KIN4650 – Research Topics in Chinese Culture and Society II
Course content
This course builds upon the foundation established of KIN4550 – Research Topics in Chinese Culture and Society I. It offers an advanced-level introduction to a research topic within the realm of Chinese culture and society and additional academic development tools. Just as in "emne:", participants will become familiar with debates and literature at the frontier of the research field. They will study the selected topic through different theoretical and methodological approaches.
The course provides an introduction to theoretical and methodological approaches essential for the study of China. Each iteration of the course centers on a different topic that is closely aligned with the coordinator’s research interests and background.
To maximize learning outcomes, students are encouraged to enroll concurrently in EAST4610 – Voices from East Asia: How to Communicate Research Results and KIN4010 – Research Methodologies in China studies. The three courses offer complementary skills and insights and prepare the students for writing their Masters thesis.
Topic Autumn 2024: Global China
Previous topics:
Autumn 2023: Chinese Domestic Politics: The Many Levels of Power
Autumn 2021: Reading Chinese Cinema
Learning outcome
- You will develop, formulate, and refine your own term paper through practice and supervision, and you will learn how to work with various forms of sources.
- You will learn how to identify and integrate a theoretical and/or methodological framework into your research paper.
- You will further develop your skills in presenting and discussing academic knowledge orally and in writing.
Digitization
- As preparation for each lecture, the students will search for supplementary material in digital archives, data repositories, and online sources.
- Students will hone their skills in making effective search queries and evaluate source credibility.
- The digital interface encountered by Chinese users is different from that of users in Europe, and we will explore and discuss the implications of these differences with examples from China’s global engagements.
Worklife relevance
- Students will broaden the scope of information sources, practice evaluating the quality of information, improve critical skills, and improve their ability to present information in writing and orally.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Admission to the MA programme option Chinese Culture and Society.
The course presupposes competence in modern Chinese language, and basic reading competence in classical Chinese.
Teaching
The teaching is organized as 10 classes of 2 hours each throughout the semester. Each session will be a combination of a lecture and a discussion/presentation seminar.
Compulsory activities:
- Contribute to a group work session related to the class presentations
- Hand in a term paper proposal in the first half of the term (deadline will be given at the introduction seminar)
You will find more information about the requirements for the compulsory assignment(s) and the submission deadline in Canvas.
All compulsory activities must be approved to qualify for the exam. It is your responsibility to verify that you have obtained approval for all compulsory activities.
Absence from compulsory activities:
It is important that you familiarize yourself with the rules regarding absence from compulsory activities, to prevent being excluded from teaching and losing your eligibility to take the exam.
More information on compulsory activities at the University of Oslo:
Approved compulsory activities are only valid for one semester.
Access to teaching:
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
Term paper (70% of the final grade) and class presentation (30% of final grade)
A term paper on a subject developed by the student and approved by the teacher, 3200 - 3500 words plus list of references. The term paper should be based on both primary sources in Chinese, and secondary source readings in Chinese and/or English.
You must submit the exam in Inspera - see guides for digital exams.
You are personally responsible for familiarizing yourself with the requirements and deadlines for the exam.
All compulsory activities must be completed and approved in order to take the exam.
You can find more information about the exam on the semester page of the course.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.