Introductory module on contemporary China in the world. Intended for community college students and lower division students enrolled in relevant courses in global studies, international studies, international relations, Asian studies, and political science. Includes suggested readings, lesson plan, and ancillary materials (lecture slides, notes, and student handout).

Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler welcomes Ruan Zongze, Vice President of the China Institute of International Studies, Beijing, for a discussion of China's changing domestic scene and its implications for Chinese foreign policy. (57 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Susan Shirk, Professor of Political Science at UC San Diego, for a discussion of her new book, China: Fragile Superpower. A former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Clinton administration, Professor Shirk analyzes how Chinese domestic politics affects its international behavior and how U.S. foreign policy responds to and influences China's international behavior. She also discusses how her work as a scholar of Chinese politics and society informed her work in Washington. (55 minutes)

Host Harry Kreisler welcomes The Right Honorable Lord Patten of Barnes CH for a discussion of the European UnionŐs common foreign and defense policy, relations between Europe and the United States, and the challenges posed by the emergence of the economies of China and India. Lord Patten also offers his reflections on diplomacy, enlargement, and the power of ideas in politics. (53 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Parag Khanna, Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation. Their discussion focuses on the emerging world order characterized by 3 empires—the U.S., the European Union, and China—and a rising Second World which because of globalization has greater opportunity for self definition internally and influence externally. Parag Khanna elucidates the shape of this new world and its implications for U.S. foreign policy. (55 minutes)

Washington Post reporter John Pomfret discusses his new book, "Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China." (55 minutes)

Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng joins Conversations host Harry Kreisler for a discussion of the factors that shaped his life as one of China's leading dissidents. (21 min)

On this episode of Conversations with History, author and University of Chicago professor John J. Mearsheimer joins UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler to discuss the Realist theory of international relations and its implications for understanding the U.S. role in the world, future relations with China, and our response to the terrorist threat. (58 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Mark Leonard, Executive Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, for a discussion of the ideas that are influencing the domestic and foreign policy debates in China. Through a careful examination of what Chinese intellectuals have to say on topics such as democracy, economy, and international relations, Leonard finds distinctive Chinese worldviews. The West must understand the contours of these debates to effectively address China's rise because they offer important insights into how China will use its enormous power to shape world order in the twenty-first century. (59 minutes)

This class is divided into a series of sections or “modules”, each of which concentrates on a particular large technology-related topic in a cultural context. The class will start with a four-week module on Samurai Swords and Blacksmithing, followed by smaller units on Chinese Cooking, the Invention of Clocks, and Andean Weaving, and end with a four-week module on Automobiles and Engines. In addition, there will be a series of hands-on projects that tie theory and practice together. The class discussions range across anthropology, history, and individual development, emphasizing recurring themes, such as the interaction between technology and culture and the relation between “skill” knowledge and “craft” knowledge.

Culture Tech evolved from a more extensive, two-semester course which formed the centerpiece of the Integrated Studies Program at MIT.  For 13 years, ISP was an alternative first-year program combining humanities, physics, learning-by-doing, and weekly luncheons.  Culture Tech represents the core principles of ISP distilled into a 6-unit seminar. Although many collections of topics have been used over the years, the modules presented here are a representative sequence.

D-Lab Development addresses issues of technological improvements at the micro level for developing countries—in particular, how the quality of life of low-income households can be improved by adaptation of low cost and sustainable technologies. Discussion of development issues as well as project implementation challenges are addressed through lectures, case studies, guest speakers and laboratory exercises. Students form project teams to partner with mostly local level organizations in developing countries, and formulate plans for an IAP site visit. (Previous field sites include Ghana, Brazil, Honduras and India.) Project team meetings focus on developing specific projects and include cultural, social, political, environmental and economic overviews of the countries and localities to be visited as well as an introduction to the local languages.

In this activity, students will ask their partner questions to create an appropriate schedule of activities.Students will learn how to create a schedule based on everyday activities and their partner's hobbies.

This is a collection of downloadable video clips on the theme of Economic Systems, with guiding questions for students. Clips are drawn from the following PBS WIDE ANGLE documentaries: "To Have and Have Not" (2002), "A State of Mind" (2003), "Ladies First" (2004), "1-800-INDIA" (2005), "Border Jumpers" (2005).

As markets or production bases, China and India are becoming important and integral players in the global economy. Foreign direct investment (FDI), portfolio investments and outsourcing businesses have increased dramatically in these two economies. Despite the rising importance of these two economies on the world stage, our knowledge and analysis of these two countries in an integrated manner has remained poor. The two are often lumped together by business analysts as “emerging markets,” despite the substantial differences in their political systems, reform policies and business organizations. Academics, in contrast, have tended to treat the two countries separately, preferring to specialize in issues and questions specific to one or the other country.
The purpose of this course is to analyze these two countries within a coherent analytical framework. Our learning model is inductive, and heavily based on class discussions and participation. The group projects should aim at integrating analysis, knowledge and understanding of these two countries. We will also experiment with other forms of group projects, such as creating and working on business plans and those projects that integrate research from field trips with more traditional research, such as library research. There is no prerequisite but 15.012 (Applied Macro- and International Economics) and 15.223 (Global Markets, National Policies and the Competitive Advantage of Firms) are highly recommended.

Poster showing two Red Cross nurses, one, a Madonna figure, cradling in her arms a wounded soldier(?) on a litter, between the flags of China and the United States. Text also in Chinese.

In this activity students will play a Kahoot! review game to review the content, grammatical concepts, high frequency vocabulary and common phrases in Mandarin Chinese that were learned during the semester.

Students learn about the wonderful and fascinating country of China, and its environmental challenges that require engineering solutions, many in the form of increased energy efficiency, the incorporation of renewable energy, and new engineering developments for urban and rural areas. China is fast becoming an extremely influential factor in our world today, and will likely have a large role in shaping the decades ahead. China is the world's largest energy consumer and the largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions, leading engineers and scientists to be concerned about the role these emissions play in rural and urban public and environmental health, as well as in global climate change. Through exploring some sources of air pollution, appropriate housing for different climate zones, and the types of renewable energy, the lessons and activities of this unit present ways that engineers are helping people in China, using an approach to cleaner, smarter, healthier and more-efficient ways of living that apply to people wherever they live.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"According to a new study, the cholesterol-reducing drug evolocumab plus a moderate-intensity statin dose was effective in Chinese patients with both type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia or mixed dyslipidemia. China has the highest diabetes burden of any country in the world. And as is the case for Western populations, diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in Asian adults. The primary target for treating such patients is reducing low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol. While statin therapy is recommended globally, research suggests that statin-related adverse reactions occur at higher rates among Chinese patients. The inability to achieve the recommended LDL levels in Chinese patients might therefore be related to statin intolerance or underuse of statins due to the risk of adverse events..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Modernization is an important issue in the New York State Global History and Geography curriculum. Students are expected to understand how modernization may impact such areas as society, politics, the economy, and the environment. In the Global History and Geography curriculum, a study of historical examples of modernization includes examples of attempts to transform society, such as the Meiji Restoration or Kemal Ataturk. In this lesson, two PBS WIDE ANGLE documentaries -- "To Have and Have Not" (2002) and "1-800-INDIA" (2005) -- will enable students to examine the effects of modernization on two Asian countries: China and India.

In this activity, students will work together to interview one another to construct family trees. Students will pair off and ask one another a series of interview questions and draw their partners family tree. Students will then introduce their partners family to other classmates.