150077 SE Governance and politics of China's party-state (2025S)

Contents and goals
The English-language course is designed to help students to develop and carry out a research project on a self-chosen topic that falls in the general subject of Chinese politics, law and society. To facilitate this process, the course will also offer a series of discussion sessions led by the instructor. These sessions together will provide students the foundational knowledge about the various political arrangements and mechanisms under which the People’s Republic of China is governed. Such knowledge is essential for anyone who intends to pursue advanced studies of sinology, those who need to manage relations with Chinese partners or clients in a business environment, or those who wish to conduct an informed discussion on current political affairs in China.
Course format
In this course, about seven discussion sessions will be scheduled, covering essential topics of Chinese politics and governance, including the nature of the Chinese political system, the party-state structure, central-local relations, prioritized Party domains, generations of Party leaders and their legacies, China’s political-legal system, and the regulatory challenges confronting China. Reading materials will be assigned for each of the discussion sessions. Participants should familiarize themselves with these readings before the lecture. Each participant will be required to act as the designated discussant in at least one discussion session.
Depending on the number of participants, multiple sessions will be scheduled for the development of participants’ seminar papers. Participants will be asked to discuss their research topics, to present a literature review on the topic, to develop the research question and plan, and, if possible, to present the first draft of the research paper. In each step, the instructor will provide consultation and guidance on the direction of the research and other problems that participants may have encountered during the research.
Each participant of the course can choose a topic under the subjects of discussion sessions or beyond. In the latter case, the topic shall be discussed with and approved by the instructor at the beginning of the research. Students can align the topics of their seminar papers to their degree thesis. The instructor can indulge a wide range of topics related to Chinese studies as long as it fits the instructor’s scope of expertise and knowledge.