POL S 532 A: The Chinese Political System

The Spring 2022 syllabus is here.

   This graduate seminar has two main objectives: (1) To explore the main theoretical, empirical, and methodological approaches to the study of Chinese politics, and (2) To relate these approaches to the broader fields of comparative politics and political economy.

   What phenomena are the focus of rigorous research in Chinese politics, and how are they studied? How could they be better studied? What has Chinese politics contributed to the fields of comparative politics and political economy, and vice versa? What are the most effective ways to integrate area studies, broader comparative approaches, and theory? This course prepares graduate students for dissertation proposals and subsequent research on China

   The course examines these themes and trends through weekly readings and discussion. Course requirements include participation (including co-facilitation and presentation) in seminar , short memos in response to the readings, and a final paper.

   Course materials are available full-text online through the UW Library E-Journals and E-books collection. Print editions of books are available through online booksellers, on order at the UW Bookstore, and on reserve (in process) at the East Asia Library.