What does the success of China's rapid economic rise mean for global democracy, for capitalism, and for the current U.S.-dominated world order? This course explores the character, conditions, and consequences of the rapid Chinese economic growth that many have termed "capitalism with Chinese characteristics." It summarizes three paradigms for explaining this growth: a state-centered, a market-centered, and a society-centered explanation. We examine case studies of U.S.-China interaction over the last three decades, and conclude with a forecast of what international relations will look like in the next century.