LASS403 China-U.S. Relations 3cr

This course explores the relationship between
China and the United States from its beginning to
the present. Unlike conventional narratives of
Sino-U.S. relations focusing on politics and
diplomatic relations, this course will cover more
broadly social, cultural,and economic
interactions, such as mutual perceptions and
images,cultural/educational exchanges, migration
and foreign policies, and international trade.
Accordingly, we will look at a wide array of
individuals and institutions such as
missionaries, educators, merchants, migrants,
non-government organizations, corporations and
mass media rather than nation-states as the sole
actors on the stage. We will place China and the
United States in their regional and historical
contexts while focusing on the interactive
dynamic to show how their relations shaped their
own histories as well as the global history. This
course is to help students develop a solid
understanding of the evolution of Sino-U.S.
relations over time as well as a sharp and well
informed
perspective on current challenges and
opportunities, especially the new face of
Sino-U.S.relations with China’s rise as a major
economic powerhouse and the repositioning of the
United States in the world. In addition to
learning about the substance of these facets of
Sino-U.S. relations, the course is designed to
teach several important skills to students:
informed reading of various types of sources,
historical and critical thinking, policy analysis
and debates,oral presentation and writing, and
teamwork. Different assignments are designed to
develop and advance these skills.

Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100

Seminar

Fall