This course examines major social problems that have emerged in contemporary China since the onset of economic reforms in the late 1970s. With a substantive focus on inequality and social class formation, the course will analyze the shifting distribution of material assets, social status, and political power in today's China. Topics will include China's rural-urban divide, migration and urbanization, demographic challenges, pollution and food safety, social unrest, political reform, ethnic and frontier issues, and China's position in the global order.
4 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
This course examines major social problems that have emerged in contemporary China since the onset of economic reforms in the late 1970s. With a substantive focus on inequality and social class formation, the course will analyze the shifting distribution of material assets, social status, and political power in today's China. Topics will include China's rural-urban divide, migration and urbanization, demographic challenges, pollution and food safety, social unrest, political reform, ethnic and frontier issues, and China's position in the global order.
Offered in Autumn 2025 at Stanford University.