POL196H1

First-Year Foundation Seminar: The China Challenge

China’s meteoric rise to great power status has triggered an intense international debate over its global implications. While many analysts see Beijing’s rise as posing a threat to global political and economic stability, Chinese leaders have argued forcefully that China’s efforts to regain its historic preeminence will result in a ‘win-win” outcome for all states. This course will assess the merits of these contending positions through an historical examination of China’s 20th century renaissance. The course will begin by tracing the long period of imperial decline in the 19th century, culminating in China’s revolutionary rebirth as a Marxist state in 1949. A major focus will be on the Mao-era legacy of revolutionary diplomacy and the foreign policy consequences of its later transformation into a market-authoritarian powerhouse. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.