This is an interdisciplinary course which explores the recent political and socio-economic evolution of selected societies in the East and West. It focuses on the dynamic interplay of political, economic and cultural forces at the state level of the international system. It also considers similar forces at the regional and global levels which may link or interact with the development of states. Emphasis will be on Hong Kong and China, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Soviet successor states, and the European Union in exploring such transitional currents.