Location:

Shanghai, China

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

This course comprises ten interrelated topics covering various aspects of China’s dynamic economy. Two sessions are set aside for watching videos. One is press conference of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in March 2014, discussing the issues of utmost interest in current China. The other is a documentary regarding massive migration process due to the construction of Three Gorges Dam. The last two afternoon sessions are set aside for student presentation. The mode of instruction consists of class lectures, presentation, and term paper etc. This course has been designed for students of social sciences (incl. law, economics, business), sciences and engineering at senior undergraduate or graduate level with an interest in politics, governance, commerce and sustainability. A general background in the social sciences is desirable, but no specific expertise is required. This course is taught by Dr. SHEN Ke from Fudan University. Dr. Shen’s research fields include demographic economics, population aging, population policy, and econometric methods.

This course is taught at Fudan University (Shanghai, China) as part of the China Europe International Summer School (CEISS). China has been undergoing exceedingly rapid economic transformation in the past half a century, transiting from a planned economy to a market economy. The unprecedented economic reform has lifted China to the ranks of middle-income countries, while the Chinese economy also displays unrivaled complexities, such as urban-rural divide, improving but fragmented social security system, fast urbanization process under the context of hukou restrictions, and enlarging income inequality. Moreover, China’s economic transformation has been closely intertwined with compressed demographic transition marked by sharply reduced fertility and accelerating population aging. Thus, this course not only introduces various aspects of China’s dynamic economy, but also explores the linkages between population change and economic development. We raise a series of questions: What is China’s economic growth pattern and structural change? What is the typical feature of rural industrialization in China? What are the economic consequences of the urban-rural divide? When might China’s demographic dividend end? Investigations into these questions may provide students with a deeper understanding on China’s contemporary society.

Setting Description:

Fudan University is the most prestigious, research-oriented university in Shanghai, and belongs to China’s top-3 universities. In the QS ranking of world universities for 2014/2015, Fudan University is ranked 71st worldwide, and 3rd overall among Chinese universities. Fudan is a member of Universitas 21, an association of leading research-oriented universities worldwide. There are 30.000 students at Fudan, including 5.000 international students. CEISS is a collaboration between six of the leading universities in China and Europe: Fudan University (China), Utrecht University (Netherlands), Freie Universität Berlin (Germany), LUISS Business School (Rome), Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan) and the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) and Edvance Education International (China). CEISS offers summer courses that explore the world's main economic, social and political trends and the way they impact on the economies and societies of Europe and China.

Cost:

11.500 CNY (course fee + course materials + housing + social programme)