EAST4610 – Voices from East Asia: How to Communicate Research Results

In this course you work individually, or together with another student, to develop your knowledge on an East Asia topic, and to gain practical skills in communicating this knowledge. The course consists of two parts. In the first part, you participate in various workshops that focus on skills such as journalistic writing, podcast-making, filmmaking, exhibition curating, public lecturing and teaching, or policy report writing. In the second half of the semester, you apply one of these skills to an individual project. You decide on the topic of your project in collaboration with your MA supervisor. The topic may be closely related to your Master thesis, but it can also be another topic that you wish to explore. In addition, you make and summarise a list of at least ten academic and non-academic items (articles, reports, films, podcasts, exhibition catalogues, etc., at least three of which are academic texts) related to your project. At least three of these should be in an East Asian language.

The specific topic of your project should be judged, by you and your supervisor in collaboration, to be of interest to a non-academic audience, and the format should be chosen accordingly. If appropriate and if quality allows, this part of your exam will be published online on the "Voices from East Asia" blog, and, if possible, be fed into professional media or other public fora. However, do not publish your product before you have got the exam result, to avoid suspicions of plagiarism.

• Learning communication skills such as journalistic writing, podcast-making, filmmaking, exhibition curating, public lecturing and teaching, or policy report writing.
• Gaining experience that is useful for future careers in media and journalism, museums, education, film, art, the public sector, business, thinktanks, or other sectors.

Admission to the MA programme option Chinese Culture and Society or Japanese Studies.

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.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

The course starts with an obligatory introductory class in which all students give a brief preliminary presentation of their possible project. This will be followed by several workshops that focus on skills such as podcast-making, filmmaking, exhibition curating, public lecturing, and teaching. Some of these may be taught in collaboration with external experts. During the semester, you have at least one meeting with your thesis supervisor and one with the course convenor to discuss the topic, format, and list of items of your final project. At the end of the semester, there is one final obligatory class in which you present your project to fellow students and teachers. 

Compulsory activities:

1. Attendance at introductory class.
2. Attendance of at least 60% of the classes/workshops.
3. At least one meeting with your supervisor and one with the course convenor about your choice of topic.
4. A list of at least ten academic and non-academic items (articles, reports, films, podcasts, exhibition catalogues, etc., of which at least three are academic texts) related to your project. At least three of these should be in an East Asian language.
5. A summary of the items on your list (3-5 pages).
6. A final presentation in which you present (part of) your project and give feedback to your fellow students.

You will find more information about the requirements for the compulsory assignment(s) and the submission deadline in Canvas.

The approved compulsory activity remains valid for the 2 following semesters in which the course is offered. However, exceptions may arise if the course undergoes changes in its assessment format, teaching, or other significant modifications.

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:

This course requires at least 60% attendance. This requirement is absolute.

The absence limit should cover normal absences due to illness, etc. You will therefore not be granted a valid excused absence based on a medical certificate, even if the absence is due to circumstances for which you cannot be blamed.

In special cases, for example, in the event of serious or long-term illness, you can apply for special needs accomodations. For questions about special needs accommodations, please contact studentinfo@ikos.uio.no

• Here you will find information about compulsory activities at the Department of Culture, Religion, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

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:

• Common guidelines relating to compulsory activities - University of Oslo (uio.no)

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.

The exam is one of the following, depending on the format chosen:

• A podcast (15-20 minutes).
• A short film or video essay (10-20 minutes).
• A small exhibition (5-10 items with captions; documented by photographs).
• A public speech, lecture, or class (min. 20 minutes; documented by notes, report, or recording).

The use of AI is only allowed as a supplementary tool in the initial search for sources, etc., and the reliability of the information and the sources must be checked by the candidate. The use of AI is not allowed in the production or editing (including language editing) of the text and images used for the exam; these should be produced in its entirety by the candidate him- or herself. Any use or non-use of AI must be declared by the candidate.

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.