POL338 Political System of China

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2014
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Jan Holzer, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jiří Suchánek (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Stanislav Balík, Ph.D.
Division of Politology – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Libuše Stará
Supplier department: Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 15:15–16:45 P22
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 19 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
This course focuses on the development and basic characteristics of the political system of China, in particular the People's Republic of China and to little extent also the Republic of China – Taiwan. At the end of the course, students should be familiar with the basic civilization and cultural pillars of Chinese society, the historical development with focus on the Chinese state formation, and, importantly, current information about the political system of the Mainland China, including the selected issues it faces.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to course
  • 2. Basic civilization and cultural pillars of Chinese society
  • 3. Historical development with focus on the Chinese state formation
  • 4. Split PRC - Taiwan and the emergence of "two Chinas"
  • 5. Lecture by external expert
  • 6. The early era of the PRC - Mao Zedong and his campaigns of the Great Leap and Cultural Revolution
  • 7. Deng Xiaoping and the era of early reforms
  • 8. Contemporary form of the Chinese political system
  • 9. Lecture by external expert
  • 10. Chinese political elites and the power fractions
  • 11. The political system in Taiwan and relations with the PRC, the PRC policy in international affairs
  • 12. The main challenges of today's Chinese society I (corruption, disputes over land)
  • 13. The main challenges of today's Chinese society I (social cleavages, human rights and religion)
Literature
    required literature
  • VOJTA, Vít. Čínský svět (Chinese World). Brno: Ondřej Doležal - Nakladatelství Pixl-e, 2011, 199 pp. ISBN 978-80-905021-0-9. info
Teaching methods
The course is based on lectures on each of the topics. Each lecture will build on the compulsory reading and deal with selected issues and subjects in detail. Students will be required to read the compulsory texts and actively participate in the lecture through being able to answer the lecturer’s questions. Some of the lectures will be given by external experts.
Assessment methods
The course assessment is as follows. Students will be required to: 1. Write a seminar paper (10 – 12 standard pages). Student will choose a topic and agree on it with the lecturer on the third lecture at the latest. The topic has to be approved by the lecturer. Maximum number of the points for the paper is 15; the paper will be graded based on analytical qualities of the text, data quality and layout standard, in particular. 2. Pass a mid-term test consisting of 5 questions, 2 points each. 3. Pass a final oral exam. A student will draw two questions, for which a maximum of 35 points can be acquired. The questions of the oral exam as well as the mid-term test will be based on the compulsory readings and lectures. Maximum number of points that can be acquired is 60, of which at least 36 are needed to pass the course.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2013.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2014/POL338