Socialism in China

CHIN32012 Socialism in China 20 Semester 2 Undergraduate Level 3 Hannibal Taubes Unit coordinator Chinese Studies 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Last part of a Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 This course focuses on ‘socialism’ in China, from the early twentieth-century to the present. The immense majority of people who have ever called themselves ‘socialist’ have lived in China, and few ideas have had such enormous importance for China or the world. We thus trace shifting constructions of ‘socialism’ from the tumultuous adventures of the early Chinese communists, through the immense populist cataclysms of Mao’s reign, to Deng Xiaoping’s equally epochal market reforms, Xi Jinping’s technocratic, AI-age “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,” and finally the socialist imaginaries of the science-fiction future. Along the way, we examine Marxist political and economic theories, relationships between violence, art, and politics on the revolutionary stage, nationalism and internationalism in global leftist thought, and authoritarianism and utopian modernism in a comparative context. Students should come away with a better understanding of both socialism as a global phenomenon, the triumphs and catastrophes of China’s modern history, and governance, culture, economy, and intellectual life in the contemporary People’s Republic.   This course focuses on ‘socialism’ in China, from the early twentieth-century to the present. The immense majority of people who have ever called themselves ‘socialist’ have lived in China, and few ideas have had such enormous importance for China or the world. We thus trace shifting constructions of ‘socialism’ from the tumultuous adventures of the early Chinese communists, through the immense populist cataclysms of Mao’s reign, to Deng Xiaoping’s equally epochal market reforms, Xi Jinping’s technocratic, AI-age “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,” and finally the socialist imaginaries of the science-fiction future. Along the way, we examine Marxist political and economic theories, relationships between violence, art, and politics on the revolutionary stage, nationalism and internationalism in global leftist thought, and authoritarianism and utopian modernism in a comparative context. Students should come away with a better understanding of both socialism as a global phenomenon, the triumphs and catastrophes of China’s modern history, and governance, culture, economy, and intellectual life in the contemporary People’s Republic.   <ul> <li> Provide students with a sound understanding of socialism as it has been interpreted and implemented in the People’s Republic of China</li> <li> Foster greater awareness of socialism not only as a political or economic doctrine, but as a set of cultural ideas which reshape human experience</li> <li> Provide students with insight into daily life in twentieth- and twentieth-century China, aiding appreciation of contemporary social issues from generation gaps to the outlook of political leaders</li> <li> Set China’s socialist experience in a wider context by offering comparisons with other socialist projects elsewhere in the world, and with politics in non-socialist countries</li> <li> Improve students’ ability to express complex ideas in oral and written form</li></ul> By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul> <li>Show familiarity with the history of socialism in China, its shifting meanings over time, and its domestic and international influences</li> <li>Demonstrate the relationship between Chinese political projects pursued in the name of socialism and changes in everyday life</li> <li>Illustrate how socialism in China relates to other ideologies including nationalism</li></ul> <ul> <li> Read, discuss, and critically analyse materials relating to socialism and postsocialism in China</li> <li> Apply independent critical thinking skills when making use of historical and contemporary sources</li> <li> Critically appraise the function of labels given to political projects and understand the importance of official and vernacular political ideas</li> <li> Express ideas about the meaning and significance of socialism in China in the form of well-structured and well-research written essays</li></ul> <ul> <li> Think independently and analytically about socialism, its relationship to other political ideas, and how to assess political labels</li> <li> Be well-informed on a range of political and social topics and be prepared to use this knowledge in intercultural discourse</li> <li> Express ideas clearly in speech and writing</li> <li> Read effectively (both primary and secondary texts) </li></ul> Other Students will develop the following skills which can usefully be transferred to many employment contexts: Time management, self-organisation and working towards deadlines Written communication skills, and the ability to present and organise arguments clearly A broader understanding of global politics applicable to many contexts An ability to maintain attention to detail while also approaching large and potentially daunting topics Weekly readings will be posted on Canvas. 0 Other 100% <figure class="table"><table aria-rowcount="5" border="1" data-tablelook="1184" data-tablestyle="MsoTableGrid"><tbody><tr aria-rowindex="1" role="row"><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 30%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;" data-celllook="65536" role="rowheader">Assessment Task </td><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 30%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;">Formative or Summative</td><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 30%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;" data-celllook="65536" role="columnheader">Weighting within unit </td></tr><tr aria-rowindex="2" role="row"><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;" data-celllook="65536" role="rowheader">Weekly discussion post</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;">Summative</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;" data-celllook="65536">20%</td></tr><tr aria-rowindex="3" role="row"><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;" data-celllook="65536" role="rowheader">In-person or recorded presentation</td><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;">Summative</td><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;" data-celllook="65536">20% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;">Essay Plan</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;">Summative</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;">10%</td></tr><tr aria-rowindex="4" role="row"><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;" data-celllook="65536" role="rowheader">Final Essay </td><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;">Summative</td><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;" data-celllook="65536">50%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> Resit Assessment: 1 Essay on agreed topic  <figure class="table" style="width:661px;"><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="0"><tbody><tr><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 30%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;width:321px;">Feedback method</td><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 30%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;width:340px;">Formative or Summative</td></tr><tr><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;width:321px;">In writing: written feedback on essay plan</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;width:340px;">Formative</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;width:321px;">In class: responses to contributions, questions asked, and any other participation.</td><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;width:340px;">Formative </td></tr><tr><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;height:7px;width:321px;">In writing: written feedback on essay (via Canvas/Turnitin)</td><td style="border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;height:7px;width:340px;">Summative</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;height:7px;width:321px;">In person: additional one-to-one feedback during consultation hours or by making an appointment.</td><td style="background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-color:hsl(0, 0%, 90%);border-style:solid;height:7px;width:340px;">Formative</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>  English (Students will have the option of using primary Chinese-language materials but all required materials will be in English) Availble to students on Chinese Studies programme, Social Anthropolgy and Politics. Y Great starter references for the entire period are:<ol><li>Jonathan Spence and Janet Chen. The Search for Modern China: Fourth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2025.</li><li>Patricia Ebrey. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023.   <a href="https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/1r887gn/alma992986440399101631" target="_blank">https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/1r887gn/alma992986440399101631</a>  </li><li>Roderick MacFaquhar and John Fairbank. The Cambridge History of China, Volume 14, part 1: The People's Republic: The Emergence of Revolutionary China, 1949-1965. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987. <a href="https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/bofker/alma992976387084701631" target="_blank">https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/bofker/alma992976387084701631</a></li></ol>More generally (not in any order):  <ol><li>Wemheuer, Felix. A Social History of Maoist China: Conflict and Change, 1949-1976. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Available online: <a href="https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/bofker/alma992984429728901631" target="_blank">https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/bofker/alma992984429728901631</a></li><li>Jeremy Brown and Matthew Johnson eds. Maoism at the Grassroots: Everyday Life in China's Era of High Socialism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2015. <a href="https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/bofker/alma992976143615401631" target="_blank">https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/bofker/alma992976143615401631</a></li><li>Walder, Andrew. China Under Mao: A Revolution Derailed. Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press, 2015. Available online: <a href="https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/bofker/alma992984789917001631" target="_blank">https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/bofker/alma992984789917001631</a></li><li>Margaret Hillenbrad and Chloë Starr. Documenting China: A Reader in Seminal Twentieth-Century Texts. University of Washington Press, 2011.  <a href="https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/1r887gn/alma992981283506301631" target="_blank">https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/1r887gn/alma992981283506301631</a></li><li>Stuart Schram. The Political Thought of Mao Tse-tung. New York and London: Praeger, 1969.</li><li>Mao Zedong. The Selected Works of Mao Zedong. Foreign Languages Press, 1965.</li><li>Karl, Rebecca E. China’s Revolutions in the Modern World: A Brief Interpretive History. London: Verso, 2020.</li><li>Christian P. Sorace, Ivan Franceschini, and Nicholas Loubere eds. Afterlives of Chinese Communism: Political Concepts from Mao To Xi. Canberra: ANU Press, 2019.</li><li>Mitter, Rana. A Bitter Revolution: China's Struggle with the Modern World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.</li><li>Elizabeth McGuire. Red at Heart: How Chinese Communists Fell in Love with the Russian Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.</li><li>Julia Lovell. Maoism: A Global History. London: Bodley Head, 2019.</li><li>Yu Hua. China in Ten Words. New York: Pantheon Books, 2011.</li><li>Deborah Kaple. Dream of a Red Factory: The Legacy of High Stalinism in China. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.</li><li>Yan Yunxiang. Private Life Under Socialism: Love, Intimacy, and Family Change in a Chinese Village, 1949-1999. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003. </li></ol> Lectures 11 Seminars 22 0 167