United States and China: Past, Present and Future
Monday, September 8 ~ Friday, September 12, 2008
No fee
APPLICATION DEADLINE - May 15, 2008
~ Organizing Faculty: Gordon Chang, History
Just two weeks after the 2008 Summer Olympics end in Beijing, this class will meet to consider, in broad and even speculative terms, the history and possible future of relations between the United States and China. That the relationship between the two countries will shape world events in the coming years has become a truism and this class will bring graduate students and faculty from a variety of disciplines together to discuss the inter-action in terms of history, culture, economics, politics, security, and society. Are the two possible enemies, rivals, or friends? How might the relationship affect economies, societies, and cultures? In what ways might historical trends and cultural patterns affect the relationship? In what ways might the relationship shape regional or even global conditions?
Historian Gordon H. Chang will lead the discussion and call on Stanford colleagues from other disciplines (economics, political science, sociology) [these will be determined depending on availability] to provide scholarly perspectives. Students will meet collectively and in small groups to focus on particular questions of interest, such as issues of human rights, the environment, Taiwan, trade and investment, immigration, or security. The course seeks to bring a wide diversity of graduate students together; some may have intellectual and research interests related to China, others may have personal or ancestral curiosities, and others still may join simply to be better informed about our rapidly changing world.