From the Belt and Road Initiative to high-tech surveillance, China is at the center of contemporary discussions about the future of the global economy. This course will expose students to a historical understanding of how China not only became part of the world economy, but in fact defined its development in major ways. Over the course of the semester, students will explore a variety of subjects, from the Great Divergence between Europe and China in the eighteenth century to the rise of Maoist socialism in mid-twentieth century, to China's transition to capitalism and involvement in Africa in the twenty-first century. Examining the past two hundred fifty years of Chinese and global economic history, the students will gain a deep understanding of how China became the world's second largest economy, and what that means for the future.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; AS LCD; FA LNG; AR HUM
