Teaching Law in China

[Questions for students:

What is Filibuster? Why does a democratic process allow the minority to prevent the majority from passing a vote?

Background info:

In Chinese, it is often translated as 冗长辩论，台湾俗称”费力把事拖”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%86%97%E9%95%B7%E8%BE%AF%E8%AB%96]

Senate Democrats Poised to Block Filibusters of Presidential Picks

By JEREMY W. PETERS

Published: November 20, 2013

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats are on the verge of moving to eliminate the use of the filibuster against most presidential nominees, aides and senior party leaders said Wednesday, a move that would deprive Republicans of their ability to block President Obama’s picks for cabinet posts and the federal judiciary and further erode what little bipartisanship still exists in the Senate.

The following movie (“When China Met Africa”) might help for those who are interested in China’s role in the development of Africa:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDkxNTUzMzA4.html

Please note that the video is not required for the class. (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WATCH IT.)

Here’s how Economist introduces the movie —

“WHEN Marc and Nick Francis came across Chinese workers building a road in the Ethiopian countryside in 2005, they felt like they were seeing the future. China’s footprint on Africa’s soil was expanding in front of their eyes.”