KIN4520 – Recent Developments in Chinese Society
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
Topic Spring 2025: Governing China: Popular Support and Resistance.
This course focuses on one or more central topics in the field of contemporary Chinese society and politics. It is closely related to ongoing research of the teacher(s), and topics, or at least the detailed reading lists and assignments, change every time the course is offered. Topics may include, for instance, civil society, media, ethnic relations, gender, environmental issues, political structures and debates, education, foreign relations, etc. Sometimes the course may have a more explicit theoretical focus such as, for instance, globalization, modernization, governance, citizenship, or individualization in the context of China.
The course is based on the reading, analysis and discussion of sources in Chinese and English. Training in methodology, team work, essay writing and oral presentation is an integrated part of the course.
Topics previous years:
Learning outcome
You learn:
- To read extensively and to analyze sources in Chinese and English that are relevant for the study of contemporary Chinese social and political developments.
- To use theoretical concepts and work with theory.
- To work individually and in teams.
- To discuss, produce and present academic knowledge in oral and written forms.
Digitization skills
- Practice searching for supplementary material in digital archives, data repositories, and online sources.
- Hone your skills in making effective search queries and evaluating source credibility.
- Explore Chinese digital environments and constraints, and analyze its implications for society and politics.
Worklife relevant skills
- Broaden the scope of information sources and practice evaluating quality of information.
- Learn and practice how to provide constructive feedback and make use of feedback from others.
- Improve critical skills and competence in independent analysis and writing.
- Improve ability to present information to an audience.
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.
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 and passed the first semester course KIN4510 – How to study Chinese Culture and Society.
Participation in the course presupposes competence in oral and written modern Chinese language.
Teaching
The teaching is organized as 10 classes of 2 hours each during the semester?plus 10 single-hour conversational sessions held in Chinese.
Compulsory activities
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Attendance in at least 8 out of 10 classes, and active participation in discussions, team work, and other activities.
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At least one essay submitted in writing and presented orally in class individually or in a team as assigned by the teacher.
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Peer review of at least one paper written by other students.
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80% attendance and participation in conversational lessons.
The obligatory activities are only valid for the current semester.?
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:?
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 and an oral exam.
The term paper must be on?a subject developed by the student and approved by the teacher, and should contain 2500 - 3000 words. The term paper must be based on primary sources in Chinese, and secondary source readings in Chinese and/or English. The front page and bibliography are not included in the word amount.
The oral exam?consist of a presentation and conversation of up to approx. 15 minutes with two examiners. Here you must present, justify and reflect on your term paper draft and outline. In particular, it is expected that you will be able to discuss the research question, material, methods and theoretical concepts.
Detailed information regarding the exam format will be announced on Canvas.?
An overall grade is given in the course. The term paper counts for 70 per cent and the oral exam counts for 30 per cent of the grade.?You must pass both exams to pass the course.
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.?
?Previous exams and grading guidelines.
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.
Resit an examination
Please note that it is not possible to retake just one of the exams (oral exam or term paper). If you are going to take the exam again, you must take both the oral exam and the term paper.
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.