121-238 China: The Awakening Giant

Note

Available as 121-338 at 3rd-year level.

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

25 points of first year Geography or Economics or Asian Studies or approval of the subject coordinator.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject is about the geography of "Red Capitalist" China. It introduces physical landscape, resources, present livelihood, and people and places in the land of one billion. The focus of the subject is the on-going socio-economic transformation in post-Deng Xiaoping China. Issues discussed include feeding a billion people; population growth and the one-child-only policy; political changes in the post-Deng era; is China a third world country or a major economic power. This course also covers rapid economic growth and environmental consequences; open door policy and foreign investment; migration and urbanisation; coast-inland conflicts and income polarisation; economic restructuring, sustainable development and environmental degradation; China in the next century: challenge and opportunity.

Assessment

An examination of up to 2 hours; an essay paper of up to 3000 words. Weightings of components of assessment will be advised at the start of semester.