ATS3163 · The rise of China in the Asia-Pacific region

Overview

This course will introduce you to contentious political issues in contemporary China, with a view to equipping you to better understand the politics of the Asia-Pacific region. You will begin by surveying China’s major internal political changes over the past decade. You will examine why Chinese Communist Party places so much emphasis on internal stability since Tiananmen 1989, Xi Jinping’s rise to power, and the effects of thee COVID-19 pandemic. You will then delve into the causes and consequences of censorship and public protest. In the second half of the course you will examine some of the major political challenges associated with the rise of China. You will examine environmental pollution, gender inequality, rural/urban inequality, repression in Xinjiang, political polarization in Hong Kong, and foreign policy challenges including Taiwanese reunification. The unit concludes by placing the growing geopolitical polarization between the West and China in a broader historical context. You will explore an ongoing geopolitical conflict by critically analyzing the relevant academic literature, relating the literature to ongoing news and current events, and developing your own policy proposal on how best to resolve this conflict.

Areas of study: Politics

Offerings

The Handbook publishes no offerings for this unit.

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. examine the major socio-political fault lines in contemporary China and their historical origins;
2. analyse Chinese policy making and how it has been reshaped by key events such as the Tiananmen Square crisis of 1989, the rise of Xi Jinping, and the COVID-19 pandemic;
3. evaluate the causes of the growing geopolitical rift between China and the West and prospects for the future;
4. create your own policy proposal for how Australia should best respond to the rise of China in the Asian regional context and resolve ongoing geopolitical conflicts.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.