How to understand China is a major challenge for the 21st century. The history of the Cold War seems to tell us that Communist regimes end in failure because they are unable to compete with capitalism. However, China after 50 years of reform and opening is anything but a failure; in terms of economic and geopolitical power China is second only to the United States, and gaining fast. The goal of this course is to set aside the rhetoric of the Cold War and look at contemporary China with fresh eyes. At the very least, China has proved itself over the past half century to be an excellent problem-solver, although we may well reject some of China's methods and solutions.