Who rules China, and how? This course examines the politics of contemporary China. It traces the cultural and historical legacies affecting political life and the political processes through which nation-state, citizen-subjects and the organizations and institutions of governance are constructed and interact; examines the major political challenges confronting China today; and explores debates over the concepts used to explain Chinese politics, both in China and in the field of comparative politics.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Students will acquire from experts in the field an up to date knowledge of the  organizations and institutions involved in contemporary Chinese politics; draw on key concepts in comparative politics to evaluate debates about the major political issues facing China; develop their research and analytical skills, by participating in tutorial discussions, preparing and writing a research essay, and preparing for an examination.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. understand the key concepts used in studying Chinese politics;
2. demonstrate familiarity with some of the major theories seeking to explain Chinese politics;
3. produce persuasive, well-researched written arguments about the politics of China;
4. produce persuasive verbal accounts of the politics of China.
   

Research-Led Teaching

This course introduces a number of innovations involving guest speakers, WeChat and the use of the course convenor's podcast. During class, following a traditional one-hour lecture, the second hour will be dedicated to class discussion, followed by a short presentation by a guest speaker. The speaker will join either in person or via Zoom - the lecture time is favourable to guests from the United States - and they will be either a relevant guest on the Little Red Podcast (a different episode will be assigned for each week) and/or the author of one of the readings. Students will be encouraged to directly interrogate the author of work they have been assigned for that week. The course will use WeChat as a primary tool of communication for the convenor and the tutor, and for sharing material among students through a WeChat closed group. This will have the anticipated benefits of drawing greater participation from students of Chinese background and demonstrating to all students how censorship works in the PRC. Much of course material draws upon the field experience of the course convenor and tutor in rural and urban China, as well as further afield in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Examination Material or equipment

The final exam is closed book.

Required Resources

The textbook Politics in China (OUP, 2019) by William Joseph is used in this course. Copies are available for purchase at Harry Hartog. Two hard copies and an e-book are available through the ANU Library. 

Recommended Resources

Other textbooks

Tony Saich (2011) Governance and Politics of China (Palgrave Macmillan). 2 copies are on reserve in the library.

For those who have never studied China before, a succinct guide is Jeffrey Wasserstrom (2010) China in the 21st century: What everyone needs to know Oxford: Oxford University Press

Christian Sorace, Ivan Franceschini and Nicholas Loubere (eds.) (2019) Afterlives of Chinese Communism. Canberra: ANU Press.

Kenneth Lieberthal, Cheng Li and Yu Keping (eds.) (2014) China’s Political Development: Chinese and American Perspectives. Washington D.C.: Brookings Institute. 

Vivienne Shue and Patricia Thornton (eds.) (2017) To Govern China: Evolving Practices of Power. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

Beyond the scope of the course, but these classics have stood the test of time and are recommended for future reading:

Franz Schurmann (1968) Ideology and Organization in Communist China. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

A. Doak Barnett (1967) Cadres, Bureaucracy, and Political Power in Communist China. New York: Columbia University Press. 

Journals, newspapers and online resources

You are advised to read widely and to keep up with the current literature in key journals. The following journals are particularly important:

The China Quarterly The China Journal

Journal of Chinese Political Science Journal of Contemporary China Comparative Political Studies

Students are encouraged to read 1-2 articles about Chinese politics each week. Online news resources include:

                        

            Christian Science Monitor www.csmonitor.com/   

            Far Eastern Economic Review http://www.feer.com             

            Financial Times http://www.ft.com/rss/world/asiapacific  

            Global Times  https://www.globaltimes.cn/

            The Guardian www.guardian.co.uk  

            The Diplomat https://thediplomat.com          

            New York Times www.nytimes.com  

            Nikkei Asian Review http://asia.nikkei.com    

            People’s Daily http://english.people.com.cn/

            South China Morning Post http://www.scmp.com/news/china

            Xinhua http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/index.htm

Other online resources are listed below

 http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/whitepaper/home.html (White papers of the Chinese government)

 http://www.chinatoday.com/law/a.htm (Chinese laws)

 http://www.brookings.edu/cnaps.aspx (Brookings Institute on China)

 http://www.chinafile.com/ (PRC focused journalism)

 http://chinadigitaltimes.net/ (Hong Kong based, internet and media issues)

 http://www.chinaleadershipmonitor.org/ (Elite PRC politics)

https://duihua.org/wp/ (Duihua Foundation, legal issues and human rights)

 https://nuvoices.com/ (Gender)

 https://qz.com/ (Technology)

 https://sinocism.com/ (Daily newsletter on China related matters)

If you find that these links do not work, please inform Graeme so that he can update the list.

Twitter

Often interesting accounts include:

Bill Bishop @niubi (edits Sinocism newsletter)

China Law Translate @ChinaLawTransl8 (translation project run by Yale’s Jeremy Daum)

Chris Buckley @ChuBailiang (New York Times reporter in Beijing)

Joseph Torigian @JosephTorigian (Washington-based archivist of PRC and Russia)

Josh Chin @joshchin (WSJ reporter in Beijing)

Official China @ChinaRegulation (insightful and the odd translation)

The Relevant Organs @relevantorgans (the most reliably amusing PRC-focused account)

Eric Olander @eolander (host of the China in Africa podcast)

SupChina @supchinanews (NY-based China newsletter)

Graeme Smith @GraemeKSmith 

Other than Graeme and Louisa’s Little Red Podcast (https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast), others worth your time include:

China Power https://chinapower.csis.org/podcasts/ Hosted by Bonnie Glaser of CSIS

China TechTalk http://chinatechtalk.com/

Harvard-Fairbank Centre https://player.fm/series/harvard-fairbank-center-for-chinese-studies

Sinica https://supchina.com/series/sinica/ Kaiser Kuo and Jeremy Goldkorn

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, and to individuals

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Chinese spelling and pronunciation

When you read books on China, you will notice that there are two main systems for romanizing (writing in the English alphabet) Chinese names. The older system is known as Wade-Giles, while the modern one used within the PRC is pinyin. Most books published in the PRC use pinyin for all except a few names. The exceptions are names of people who were well known in the West and whose names were commonly spelt in a particular way before pinyin was introduced; they are usually kept the same so as not to confuse the reader. But generally, almost everybody these days uses pinyin, and it is a better system in many respects, so you should aim to keep to this system as far as possible in your ownwriting.

Pronunciation: pinyin is mostly pronounced as it is written - a "ch" sound is the same as in English, for example - but there are a few cases where it won’t be obvious to you how to pronounce these names. Below are a few guidelines on pronunciation.

x (as in Deng Xiaoping) is pronounced as something between an s and a sh sound

q (as in Jiang Qing) is the same as ch zh is like an initial j

c is a sort of tss sound

z (as in Mao Zedong) is a softer version of c, something like dz

Just to complicate things, the Republic of China on Taiwan continues to use the Wade-Giles system, hence former President Lee Teng-hui (instead of Li Denghui in Pinyin), and Kuomintang (not Guomindang).

Note on Chinese names: The family name precedes the given name, so that Mao Zedong if you wish to shorten it becomes Mao, Jiang Zemin becomes Jiang, etc. The use of the given name on its own (such as Jinping for Xi Jinping) is usually either familiar or derogatory, neither of which is appropriate in academic writing.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction	Enrol online in tutorials
2	How Leninist states rule
3	The Party
4	Political change from Deng to Xi
5	Xi Jinping and nationalism	Podcast episode script (10%) due 24 March 2020
6	Central-local relations
7	Grassroots politics
8	Corruption and legitimacy
9	Minorities
10	The internet and stability maintenance	Research essay due (worth 40%) 12 May 2020
11	Global China
12	Authoritarian resilience

Tutorial Registration

Please register for tutorials on the course Wattle site.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial participation	10 %	25/02/2020	30/05/2020	1,2,3,4
Tutorial presentation	10 %	25/02/2020	30/05/2020	1
Podcast episode script	10 %	23/03/2020	06/04/2020	2,4
Research essay	40 %	12/05/2020	26/05/2020	2,3
2 hour closed book exam	30 %	06/06/2020	03/07/2020	2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Tutorial participation

Students should enrol in tutorials on Wattle. Your tutor will keep a record of your attendance, so if you must miss a tutorial, email and explain the problem to Anna.

By enrolling in this course you indicate that you are willing to attend lectures and tutorials, do the required readings and participate in class discussion. All students are encouraged to participate actively both in class and in online discussions on WeChat. A closed group will be set up for the duration of the course.

Students are expected to come to class having completed the assigned material and with notes prepared to inform the discussion. Students will be graded on the quality of their active participation. Marks are not given for simply attending.

Assessment Task 2

Tutorial presentation

Every member of each tutorial group must select a topic and present between Weeks 3 and 11. First in, first served!

To ensure a fair coverage of topics and for the convenience of other students, please email Anna immediately if you wish to change your tutorial group or your presentation topic.

Presentations will be given by two participants. You MUST work together

to ensure there is no repetition or overlap. Presenters must have read all the recommended readings, and preferably some of the additional readings. Masters students are encouraged to go well beyond the suggested readings.

Presentations will last a maximum of 15 minutes and will be followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. 

The aim of the presentation (and the criteria according to which your presentation is assessed) is to elucidate, and critically assess the analytical usefulness of the concepts used in the required readings, identify and critique key arguments in academic debates on the topic and, through raising insightful questions, stimulate discussion among other members of the group. Do not simply summarise the readings, and do not answer the questions listed for tutorial discussion.

Students should do their tutorial presentation on a different subject to their essay and podcast script, as familiarity with a range of material with help with the final exam.

If, because of an emergency, you cannot attend the tutorial at which you are scheduled to make a presentation, you must contact the course convenor and tutor immediately, and present a certificate confirming the reason for your inability to attend.

Assessment Task 3

Podcast episode script

Word length: ASIA2026: 750 words                  ASIA6026: 1000 words

Submission time & date: 23:50 23 March 2020

The script will be formulated based on a podcast interview with one or two authors who contribute to the readings in a week of your choosing. The author can be chosen from the recommended or additional readings. A reference list must be included at the end of the script. 

The purpose of this exercise is to encourage you to think critically and develop a narrative to interrogate the writers’ work. While your focus is on the authors’ work, you should also demonstrate a broader understanding of the topic by drawing on other literature and audio resources. Model scripts will be provided but are only a guide—you should develop your own style of questioning to suit the topic.

The word limit is quite tight, so in order to be brief and demonstrate that you have understood the readings (and, indeed, read more widely on the subject) and formed an original view of them, do not paraphrase or use lengthy quotes in your questions. Marks will be deducted for exceeding the word count.

It is your responsibility to retain a copy of your script and a confirmation of the date on which it was submitted until such time as results from the course have been released.

Assessment Task 4

Research essay

Word length:  ASIA2026: 2,500 words              ASIA6026: 3,500 words

Submission time & date: 23:50 12 May 2020

Extensions to the submission date may be given ONLY by the course convenor. Except in the case of medical problems (which must be attested by a medical certificate) or in similar exceptional circumstances, extensions will not be granted. Contact Graeme if an extension is necessary. Written confirmation will be given if an extension is granted. Note: no late assignments will be accepted after other students' work has been marked and returned.

Research: The reading lists provided under each lecture topic are intended to serve only as a starting point. It is particularly important to identify, and engage critically, with appropriate source materials. Do NOT accept without question the views and interpretations expressed in the readings. Use them as a means of developing your own understanding of the problem.

Presentation: Each essay must include an essay question number and title. Pages should be numbered. The text must be in 12-point font, and lines must be 1.5 spaced.

The essay must be fully referenced and include a bibliography. Students should proof-read their essays carefully before submission as poor structuring, and minor and/or typographical errors distract readers from the substance of the argument. Students are encouraged to follow this Style Guide: https://www.thechinastory.org/style-guide/

Save in Microsoft Word or PDF and submit on Turnitin.

Essay topics:

ASIA6026 students MUST create their own essay question.

The course Wattle site has advice on how to design a research question. Try to develop a question that will not invite an answer that is a simple chronological narrative or description. Usually, “Why” questions lead to more thoughtful and convincing analyses than “What” questions. Make sure it’s a succinct question that can be answered in 3500 words, rather than requiring a PhD dissertation-length response. You must also consider whether there is sufficient scholarly material available to allow you to answer the question. When designing your essay question, bear in mind that your essay must NOT be on the same topic as your readings paper.

The question must be emailed to the course convenor, and approved in writing by 20 April. You will receive emailed suggestions on how to improve (or address) the research question.

ASIA2026:

You are welcome to create your own essay question on any subject covered in The Politics of China, but the question must first be emailed to, and approved in writing by the course convenor before 19 April.

Otherwise, a list of essay topics will be provided in Week Two.

Assessment Task 5

2 hour closed book exam

The central timetable administrators will timetable the exam in the semester 1 exam period, between 4 - 20 June 2020.

In the exam, students are asked to answer three out of six questions. All the exam questions will be selected from the questions discussed in lectures or posed for tutorial discussion. You may answer any three questions on the exam paper, regardless of whether your tutorial presentation or essay focussed on those topics. 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

SUBMISSION TO TURNITIN

Every written assignment (i.e. assignment numbers 3 and 4) must include a completed and signed ‘Assessment cover sheet’. The cover sheet is available on the course Wattle site. In signing the cover sheet, you confirm that the work is original and all sources are appropriately referenced.

Pages must be numbered. The text must be in 12 point font, and lines must be 1.5 spaced.

Submit to the IPS Turnitin coursework submission box on the Wattle site ASIA4001.

 

Under ANU policy, students who elect not to submit an assessment task through Turnitin are required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

All assessment task submissions, regardless of mode of submission, require your agreement to the following declaration:

I declare that this work:

upholds the principles of academic integrity, as defined in the ANU Policy: Code of Practice for Student Academic Integrity;

is original, except where collaboration (for example group work) has been authorised in writing by the course convener in the course outline and/or Wattle site;

is produced for the purposes of this assessment task and has not been submitted for assessment in any other context, except where authorised in writing by the course convener;

gives appropriate acknowledgement of the ideas, scholarship and intellectual property of others insofar as these have been used;

in no part involves copying, cheating, collusion, fabrication, plagiarism or recycling.

The University takes academic misconduct seriously and may take action under the Procedure: Code of Practice for Student Academic Integrity.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

EXTENSIONS

 

Please note the following rules when considering extensions:

Applications for an extension of the due date for an assessment task must be submitted in writing to the Course Convener with relevant supporting documentation attached to the application to allow the claims to be verified. Written confirmation must be received from the Course Convenor that an extension has been approved.

Applications for extension will only be granted where the student was not able to complete an assessment task by the due date as a result of exceptional circumstances that could not reasonably be foreseen and were beyond the student’s control.

Exceptional circumstances that may warrant approval of an Assessment Extension include, but are not limited to:

a.     Medical reasons (student injury, illness or medical condition) of such significance that completion of the assessment task was not possible;

b.     Family/personal reasons (family injury or illness, bereavement) of such significance that completion of the assessment task was not possible;

c.     Employment related reasons: where a student's employment status or employment arrangements change unexpectedly due to circumstances beyond their control of such significance that completion of the assessment task was not possible.

The due date of an assessment task will not be extended beyond the date for return of the assessment item specified in the course outline.

Where an extension is granted on medical grounds and is on the basis of a non-chronic condition, an extension of the due date for an assessment task is

normally limited to the number of days (calculated to the nearest working day) the student is suffering from the medical condition as indicated on the medical certificate.

Extensions will normally not be granted because of conflicts with other study commitments, work commitments, holidays, family gatherings, competing assessment deadlines, sporting commitments or commitments to student organisations.

Extensions will not be granted retrospectively, except in medical emergencies or on the advice of the Disability Services Centre.

Where the student gains an unfair advantage as a result of the extension of the assessment due date, an alternative assessment task will be set.

PLEASE CONSULT THE COURSE SUMMARY FOR ANU RULES AND POLICIES REGARDING SPECIAL CONSIDERATION, SPECIAL EXAMININATIONS AND ACADEMIC SKILLS ASSISTANCE.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students