For those who want a balanced approach to the teachings of Mao, this course is not it. It is a very selective reading of Mao's and the CCP's political thoughts from before the Revolution to present day China. Having taken several classes in both ancient and modern Chinese history in college 25 years ago, I was hoping to get a more comprehensive look at one the major leaders of the 20th century - Mao's influences, how his "thought" changed (or didn't) through time, how it affected his own people, how other countries (USSR and USA especially) influenced his thinking , etc..However after several lectures and especially after unit 4, I realized this was not to be. Major events in China's history that were the direct result of Mao's policies are merely described as "mistakes" and instead try to gloss over these "mistakes" by throwing in flowery language of how Mao was "distraught" but not telling us why anything was done to rectify his ... For those who want a balanced approach to the teachings of Mao, this course is not it. It is a very selective reading of Mao's and the CCP's political thoughts from before the Revolution to present day China. Having taken several classes in both ancient and modern Chinese history in college 25 years ago, I was hoping to get a more comprehensive look at one the major leaders of the 20th century - Mao's influences, how his "thought" changed (or didn't) through time, how it affected his own people, how other countries (USSR and USA especially) influenced his thinking , etc..However after several lectures and especially after unit 4, I realized this was not to be. Major events in China's history that were the direct result of Mao's policies are merely described as "mistakes" and instead try to gloss over these "mistakes" by throwing in flowery language of how Mao was "distraught" but not telling us why anything was done to rectify his mistakes. Major events like "Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom (1956)" that was actually a campaign by Mao and the party to root out those who opposed their policies, "The Great Leap Forward(1958-61)" where Mao tried to modernize Chinese industry but ended up killing over 30 million people, or the "Cultural Revolution" (1966 - 76) which led to another 50 -60 million dead and setting back China's economic progress by decades. This class is only a propaganda tool by the current CCP and Tsinghua University. If anything good came out of taking this course it's that I know now what every Chinese student must think (this is a required course for all Chinese students) and why they view the current world as they do. I think the ultimate irony is that China spends so much time criticizing other countries ,Japan especially, but also the US and the West ingeneral for their apparent whitewashing of history, but they are truly the masters of disguising propaganda as history. This course could have been greatly enhanced if other professors with differing points of view were allowed to teach, but I'm sure to the CCP and Tsinghua this would run counter to their intentions. read more read less