IR350 Half Unit
Global Politics of China
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Sichen Li
Availability
This course is available on the BSc in International Relations, BSc in International Relations and Chinese, Erasmus Reciprocal Programme of Study and Exchange Programme for Students from University of California, Berkeley. This course is not available as an outside option to students on other programmes. This course is available with permission to General Course students.
This course is capped. Places will be assigned on a first come first served basis.
Course content
This course is designed to provide students with a foundational understanding of globalisation, focusing on its challenges and opportunities in the context of China’s rise. The course is structured in three parts:
• Theoretical Foundations: We begin by exploring classic political economy theories of globalisation.
• Geopolitical Challenges: We then examine how geopolitics and China’s rise challenge and reshape these traditional frameworks.
• Applied Analysis: Finally, we apply these analytical tools to real-world topics, including industrial policies, foreign direct investment (FDI), economic sanctions, and the green transition.
Teaching
10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the Winter Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.
Formative assessment
Essay plan (750 words)
The formative assessment provides students with an opportunity to write an essay outline and receive feedback to support their preparation for the summative essay.
Indicative reading
Frieden, Jeffry A., David A. Lake. and J. Lawrence Broz, International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Power and Wealth. Routledge, 2002.
Blackwill, Robert D. War by Other Means: Geoeconomics and Statecraft. Harvard University Press, 2016.
Assessment
Report (20%)
Essay (80%, 2000 words) in Spring Term Week 1
Report (20%): Simulation Exercise Report of 5 pages, in the WT
Key facts
Department: International Relations
Course Study Period: Winter Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 6
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: Unavailable
Average class size 2024/25: Unavailable
Capped 2024/25: NoCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.