Xiaogang WU, SOSC1350, Fall 2015, Page
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SOSC 1350 Contemporary China: Change and Continuity
Fall, 2015
13:30-15:20 pm (Wednesday)
Room 4620, Academic Building
T2A/B Friday 11:00AM-12:50PM (Room 2132A)
T2C/D Monday 4:00-5:50PM (Room 2132A)
T2E/F Tuesday 1:00-2:50PM (Room 3607)
INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Wu Xiaogang
OFFICE: Room 3374 Academic Building
PHONE: 23587827
EMAIL: sowu@ust.hk
OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday 3:30-5:00 p.m. or by appointment
TEACHING ASSISTANT: MIAO Jia (jmiao@ust.hk)
WANG Jia (jwangaf@ust.hk)
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND FORMAT
This course offers an introduction to major issues in contemporary China to students who have
had little background knowledge on the subjects. It surveys the post-1949 China, drawing work
on China not only in sociology but also broadly in other social science disciplines. The course is
structured as a thematic discussion of some major issues in socialist and post-socialist Chinese
society, focusing on social changes since 1978. We will explore the basic institutional make-up
of Chinese society, the structural changes brought forth in the reform era, and how these
institutions configure the economic and social life in contemporary China up to date. We will
pay attention to both changes from and continuities with the pre-reform past.
After taking this course, students would be equipped with background information to understand
China’s complex economic, political, and social phenomena, and the impact of reform on social
structures/institutions, individuals’ life chances, and social relations.
The class consists of a 2-hour lecture each week and a 2-hour tutorial session every other week
(six in total). Two TAs will alternate to lead the tutorial sessions.
Knowledge of Chinese language is helpful but not necessary.
TEXTBOOKS
Chapters are drawn from the following books, other reading materials are to be distributed in
class, on internet, or downloadable from the course homepage at http://lmes2.ust.hk, or
https://canvas.ust.hk/
Xiaogang Wu, SOSC 1350, Fall 2015. Page 2
Reading materials are drawn mainly from
Naughton, Barry 2007. The Chinese Economy MIT Press.
A few chapters from
Shambaugh, David 2008. China’s Communist Party. University of California Press
Wang, James C.F. 2002 Contemporary Chinese Politics. Prentice-Hall
COURSE HOMEPAGE
I will post announcement and lecture notes on the course homepage for this course. You may use
your ITSC username and password to log in (http://lmes2.ust.hk), or https://canvas.ust.hk/, and
obtain the course syllabus, reading materials, and lecture notes. You may also post your
questions and exchange ideas with me, TA, or your fellow classmates on the discussion board, in
addition to the tutorial sessions. On-line discussion is counted as a part of the class participation.
I will load up the lecture notes on the web no later than the midnight before the day (i.e. Tuesday
night) when the lecture is given. You should print out the notes/reading chapters and bring them
to the class.
Lecture notes will stay in the course webpage only for 2 weeks. IT’S IN YOUR BEST INTERST
TO DOWNLOAD THE NOTES IMMEDIATELY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.
Tutorial sessions will be run every other week since
REQUIREMENTS
(1) Attendance and Reading Preparations
You MUST attend all lectures and tutorials (discussion sessions). Students are expected to finish
the assigned readings before the lecture and bring ideas and questions for discussion in the
tutorial session. Several documentary films on related topics will be shown in tutorial sessions.
In the documentary-show class, they are also expected to take notes on some important facts and
points. All documentary films are available from HKUST’s media library.
I will leave about 15 minutes in lecture for questions and discussion, or for pop-up quizzes. By
“pop-up” quiz I mean they will not be announced in advance. If you miss one, you will receive
“zero.” No makeup will be given. The quiz scores are counted for your attendance and class
participation.
(2) Midterm Exam
The midterm exam will be all multiple-choice questions, covering materials both in the lecture
notes and in the assigned reading chapters/documentary films.
(3) Small Research Project
At the end of the semester, you are required to write a small research report (10 pages, doublespaced). Here are several options you can choose:
Xiaogang Wu, SOSC 1350, Fall 2015. Page 3
i) You can integrate readings covered in the course, and search for more literature and conduct
an in-depth analysis on a topic you are interested in;
ii) You can interview someone (either a family member or a friend) with mainland China
background, and make sense of their personal life story with the knowledge you have learned
from this course.
(4) Final Exam
It will be similar to the midterm exam in format (with multiple-choice questions) covering
materials both in the lectures and in the assigned readings/documentary films since the midterm.
GRADING POLICY
 Attendance and participation: 15%
 Midterm exam: 35%
 Final exam: 35%
 Term project: 15%
COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE (Subject to Revision)
Week 1 (Sept 2, Wednesday)
Course Introduction
Chinese Diversity: the Land and the People
Reading:
Naughton 2007, Chapter 1
Wu, Xiaogang and Guangye He 2015. “Changing Ethnic Stratification in Contemporary China.”
Working paper.
Week 2 (Sept 9, Wednesday)
Historical Briefing: From Revolution to Economic Reform
Reading:
Naughton 2007, Chapter 3
Tutorial Week: The Mao Years (Documentary)
Week 3 (Sept 16, Wednesday)
The Chinese Communist Party and Ideology
Reading:
Shambaugh, David 2008. Chapters 6-7.
Week 4 (Sept 23, Wednesday)
Xiaogang Wu, SOSC 1350, Fall 2015. Page 4
The Party/State, Jurisdictions and Central-Local Relationship
Reading:
Wang 2002. Chapter 4
Week 5 (Sept 30, Wednesday)
The Socialist Economy and Economic Reform
Reading:
Naughton 2007, Chapter 4 (review Chapter 3)
Week 6 (Oct 7, Wednesday)
Open-door Policies and Economic Globalization
Reading:
Naughton 2007, Chapter 16-17
Tutorial Week (Chinese Economy)
Week 7 (Oct 14, Wednesday)
Midterm Exam
Week 8 (Oct 21, Wednesday)
[Chung Yeung Festival] No Class
Week 8 (Oct 28, Wednesday)
The Hukou Household System and Rural-Urban Divide
Reading: Naughton 2007 Chapter 5
Week 9 (Nov 4, Wednesday):
Rural Economy and Society
Reading: Naughton Chapters 10, 12
Week 10 (Nov 11, Wednesday)
Urban Work Units (Danwei) and Transformation
Reading: Naughton Chapter 8, 13
Week 12 (Nov 18, Wednesday)
Schools and Education
Xiaogang Wu, SOSC 1350, Fall 2015. Page 5
Reading:
Wu, Xiaogang and Zhuoni Zhang 2010 “Changes in Educational Inequality in China, 19902005.” Research in Sociology of Education, Volume 17, 123–152
Tutorial: Not One Less (Movie)
Week 13 (Nov 25, Wednesday)
Population Issues: One Child Policy and Population Aging
Reading: Naughton. 2007. Chapter 7
FINAL EXAM: Between 8/12-19/12, 2015; Venue TBA
Term Project Paper Due on the Final Exam Date