Unpacking the US-China Rivalry Q1

Course Number 1515

Senior Lecturer Andy Zelleke

Fall; Q1; 1.5 credits
7 Two-hour Sessions
Paper
Enrollment: Limited to 50 students

Course Content and Objectives

The US-China bilateral relationship is in its worst shape since the two nations normalized diplomatic relations in 1979. The deterioration in Sino-American relations, and the intensely competitive rivalry that has developed, have important implications for the rest of the world, including the business sector. This course has three principal goals: (i) to leave students with a significantly better understanding of this most consequential bilateral relationship, and of the multiple dimensions of the rivalry; (ii) to expose students to a diversity of perspectives, encouraging them to challenge and refine their own; and (iii) to engage students in creative ideation toward progress—as they define that—in some aspect of the US-China relationship.

Class sessions will focus on key competitive domains, including economies and political systems; national security; technology; and world order. The course will be reading- and discussion-intensive. It will not be case-based. It will emphasize practitioner-oriented readings (e.g. articles from Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy; “think tank” reports, e.g. Council on Foreign Relations, Brookings, RAND; book chapters; speeches, transcripts and official policy statements; and a few articles from scholarly journals). The course will also feature guest speakers (one or two of whom may need to be scheduled outside class hours to accommodate speaker time zones). Assigned readings and guest speakers will, by design, represent a diversity of views. These will include Chinese and other non-US perspectives. The course aims to help students further refine the substantive world views they will have been developing at HBS, while enhancing their capacities for perspective-taking and empathy.

Students will select the topic for their final paper (8-10 pp.) from among a list of choices to be provided.

Course Grading

The course grade will be based on the following: (i) 40% on class participation; (ii) 20% on short-answer assignments submitted throughout the course; and (iii) 40% on the final paper.