Not available in 2020/21
IR445
China and the World
This information is for the 2020/21 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof William Callahan CBG.9.05
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in China in Comparative Perspective, MSc in International Relations, MSc in International Relations (ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and Sciences Po) and MSc in International Relations (Research). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
All students are required to obtain permission from the Teacher Responsible by completing the Student Statement box on the online application form linked to course selection on ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ for You. Admission is not guaranteed. Preference will be given to students on the MSc in International Relations programmes.
Course content
This course will provide students with an historical overview of the development of Chinese foreign and security policy, the theoretical concepts used for analysing the making of Chinese foreign policy, and an up-to-date survey of China's evolving relations around the world. The first five weeks will be dedicated to providing a long historical perspective, and use a number of case studies to show how basic factors used in foreign policy analysis shape policy outcomes, including economic factors, the role of perception, geopolitical influences, bureaucratic politics, nationalism, and socialisation into the international system. The remainder of the course will involve analysing case studies on China's relations with the United States, Japan and Korea, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Russia and Central Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands, the EU, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East.
Watch a short introductory video on this course: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/internationalrelations/video/IR445-CFSP-video.aspx
Teaching
10 hours of lectures and 12 hours of seminars in the MT. 18 hours of seminars in the LT.
Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy.
Formative coursework
Students will complete three 2,000 word essays during the course and will make two presentations to the seminar. It is permissible for the presentations to be on the same topics as the essays.
Indicative reading
• Yahuda, Michael, The International Politics of the Asia-Pacific, 4 edn. London: Routledge, 2019.
• French, Howard. Everything under the heavens: how the past helps shape China's push for global power. London: Scribe UK, 2017.
• Christensen, Thomas J. The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power. New York: W.W. Norton, 2015.
• Shambaugh, David. China Goes Global. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Johnston, Alistair Iain. Social States: China in International Institutions, 1980-2000. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008.
• Liao, Xuanli Chinese Foreign Policy Think Tanks and China's Policy Towards Japan. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2006.
Assessment
Exam (100%, duration: 3 hours) in the summer exam period.
Student performance results
(2016/17 - 2018/19 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| Distinction | 32 |
| Merit | 49.5 |
| Pass | 16.5 |
| Fail | 1.9 |
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Key facts
Department: International Relations
Total students 2019/20: 29
Average class size 2019/20: 15
Controlled access 2019/20: Yes
Value: One Unit
