NS4620 Seminar on the Chinese People's Liberation Army

This course is a reading seminar on the evolution of the PRC's military and its domestic and foreign policy roles. It reviews the evolution of Maoist and post-Mao security strategies, military decision making, professionalism versus politicization of the army, the calculus of deterrence and the use of force in PRC foreign policy, and party-army and civil military relations. Prerequisites: None.

Lecture Hours

4

Lab Hours

0

Course Learning Outcomes

• Understand the official assessments of the PLA by the US government and the PRC/CCP.
• Familiarize yourself with the historical origins of the PLA and China’s use of force during the Cold War.
• Deepen understanding of key building blocks for overall PLA modernization, including PLA military strategy, civil-military relations, defense budget, military-civil fusion, personnel, and the reforms implemented by Xi Jinping.
• Familiarize yourself with the major recent developments in the services of the PLA.
• Understand the PLA’s current and potential future operations in Taiwan, East Asia, and around the globe.
• Deepen understanding of all services beyond your own.
• Critically assess China’s ongoing military modernization and the challenge for U.S. security interests.