repairing of Foreign
Relations.”
Gao, Zhou, ch 1., “The Kiss of Death.”
Gao, Zhou, ch. 15, “Long Knives.”
Zhao Ziyang, Prisoner of the State, ch. 3, “Opening Painfully to the World.”
Zhao, Prisoner, ch. 11, “The Coastal Regions Take Off.”
Qian, Qichen, Ten Episodes in China’s Diplomacy, ch. 1, “Normalization of Sino-Soviet
Relations.”
Qian, Ten, ch. 7, “From the Soviet Union to Russia.”
II. The causes and consequences of China’s economic rise, environment and energy. (2 weeks)
Shirk, ch. 2, pp. 13-34.
Suettinger, ch. 4, pp. 88-144.
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Jacques, ch. 6, “China as an Economic Superpower” and ch. 10, “China as a Rising Global
Power.”
James Kynge, China Shakes the World, ch. 4, “China Goes to Europe.”
III. Two level Games: Domestic politics and nationalist mobilization. (1 week)
Shirk, chs. 1-3 and 4, pp. 1-12 and 35-104.
Suettinger, chs. 1-3, pp. 1-87.
Seven Week Exam, Wed. March 3.
IV. Taiwan. (1 week)
Suettinger, ch. 6 and pp. 380-385.
Shirk, ch. 7, pp. 181-211.
Jacques, pp. 299-306.
V. Regional Neighbors. (4 weeks)
Jacques, ch. 3 and ch. 9.
Shirk, chs, 5, 6 and 8, pp. 105-180 and 212-254.
Suettinger, chs. 5 and 7-9, pp. 145-199 and 264-409.
Eleven Week Exam
VI. China as a Global Power. (1 week)
Jacques, ch. 10.
VII. Toward the Future (3 weeks)
Shirk, chs. 1 and 9, pp. 1-12 and 255-269.
Suettinger ch. 10, pp. 410-442.
Jacques, chs. 11 and 12.
Contemporary International Relations, most recent issue.
And readings sent to class members throughout the semester by the instructor on the class e-list.
Final exam:
Essay 1 (60 minutes)
Detail the major factors which have decided Chinese foreign policy since January 1992 and
clarify how they do or do not support at least three (3) major approaches to explaining Chinese
foreign policy.
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Essay 2 (30 minutes)
Evaluate the forces said by analysts to be most likely to de-rail China’s continuing rise as a
superpower.
Short answer questions (30 minutes).
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