This course introduces students to the recent literature on China's immense urban transformation process, spatial restructuring and urban problems it causes. Much of the course focuses on the post-1978 period, which fundamentally differs from the preceding 30 years of state socialism. The topics are mainly divided into three parts. Part 1 is on the process and the uniqueness of urbanization in China. Issues such as the socialist ideology, the household registration (hukou) system, rural-urban migration and globalization will be discussed.

China's transition to a market economy and return to the global community has huge impacts over the lives of its people, as well as the rest of the world. While covering other fields such as anthropology, political science, gender studies and urban studies, this course mostly employs a sociological perspective to examine issues in contemporary Chinese society.

This course is ideal if you have an interest in social sciences—in particular, history, sociology or political science—or in law. It is designed as an undergraduate class, but the variety of students taking this course typically ranges from first-year students to post-graduate students. This experiential diversity provides unique opportunities for you to learn from your classmates.

There are many reasons for the global success of football. The game fulfils our longing for triumph and endorses our knowledge of failure. It produces heroes and losers, demonstrates that we have to fight to reach our aims, but also shows the importance of cooperating and interacting. Thus football acts as a theatre of existence, in which life can both mirror and transcend itself. The class will take a look behind the scenes and identify the mechanisms that make football so popular.