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China Overview The 2008 Beijing Olympics: Challenges and Opportunities
China Overview The 2008 Beijing Olympics: Challenges and Opportunities
| The 2008 Beijing Olympics: Challenges and Opportunities |
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Course DescriptionAll eyes will be on China during the 2008 summer Olympic games in Beijing. For China, hosting the Olympics presents a range of opportunities and challenges as the country’s leaders and people seek to showcase the “New Beijing.” China is understandably proud and excited to demonstrate to the world that it can not only host a world-class athletic competition, but also to show that China has arrived as a modern economic and social power. At the same time that China’s leaders will seek to present the country’s best face to the world, they are also keenly aware of the many challenges and social tensions the country faces and are concerned how the world will perceive the less glamorous side of its rapid changes. In this interdisciplinary course students will explore a range of China’s Olympic-related challenges and opportunities, including the environment, human rights, international relations, urban development, and cultural change. The course will provide students the timely opportunity to learn first-hand about Beijing’s Olympic preparations through on-site field trips and guest lectures from a range of academic and professional experts.Course RequirementsFor each class session students will be expected to complete the required readings, which will primarily consist of book chapters as well as journal and newspaper articles. In addition to active participation in class discussions, each student will be responsible for selecting one class session for which they will write a short response paper and will then act as a discussant or co-discussant during the class.Students will also be responsible for completing a Capstone Project and make an in-class presentation during the final week of class. |
