Course Information
Course title
 Technological Development, Politics and Society of China 
Semester
 110-1 
Designated for
 COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES  GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF NATIONAL DEVELOP  
Instructor
 Chiu-Wan Liu 
Curriculum Number
 NtlDev5317 
Curriculum Identity Number
 341EU9310 
Class
  
Credits
 2.0 
Full/Half
Yr.
 Half 
Required/
Elective
 Required 
Time
 Monday 8,9(15:30~17:20) 
Remarks
 Restriction: juniors and beyond
The upper limit of the number of students: 25.
The upper limit of the number of non-majors: 10. 
Ceiba Web Server
 http://ceiba.ntu.edu.tw/1101NtlDev5317_ 
Course introduction video
 
Table of Core Capabilities and Curriculum Planning
 Table of Core Capabilities and Curriculum Planning
Course Syllabus
Please respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not copy any of the course information without permission
Course Description

The course has one hour of online lecture and one hour of online class discussion. Different forms of class discussion will be held, including paired discussion, small group discussions, large group discussion, and short debates. This course aims to teach students how to critically examine China’s technological developments and political as well as social impacts thereof along three dimensions.

I. Chinese government, politics and economics since 1949: elucidates different political contexts of technological policies under different CCP leadership in a chronological order
II. Technology and politics of China: explicates complex political implications of technological developments of China, including how China has transitioned from an industrial economy to an ICT-based economy, the rise of Internet giants Alibaba and Tencent, the relationship between the Internet giants and CCP, as well as how the rise of Chinese fintech influences the authoritarian rule
III. Technology and society of China: helps students critically understand how industrial technologies, Internet and communication technologies, and fintech, have impacted on social norms, social institutions, social class and gender relations of China.

Video of course intro:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHVYgDjFDb4&ab_channel=LiuSarah

For those who would like to be registered in the class by gaining a reference number from the course instructor in the first week, please download the Umeeting app and join the chat room of this course: https://u-api.cyberlink.com/gi/U/CSfNDqDVFW 

Course Objective
 This course aims to familiarise students with factual knowledge of developments of technology of China from the Mao era onwards, as well as various scholarly insights into such developments. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically analyse China’s technological developments and policies based on their increased understanding of different political contexts under different CCP leadership, and how the technological developments have impacted on social norms, social institutions and social class of China.

Students will be motivated to deeply engage their learned factual knowledge with different strands of literature by attending lectures, participating in tailored class activities, fulfilling writing requirements, as well as preparing and attending an open book exam. Along with writing requirements, the exam is designed to help students hone the skills of organising ideas and thoughts into structured writings within a limited amount of time. 
Course Requirement
 Attendance, mid-term examination, writing requirements
This course will be taught online via 'Umeeting' 
Student Workload (expected study time outside of class per week)
  
Office Hours
 Appointment required. Note: Appointment only 
Designated reading
 Please see the electronic document of the syllabus (the attached of the first week in ceiba) 
References
 Please see the electronic document of the syllabus (the attached of the first week in ceiba) 
Grading
  
No.
Item
%
Explanations for the conditions
1. 
 Submit an analytical essay at Week 17 
30% 
 • Word count: 2,000 (bibliography excluded). • Students should choose one out of ten assigned topics to work on. • Please use in-text references instead of footnote references. In-text references and bibliographies should be consistent and correct. • Late submissions are not accepted.  
2. 
 Mid-Term Examination 
20% 
 • Students should leave their camaras of Umeeting on when writing answers for 2 hours, so the course convenor can check whether students are working on the exam alone. Students should send their answer sheets to the course instructor via email by the announced time. • Local students will not lose marks if there are some (acceptable) grammatical mistakes in their answers. • Students will be given more instructions at the class regarding how to prepare the exam. 
3. 
 Submit FIVE weeks of reaction papers which include summaries and critical reflections on the required readings 
30% 
 • Word count: 800 (300-400 summaries; 400-500 reflections of the readings). The paper with more than 1,000 words or less than 600 words will lose marks. • Must use formal references. Paraphrased sentences drawing from the readings and direct quotations must have in-text references with page numbers • Late submissions are not accepted. • Submit reaction papers via Ceiba before the course start 
4. 
 Active participation in class discussion 
20% 
  
 
Progress
Week
Date
Topic
Week 1
 9/27  Introduction to the Course
 
Week 2
 10/4  Examining the Maoist Style of Modernisation: Why did Great Leap Forward Movement Fail? 
Week 3
 10/11  National Holiday: No Course 
Week 4
 10/18  The Reform and Opening in the Deng Era: Featured in Decentralisation and Export-oriented Economy 
Week 5
 10/25  Connecting with the Global Economy: China’s Accession to WTO in 2001 
Week 6
 11/1  Social Welfare Reforms and Public Participation during the Hu-Wen Era: When Chinese Tech Firms Emerge 
Week 7
 11/8  Recentralisation of Power under Xi: is China a digital autocrat?  
Week 8
 11/15  Wired Authoritarian China: The Development of the Internet Infrastructure and Information Technology 
Week 9
 11/22  The Relationship between the Chinese Internet Giants and the Party-State 
Week 10
 11/29  The Rise of Chinese Fintech and its Influence on the Authoritarian Regime 
Week 11
 12/6  Chinese Tech Firms' Investments Overseas 
Week 12
 12/13  Mid-Term Examination (Open Book Exam) 
Week 13
 12/20  E-commerce Economy and Rural Development 
Week 14
 12/27  Social Mobility and Digital Technology 
Week 15
 1/3  Gender and Technology: Technological Development and Gender Empowerment or Disempowerment 
Week 16
 1/10  Technological Modernisation and Environmental Degradation: Environmental Politics in the Authoritarian Regime 
Week 17
 1/17  Hand in the essay.