Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
15685:IR18‐GE305 Contemporary China (R) § 15686:RUIR-3622 Contemporary China(R) § 15687:IR-FS305 Contemporary China (R) 2023 Spring Thu2 College　Of　International　Relations SONODA SETSUKO 2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

KOSHINKAN　KS302

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

This course introduces some basic characteristics of Chinese society and culture. China’s rapid economic development and growth into a global presence since the 1990s has produced changes inside and outside the country. However, these contemporary issues have historical roots that lie primarily in the mid-nineteenth century. We will analyze these issues through the multi-disciplinary perspectives of history and politics, and will also look at other aspects of culture.
This fifteen week class has two parts: Part One consists of readings, discussions, lectures, and videos. Prior to the class, students will be assigned a reading, mostly from textbook. Discussions will then be held in accordance with the discussion points issued at the beginning of the class. Then, the instructor will lecture and show a video of a specific issue on contemporary China after the student discussions on the reading. Part Two, a few weeks before the end of the class, will consist of research presentations. Students will form several groups, do research on a contemporary issue in China, and present it to the class. Q&A and discussion will follow the presentations.

Student Attainment Objectives

In this course, students will (1) become familiar with Chinese social structure and culture, gaining basic knowledge of the main political issues in modern and contemporary Chinese history; and (2) develop critical views of the relationships between nation-states and individual lives in the modern world and understand how meta-factors have affected the lives of individuals.

Recommended Preparatory Course

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) Theme
Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1

Introduction 【Live streaming】

About this class: Guidance/ area studies and Japan’s approach to the study of China
【Zoom access link URL for the live streaming will be uploaded to "Course News" no later than one week before the Week 1 class】

2

Overseas Chinese and China

Basic information about overseas Chinese (OC): Recent trends/ China’s official view of the OC/ characteristics of OC policies/ OC descendants’ search for their roots

3

Families, Kinship and Relationship

Basic information about the traditional Chinese family/ the clan family system/ lineages/ Fei Xiaotong and two key concepts of structure of Chinese society

4

Household Registration and China’s Internal Migration

Citizenship and nationality/ the Hukou System: establishment and history/ the three stages of household registration reform after 1978 and internal migration

5

China’s Rural Communities

Basic information about “community” in China/ the rich-poor gap between rural and urban/ rural reform/ the changing mindset of villagers / county and city in the family economic strategy of migrant workers

6

County-City Reform

County-city Reform/ the“New Urbanization” policy since 2012/ Video “A Billion Chinese Dreams” (2020)

7

Religion in China

Basic information about religion in China/ The CCP’s View of and policies on religion/ religious upsurge in the 1990s/ the government’s change in attitude toward religion in the 21st century/ the “sinicization of religion” since 2015

8

Ethnic Conflicts in China

Historical background of ethnic conflicts/ the PRC’s ethnic policies and characteristics since 1949/ Tibet and Xinjiang since 2007

9

Education in China

Basic information about China’s educational system/ general style of compulsory education/ reforms in the gaokao system: “quality education”

10

Changing Communities in Urban China

China’s urban community before 1987/ changing urban communities after 1987/ community residents’ committees/ China’s emerging middle class / urban space as radical practice: LGBTQ communities

11

The Evolution of National Movements

The birth of Chinese nationalism and the historical circumstances/ pro-democracy movements in the 1970s and ’80s/ 4 June 1989/ lessons and the practice of mass actions that have inspired and spread to East Asia since 2011

12

Group Research Presentation (1)

Group presentation, Q&A, and Discussion

13

Group Research Presentation (2)

Group presentation, Q&A, and Discussion

14

Group Research Presentation (3)

Group presentation, Q&A, and Discussion

15

Wrap-up

Wrap-up and advice on final paper

Class Format

BCP停止の場合は、BCPレベル0～2の記載どおりに授業が行われます。
During the suspension period of BCP, classes will be as described in BCP levels 0-2.

The class Format for each class will be announced on manaba+R’s course news. Also, the class format for the first class will be notified on manaba+R’s course news before the first class(*).
For “Special Consideration”, please check manaba+R’s College of IR Student Page and the “Study Support Site”.

College of IR Student Page：https://ct.ritsumei.ac.jp/ct/course_1728150
Study Support Site：https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/pathways-future/eng/

(*)To check the class format for the first class of the course, you will need to apply for the “early use request function.” Refer to the Registration Guidebook AY 2023 for details. Please be careful that applying for the early use request does not sign you up for the course. You will need to register for courses during the designated period separately.

Recommendations for Private Study

I will assign a reading assignment each week from the textbook, other academic publications, or online documentary video clips. Please read or watch the assignment before the class and prepare for discussion. Since you will be giving a group presentation and writing a final research paper on China in the last several classes, try to start reading the news and books related to contemporary China.
In this regard, you can develop your own topic of interest in China and do research anything you are interested in that is related to Chinese culture or society, and start preparing for these tasks.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written)

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)

Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　
(Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)		 100

Contribution to class discussion 40%
- 10% is participation (attendance + contribution) and the other 30 % is active involvement in class discussions.

Research presentation 30%
- Presentations will be group-presentation style but graded individually. Each students will put their name on the presentation PPT slide that they are in charge of so that the instructor can see clearly who was responsible for which research part.

Final paper 30%
- The paper will be 1400 words long.

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

- In week 1, the instructor will provide important information about lecture style, textbooks, and grading; therefore, students considering taking this class must attend the week 1 class.
- Students missing more than three classes or coming late more than five times will fail and receive an F in the class. Frequently leaving during the class will also affect students’ grades.

Textbooks

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
Contemporary China: Society and Social Change Tamara Jacka, Andrew B. Kipnis and Sally Sargeson Cambridge University Press (2014) 1107011841

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

This book will be the main textbook for this course and basically each chapter will be assigned. The e-book version is available from the following link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/contemporary-china/A19107D8C7AD198428081DF428F35A45

Reference Books

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
Ghost Protocol: Development and Displacement in Global China Carlos Rojas and Ralph A. Litzinger Duke University Press (2016) 9780822374022 Sub text of this class
China's Revolutions in the Modern World: A Brief Interpretive History Rebecca E. Karl Verso (2020) 9781788735599 Sub text of this class

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

We will read several chapters in the sub-text. The e-book will be available by the beginning of class.

Web Pages for Reference

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Learning Management System （manaba+R）,Talk with Students

Other Comments

【科目ナンバリング・カリキュラムマップはこちらから/Click here to see the Curriculum-Map and Course-Numbering】
URL:https://secure.ritsumei.ac.jp/students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html/