China's Next Moves
Rana Mitter
About the Course
In 1949 Mao Zedong, a former library assistant, declared the creation of the people's Republic of China, a move that plunged the country into social and economic transformation. But how did this originate? Do remnants of his ideology still exist today? Where is China headed next? Should we be fearful or optimistic about what the future holds?
Join renowned China specialist, Oxford historian and regular BBC host, Rana Mitter, in this course as he explores China's Next Moves. Professor Mitter will chart a riveting course through Ancient Chinese History, Confucianism, WW2, Maoist doctrine and the modern CCP, offering his expert opinion on how these forces shape China today.
By the end of the course, you will have learned:
- The ideas that characterise Confucianism
- The impact of WW2 on China
- The forces that dictated the rise and fall of Maoism
- China's modern political ideology
- The challenges that China faces
- What our modern outlook on China should be
IAI Academy courses are designed to be challenging but accessible to the interested student. No specialist knowledge is required.
About the Instructor
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Rana Mitter
Rana Mitter is a renowned China specialist, Oxford historian and regular BBC host. As a professor of Chinese history and politics at Oxford University and a Fellow of the British Academy, Ranna Mitter has been awarded an OBE for his services to education. Rana is a regular presenter of Radio 3’s Night Waves and is a prolific writer for the Financial Times, the Guardian, the Telegraph, History Today, and the London Review of Books.
Rana is an expert on the emergence of nationalism in modern China and has written many books on the subject. His latest, China’s Good War, looks at how the memory of WWII has formed Chinese national identity today.
Course Syllabus
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Part One: The Ideas that Shaped ChinaHow has the history, ideology and philosophy developed in China throughout the millennia? And how does this lead us to where China stands socially, economically and globally today?
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Part Two : China in the 2020sThe question everyone from the U.S. President to China's immediate neighbours are asking: where is China heading?
