China, Its People and Culture

Catalog description

The course will provide an overview of China, mainland China, and its changing culture. It will give a brief examination of its long history and sociopolitical philosophies, the origin and composition of the language, and will take a closer look at its turbulent changes since 1900 and overwhelming developments in recent decades. The course will look at the impacts of the state politics on cultural patterns and lifestyles of the people and will highlight the roles of influential leaders responsible for such changes. It also studies China's family structure, gender relations, and urban/rural patterns of social values and behaviors. The course will present a complex picture of China, rooted in Confucianism, reshaped by Mao's revolution, Deng's reform, and the more recent globalization. The social, cultural, and environmental cost of rapid industrialization will be reviewed and analyzed.