MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies Course Handbook 2013/14...o Newspapers and magazines o Websites 6.5...
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1 Last updated: 24 September 2013 MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies Course Handbook 2013/14 Chinese Studies Institute Faculty of Oriental Studies Walton Street Oxford OX1 2HG http://www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/ea/chinese/mph_modchst.html
Transcript of MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies Course Handbook 2013/14...o Newspapers and magazines o Websites 6.5...
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Last updated: 24 September 2013
MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies
Course Handbook
2013/14
Chinese Studies Institute
Faculty of Oriental Studies
Walton Street
Oxford OX1 2HG
http://www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/ea/chinese/mph_modchst.html
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Welcome from the Course Director
On behalf of the MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies, I’d like to warmly welcome you to Oxford.
The study of Chinese language at Oxford began in 1876 and the Faculty of Oriental Studies
has longstanding undergraduate and graduate programs teaching Chinese language and
culture. However, you also come to Oxford at a time of great excitement and activity for
Chinese studies: your time here will see the Chinese Studies Institute moving into a new
building at St Hugh’s College that will bring together faculty and students specialising in
China from across the University. We know from your personal statements that your
motivation, enthusiasm and diverse experiences will contribute greatly to our efforts to make
Oxford a hub of innovative debate and critical inquiry into China within the UK, Europe and
internationally. We hope that each of you will deepen your understanding of China during
your time here through your interactions with faculty and with each other.
The MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies is designed to enable you to undertake intensive
study of the Chinese language while also acquiring advanced knowledge of the society,
politics, economics, history, literature, film, and cultural studies according to their individual
interests and background. As well as your time in Oxford which will provide foundational
courses in the study of modern China and electives of your choice, you will also be spending
a term studying in China, which will give you the opportunity to develop your fluency in
Chinese and to undertake the research for your dissertation. Combining language learning
and area studies is a challenge. You will be working very hard for the next two years,
especially those of you who are ab initio language learners, but the rewards for this will be
great. We hope that the degree will prepare you either for professional work in which
knowledge of China and Chinese is an advantage, or for doctoral studies related to China.
The core teaching staff for the MPhil programme includes the faculty of the Chinese Studies
Institute, especially Henrietta Harrison, Margaret Hillenbrand, Paul Bevan and Shelagh
Vainker, and our outstanding language teachers Fang Jing, Hu Bo, Yang Song and Kan
Shioyun; faculty of the School of Interdisciplinary and Area Studies who teach in the
associated MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies, especially Rachel Murphy, Anna Lora
Wainwright, Paul Irwin Crookes, Patricia Thornton, Anthony Garnaut, Reza Hasmath; and
also some other China experts in the University including Rana Mitter from the faculty of
History who co-teaches the history option. Other China faculty across the university may
also become involved in advising your dissertation research.
I hope you are excited about the possibilities of your upcoming year here at Oxford. As you
well know, given China’s emergence as a global power, today there is enormous interest in
better understanding China among governments, policy-makers, NGO activists, business
people and ordinary citizens. As one of the world’s leading centres for the study of China,
Oxford aspires to be at the cutting-edge of scholarship and training on China and to facilitate
active engagement with the country. We welcome you to join the Chinese Studies
community at Oxford in these efforts, and hope you that you see the chance to study China
at this place at this time as an opportunity to be seized.
Best wishes to you all,
Henrietta Harrison
Professor of Modern Chinese Studies
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CONTENTS
1. The MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies p5
1.1 Overview of the MSc in Modern Chinese Studies p5 1.2 Course Modules 2013-14 p6 1.3 Relation to the MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies p7 1.4 Timetables p7 1.5 Staff Contact Details p7
2. The Study of Contemporary China p10
2.1 Lecture and Class Module List p12 2.2 Week 1 p13 2.3 Week 2 p14 2.4 Week 3 p16 2.5 Week 4 p18 2.6 Week 5 p19 2.7 Week 6 p21 2.8 Week 7 p22 2.9 Week 8 p25
3. Methodology Training p28
3.1 Modern China Humanities p28 3.2 Research Methods for Area Studies p31
4. Option Courses p33
4.1 China’s Economic Reforms p34 4.2 China’s Environmental Challenges p35 4.3 China’s Twentieth Century on Film p38 4.4 Cross-Strait Relations p39 4.5 Diplomatic Language in a Chinese Context p40 4.6 History and Historiography of Modern China p42 4.7 Modern Chinese Art p43 4.8 Politics and Government of China p45 4.9 Regional China: Central Places, Borderlands and Spaces In Between p47 4.10 State and Society in Contemporary China p49 4.11 International Relations of Contemporary China p52
5. Chinese Language p55
5.1 Placement test p55 5.2 Web learning p55 5.3 TV news p55 5.4 Textbook p55 5.5 Collections p55 5.6 Study in Beijing p56 5.7 Tips for Chinese language learning as part of the MPhil course p56 5.8 Further information p57
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6. Dissertation p58 6.1 Formal requirements p58 6.2 Timetable p58 6.3 Choosing a topic p59 6.4 Sources for research p59
Basic bibliographical tools and links
Library catalogues for Chinese and Japanese materials
Sources for current events o Newspapers and magazines o Websites
6.5 Writing and referencing p63 6.6 Academic honesty and plagiarism p70
7. Examinations p71
Examination regulations
Exam conventions
Organisation o Candidate numbers o Submitting your work to the Examination Schools o Written examinations
Graduation ceremonies
8. Course Administration p74
7.1 Degree Administration p74
Teaching rooms
Website
WebLearn 7.2 Student Administration p74
Overseas Students
Student Self Service
Registration
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1. THE MPHIL IN MODERN CHINESE STUDIES
1.1 Overview of the MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies
The structure of the course is as follows:
(a) Chinese Language at level 1 (elementary) or level 2 (intermediate). Candidates
will be allocated to these levels by a placement test.
(b) Compulsory Core course on The Study of Contemporary China
(c) Methodology Training: Candidates can choose between two courses focused on
either social sciences or humanities approaches to modern China
(d) Option papers: Candidates must choose two optional papers from a list
published annually by the Faculty of Oriental Studies.
(e) Dissertation of 20,000 words
There are two sets of examinations
(1) Qualifying examinations taken in the first year
(2) Final examinations (most of these are taken at the end of the second year, but
the first year option is also included)
Candidates will be required to achieve an overall pass mark of 60% in the Qualifying
examinations to continue to the second year of the course. For the final examinations the
pass mark is 60 and candidates who receive an average of at least 70% across their entire
MPhil studies will be awarded a distinction.
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1.2 Course Modules 2013-14
CORE COURSES Term(s)
The Study of Contemporary China (Dr Paul Irwin Crookes, Professor Henrietta Harrison, Dr Antony Garnaut et al)
Michaelmas
Modern China Humanities (Professor Henrietta Harrison, Dr Peter Ditmanson, Dr Paul Bevan et al.)
Michaelmas and Hilary
Research Methods for Area Studies – Qualitative and Quantitative Aspects (Dr Reza Hasmath, Dr Anthony Garnaut et al )
Michaelmas and Hilary
OPTION COURSES
China’s Economic Reforms (Dr Sarah Eaton)
Hilary
China’s Environmental Challenges (Dr Anna Lora-Wainwright)
Hilary
China’s Twentieth Century on Film* (Dr Paul Bevan)
Hilary
Cross-Strait Relations (Dr Monique Chu)
Hilary
Diplomatic Language in a Chinese Context* (Dr Biljana Scott)
Hilary
History and Historiography of Modern China (Professor Henrietta Harrison / Professor Rana Mitter)
Hilary
Modern Chinese Art* (Dr Shelagh Vainker)
Hilary
Politics and Government of China (Dr Patricia Thornton)
Hilary
Regional Challenges: Central Places, Borderlands and Spaces In Between (Dr Anthony Garnaut)
Hilary
State and Society in Contemporary China (Dr Reza Hasmath)
Hilary
The International Relations of Contemporary China (Dr Paul Irwin Crookes)
Hilary
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1.3 Relation of the MPhil to the MSc in Contemporary China Studies
The MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies in Oriental Studies has a close relation with the one-
year MSc in Contemporary China Studies in the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies
(SIAS). You will study alongside the MSc students in the first term Modern China course,
the Social Science Research Methods course (if you choose to take it) and in your elective
classes. We hope you will enjoy working with the MSc students.
But please be aware that there are important differences especially in examinations and
assessments. The submission deadlines for some assessed work differs between the two
degrees. There are usually good reasons for this: e.g. the thesis proposal in the Research
Methods course is later for MPhil students because you are on a two-year degree program.
Please always follow the regulations and deadlines given in the MPhil Exam Conventions
(available on the program website).
1.4 Timetables
It is best to consult the online timetables as these are constantly updated. Your classes are partly in the Oriental Studies Faculty and partly in the School of International Area Studies so you need to consult two lecture lists: For classes in Oriental Studies: http://intranet.orient.ox.ac.uk/lectures/index.php
Under MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies you will find your Chinese language classes and also the Modern China Humanities classes.
For classes in SIAS: https://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/ Under the MSc in Contemporary China Studies you will find the timetable for the other studies classes and options.
Additional information about Chinese language classes can be found on the CTCFL website http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/
1.5 Staff Contact Details
Staff in the Faculty of Oriental Studies whose classes you are likely to attend.
Prof Henrietta Harrison, University Lecturer in Modern History, Director of the MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies St Cross College, [email protected] Social and cultural history of China from Qing through to the present; local history; religion and the experience of revolution Ms Jing FANG, Instructor in Chinese University College, [email protected] Sociolinguistics; applied linguistics; teaching Chinese as a foreign language.
Dr Peter DITMANSON, Departmental Lecturer St Anne’s College, [email protected] Chinese intellectual and cultural history, 13th-19th centuries. Dr Margaret HILLENBRAND, University Lecturer in Modern Chinese (on leave MT 2013) Wadham College; [email protected]
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Modern Chinese (and Japanese) Literature; East Asian comparative literature; Chinese cinema; Asian American literature and cinema.
Ms Bo HU, Instructor in Chinese Queens College; [email protected]. Teaching Chinese as a foreign language.
Mr Shio-yun KAN, Senior Instructor in Modern Chinese. Wadham College; [email protected] Teaching Chinese language through web-based tools; Chinese as a second language. Dr Laura NEWBY, University Lecturer in Chinese (sabbatical TT 2014) St Hilda’s College; [email protected] History of late imperial China; the borderlands and non-Han peoples; Manchu studies. Dr Biljana SCOTT, Faculty Tutor [email protected] Chinese socio-linguistics Ms Yang SONG, Shaw Instructor in Chinese St Hilda’s College; [email protected] Linguistic studies of modern Chinese; Chinese as a second language. Prof Barend TER HAAR, Shaw Chair Oriental Studies, University College; [email protected] Cultural and religious history; ethnic identity; violence and fear; social organization Mrs Shelagh VAINKER, University Lecturer in Chinese Art (part-time); Curator of Chinese Art, Department of Eastern Art, Ashmolean Museum; St Hugh’s College. [email protected] Early Chinese art; Chinese ceramics.
Administrative staff in Oriental Studies:
Course graduate studies assistant: Sarah Craike is filling this role temporarily until a replacement is appointed. She and her successor will both be found at the Oriental Institute Tel: 288203 Email: [email protected]
Rosanna Gosi, Chinese Studies Institute, tel: 280461, email: [email protected]
Staff on the MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies in SIAS Academic Staff
Dr Monique Chu, Taiwan studies [email protected] TBC
Dr Sarah Eaton, political
economy
Dr Anthony Garnaut history and
geography
Dr Reza Hasmath, Political
science
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Dr Paul Irwin Crookes, international
relations
Dr Anna Lora-Wainwright Anthropology
and geography
Dr Rachel Murphy Sociology [email protected]
Dr Patricia Thornton Political
science
Administrative staff
Lucy Driver (6)13835 [email protected]
Amanda Guthier (6)13826 [email protected]
Staff in other Oxford departments engaged in teaching and research on modern and contemporary China: Professor Rosemary Foot International Relations Dr Xiaolan Fu Development Studies Dr Elisabeth Hsu Medical Anthropology Dr Maria Jaschok Women and Gender Studies Professor Rana Mitter History and Politics of Modern China Dr Biao Xiang Anthropology Dr Eric Thun Chinese Business Dr Linda Yueh Economics Dr Winnie Yip Public Health
Library Staff for Chinese Studies
Dr Joshua Seufert HD Chung Chinese Studies Librarian Mr Minh Chung Chinese Institute Librarian Mr Trevor Langrish Chinese Institute Librarian Mr David Helliwell Chinese Special Collections
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2 THE STUDY OF CONTEMPORARY CHINA (CORE COURSE)
Dr Paul Irwin Crookes et al.
In this course we use an interdisciplinary lens to consider social, political and economic
change in contemporary China. Our analysis is guided by two key concepts which are
understood in their broadest sense. The first is ‘institutions’ which includes organisational
forms such as communes, work-units, companies, government agencies, neighbourhoods,
social groups, civil society organisations, families and households as well as less formal
arrangements which structure aspirations, incentives and human behaviour including ideas
about the good life, community boundaries, social norms, customs and civil and religious
codes. The second is ‘transition’ which refers to a shift from plan to market and even from
authoritarianism to democracy. Through in-depth examination of selected topics – pathways
to socialism, communes, the work unit, social networks, gender relations and families, ethnic
groups, new welfare arrangements and environmental regulation, we derive several insights.
We see that policies which prescribe new institutional forms or new behaviours are never
implemented in a neutral social or cultural setting. We see that new policy directions and
institutional arrangements always emerge on top of and/or in response to interactions with
pre-existing ones. We see that institutional configurations in different domains (e.g. family,
markets and the state) overlap often in unanticipated ways to shape individual behaviours
which have aggregate effects that in turn influence the wider institutional environment. We
see that different actors are enabled and constrained in different ways and that institutional
changes have different implications for the interests and choices of people with different
attributes. We see also that owing to institutional heterogeneity across regions, communities
and social groups in China there is no single unidirectional experience of transition even as
the overall trend is towards an increased role for markets (alongside ongoing Party-state
dominance).
Course Aims
To develop an understanding of key social, political and economic aspects of
developments in China since 1949.
To develop a sound understanding of the formal and informal institutions which have
underpinned developments in China during the socialist and reform eras.
To develop a critical understanding of the concept of ‘transition’ and an appreciation
of the complexities involved in China’s experiences of transition.
To develop an ability to critical analyse academic literature and to express knowledge
and understanding of key debates in written form and in oral presentations.
Course Teaching Arrangements
1. Lectures on Tuesdays, 2-3pm in the Nissan Lecture Theatre, St Antony’s College. A
student-led seminar class on Thursdays, 2-3pm (group 1), 3-4pm (group 2) and 4-5pm
(group 3) Seminar Room, 74 Woodstock Road. Each week between 1-2 students will offer a
short 5-7 minute presentation, which should not be in PowerPoint, but should instead
include a brief hand-out sheet of key points for discussion, on one of the discussion
questions. The presentation schedule will be arranged during induction week. All other
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students not presenting for that week please come to class having done approximately 4 of
the readings in advance. You can follow up on other readings at a later date.
2. Students will write two un-assessed essays of 1000-1500 words on which they will
receive written feedback and supervision in a small group. Students are asked to select any
two questions from the suggested essay questions and discussion questions that are
indicated in the course guide with an asterisk (*). The first supervision essay (from questions
and readings listed in weeks 1-4) is due on Friday of week 3, and the second essay (from
questions and readings listed in weeks 5-8) is due on Friday of week 6.
Course Assessment
Assessment is by one three hour exam to be held in week nought of Hilary term, 2014.
Students will answer three questions out a total of twelve.
Preparation reading
Before this course begins, students are strongly advised to read one of the following:
Jonathan D. Spence (1990) The Search for Modern China, Norton Press.
Maurice Meisner (1999), Mao’s China and After: A History of the People’s Republic, third
edition, Free Press.
Also recommended is:
Anita Chan, Richard Madsen and Jonathan Unger, (1992) Chen Village Under Mao and
Deng, second edition, University of California Press.
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2.1 The Study of Contemporary China Lecture and Class Module List
Week Subject Lecture (Open to All) Classes (MSc & MPhil)
1
The Historical Context of Contemporary China’s Re-emergence.
Prof Henrietta Harrison Prof Henrietta Harrison
2
The Drivers of China’s Foreign Policy after 1949.
Dr Paul Irwin Crookes Dr Paul Irwin Crookes
3
Contradictions Among the People: The first 15 Years of Socialist development.
Dr Anthony Garnaut Dr Anthony Garnaut
4
The Causes and Consequences of the Cultural Revolution.
Prof Henrietta Harrison Prof Henrietta Harrison
5
China’s Economy in Transition since Reform and Opening.
Dr Sarah Eaton Dr Sarah Eaton
Essay Review Feedback Classes Not Applicable
MSc: Dr Paul Irwin Crookes MPhil: Prof Henrietta Harrison
6 The China Model in contemporary Liberal and Radical thought.
Dr Anthony Garnaut
Dr Anthony Garnaut
7
An Introduction to State and Society in Contemporary China.
Dr Reza Hasmath
Dr Reza Hasmath
8
An introduction to society and culture in contemporary Taiwan
Dr Monique Chu
Dr Monique Chu
Essay Review Feedback Classes Not Applicable
MSc: Dr Sarah Eaton MPhil: Prof Henrietta Harrison
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2.2 Week 1: The Historical Context of Contemporary China’s Re-emergence (Professor Henrietta Harrison)
LECTURE 1: 15TH OCT, TUE, 2PM – 3PM
LECTURE DESCRIPTION
This lecture analyses the history of the Chinese revolution. We will look at how different
ways of periodising the revolution create different patterns of history and different
understandings of China’s present. We will ask when the revolution began? When did it
end? Did it succeed or fail? These are major questions for Chinese intellectuals today and
their answers are related to important political issues in China.
SEMINAR 1: 17TH OCT, THU, 2PM – 3PM (GROUP 1), 3PM – 4PM (GROUP 2), 4PM – 5PM (GROUP 3)
Discussion Questions:
* What are the most important continuities and differences between China today and China
in the 1930s?
* Why is the Cultural Revolution said to have lasted from 1966 to 76? What is the purpose
of this periodisation?
READINGS:
“Resolution on certain questions in the history of our party since the founding of the
People’s Republic of China,” 1981.
(http://www.marxists.org/subject/china/documents/cpc/history/01.htm)
And:
Karl, Rebecca E. Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World: A Concise
History. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010.
or
Mitter, Rana. A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2004.
ADDITIONAL READINGS:
Cohen, Myron. “Cultural and Political Inventions in Modern China: the Case of the Chinese
‘Peasant’” Daedalus 122.2 (1993).
Gao, Mobo C.F. Gao Village: A portrait of rural life in Modern China, London: Hurst, 1999.
Gerth, Karl. China Made: Consumer Culture and the Creation of the Nation, 2003.
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Goodman, Bryna. “The new woman commits suicide: The press, cultural memory, and the
new republic” Journal of Asian Studies 64.1 (2005).
Hinton, William. Fanshen: A Documentary of Revolution in a Chinese Village, 1966.
Lean, Eugenia. Public Passions: The Trial of Shi Jianqiao and the Rise of Popular Sympathy
in Republican China. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007.
Schwarcz, Vera. The Chinese Enlightenment: Intellectuals and the Legacy of the May Fourth
Movement of 1919, 1986.
Wasserstrom, Jeffrey. Student Protests in Twentieth Century China: The View from
Shanghai, 1991.
2.3 Week 2: The Drivers of China’s Foreign Policy after 1949
(Dr Paul Irwin Crookes)
LECTURE 2: 22ND OCT, TUE, 2PM – 3PM
LECTURE DESCRIPTION
This lecture introduces the patterns of Chinese foreign policy during the Cold War era and in
its aftermath, providing an historical context for understanding China’s subsequent outward
engagement in international relations in the post-reform era. The lecture will explore different
drivers of foreign policy across this time, and will overlap the role and significance of key
actors such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping in China’s decision making. We shall
examine how an interplay of factors, including history, ideology, territorial integrity, and
regime security have all played, and continue to play, an important part in shaping policy
outcomes. These concepts will be tested as we evaluate events such as China’s entry into
the Korean War, the Sino-Soviet split, the rapprochement with the United States, and the
possible motivations behind the formulation of, and adherence to, Deng’s dictum to “keep a
low profile” during the 1990’s and beyond.
1. Barnovin, Barbara and Yu Changgen 1998 Chinese Foreign Policy during the Cultural
Revolution, Kagen Paul International, Chapter 1.
2. Chen, Jian 2001 Mao’s China and The Cold War University of North Carolina Press,
chapters 1 and 3.
3. Gaddis, John Lewis 2005 The Cold War: A New History Penguin Press, Chapters 3 and
4.
4. Murphy, Melissa 2008. Decoding Chinese Politics: Intellectual Debates and Why They
Matter, Center for Strategic and International Studies. See especially the section:
Foreign Policy: The Rise of Nationalism.
5. Shao, Kuo-Kang 1996 Zhou Enlai and the Foundations of Chinese Foreign Policy
Macmillan, chapters 6 and 11.
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6. Shen, Zhihua and Danhui Li 2011. After Leaning to One Side: China and its allies in the
Cold War Washington DC: Woodrow Wilson Press and Stanford: Stanford University
Press. Chapters 1, 2 and 10.
7. Wang, Fei-Ling 2005. Preservation, Prosperity and Power: What Motivates China’s
Foreign Policy? Journal of Contemporary China, 14(45): 669-694.
8. Lanteigne, Marc 2013. Chinese Foreign Policy: An Introduction, Routledge, Second
Edition. See especially chapter 1.
9. Zhang, Baijia 2001 The Changing International Scene and Chinese Policy toward the US
1954 – 1970 in Ross, Robert S. and Jiang Changbin Re-examining the Cold War: US –
China Diplomacy 1954 – 1973 Harvard University Press.
10. Zhu, Zhiqun 2010. China’s Foreign Policy Debates, Chaillot Papers No. 121, Institute for
Security Studies, Paris. See in particular chapter 4: Debates on Strategy.
SEMINAR 2: 24TH OCT, THU, 2PM – 3PM (GROUP 1), 3PM – 4PM (GROUP 2), 4PM – 5PM (GROUP 3)
Discussion Questions:
*How important was ideology in persuading China to enter the Korean War?
*What factors have shaped China’s embrace of Deng’s “low profile” dictum in foreign policy?
READINGS:
In addition to lecture readings, the following might also provide useful reference:
Korean War
1. Gaddis, John Lewis 1997. We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History Oxford
University Press, especially Chapter 3.
2. Garson, Robert 1994. The United States and China since 1949 Fairleigh Dickinson
University Press, especially Chapters 5 and 6.
3. Luthi, Lorenz 2010 Sino-Soviet relations during the Mao Years 1949-1969 In Bernstein,
Thomas and Hua-Yu Li (Eds.) China Learns from the Soviet Union 1949–Present
Lanham: Lexington Books.
4. Roy, Denny 1998 China’s Foreign Relations Rowman and Littlefield, chapters 1 and 2.
5. Shen, Zhihua 2000 Sino-Soviet Relations and the Origins of the Korean War: Stalin’s
Strategic Goals in the Far East Journal of Cold War Studies Vol. 2. No. 2, pp44–68.
6. Weathersby, Kathryn 1993. New Findings on the Korean War Cold War International
History Project: Bulletin, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, No 3.
Deng’s Dictum
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1. Chen, Dingding and Jianwei Wang 2011. Lying Low No More?: China’s New Thinking on the
Tao Guang Yang Hui Strategy, China: An International Journal, Vol. 9, No. 2, 195-216.
2. Glaser, Bonnie and Evan Medeiros 2007. The Changing Ecology of Foreign Policy
Making in China: The Ascension and Demise of the Theory of “Peaceful Rise” The China
Quarterly, Vol. 190, 291-310.
3. Hsiung, James 1995. China's Omni-Directional Diplomacy: Realignment to Cope with
Monopolar U.S. Power. Asian Survey, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 573-586.
4. Zhao, Suisheng 2012. China’s Foreign Policy as a Rising Power in the early twenty-first
century: the struggle between taoguangyanghui and assertiveness, In China’s Soft
power and International Relations, edited by Hongli Lai and Yiyi Lu, Routledge.
5. Zhao, Suisheng 2013. Foreign Policy Implications of Chinese Nationalism Revisited: the
strident turn Journal of Contemporary China, Vol. 22 No. 82, 535-553.
6. Zhu, Zhiqun 2011. Chinese Foreign Policy: External and Internal Factors, China: An
International Journal, Vol. 9, No. 2, 185-194.
2.4 Week 3: Contradictions Among the People: The first 15 Years of
Socialist development
(Dr Anthony Garnaut) LECTURE 3: 29TH
OCT, TUE, 2PM – 3PM
LECTURE DESCRIPTION
This lecture examines the relationship between economic development and social change
during the first decade and a half of Chinese rule.
With the establishment of the PRC in 1949, China embarked headlong into a program of
national development. China's economic output grew rapidly, especially in the heavy and
defence industry sectors given priority by the state. At the same time the status of different
types of people changed rapidly, with certain marginalised groups finding a comfortable
place within the new socialist society and once-prosperous social and occupational classes
either eliminated or marginalised. Much of the scholarship on early PRC history, following
the lead of official Chinese Communist historical writing, presents this period as one in which
'radical' and 'conservative' policy platforms were implemented in succession, with the
economic development concentrated in the periods of conservative governance and the
social change happening in the radical phases. The theoretical views of China's rulers at the
time, expressed most clearly in a 1957 article by Mao Zedong titled 'On the correct handling
of contradictions among the people,' proposed a more organic relationship between the
economy and society, and between conservative and radical policy phases. In this view,
economic problems could be resolved through political interventions in the social sphere,
and conservative and radical periods were treated as different phases of the implementation
of the same general program of national development. This was a theory of development
were the national economic plan drawn up by the CCP leadership was to be implemented
through a series of mass campaigns. The theory received its ultimate test in the Great Leap
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Forward, where the new technologies of mass mobilisation yielded industrial activity to the
cities and starvation to the countryside on an unprecedented scale.
This lecture narrates the early history of the PRC through an account of the major mass
campaigns of the period 1949 to 1964, highlighting the effect of the campaigns on different
social groups and how each of the mass campaigns were tied to the general program of
national development.
LECTURE READINGS:
Meisner, Mao's China and After, chapter 13; Spence, The Search for Modern China,
chapters 19-21.
Li Hua-yu. 2008. Introduction. In The Economic Stalinization of China, 1948-1953. Lanham:
Rowman & Littlefield.
Mao Zedong, On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People, Renmin Ribao
19 June 1957 (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-
5/mswv5_58.htm).
Strauss, Julia. 2006. Editor’s Introduction: In Search of PRC History, China Quarterly 188:
855-869.
FURTHER READING:
Brown, Jeremy and Paul Pickowicz, ed. Dilemmas of Victory: The Early Years of the
People’s Republic of China. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007.
Cheek, Timothy, and Tony Saich, eds. 1997. New Perspectives on State Socialism in China.
London: M.E. Sharpe. Riskin, Carl. 1987. China’s Political Economy: The quest for
development since 1949. Oxford: Oxford UP.
Timothy Cheek ed. 2010. A critical introduction to Mao. New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Skinner, G. William and Edwin A. Winckler. 1969. Compliance succession in rural
Communist China: A cyclical theory. In Amitai Etzioni (ed.). A Sociological Reader in
Complex Organizations. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969), 2nd edit., pp. 410-26.
Teiwes, Frederick C. with Warren Sun. 1999. China's road to disaster: Mao, central
politicians, and provincial leaders in the unfolding of the Great Leap Forward, 1955-1959.
Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe.
Thaxton, Ralph A. Catastrophe and Contention in Rural China: Mao’s Great Leap Forward
Famine and the Origins of Righteous Resistance in Da Fo Village. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 2008.
SEMINAR 3: 31ST OCT, THU, 2PM – 3PM (GROUP 1), 3PM – 4PM (GROUP 2), 4PM – 5PM (GROUP 3)
Discussion Questions:
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* Did the Chinese Communist Party try to recreate the Soviet experience of development, or
do learn from Soviet mistakes?
* Why was a radical program of social revolution implemented in China after the victory of
the Communist revolution?
* Where the contradictions among the people discussed by Mao an inherent feature of
Chinese society, or were they brought about by modernisation, or by Communism?
2.5 Week 4: The Causes and Consequences of the Cultural Revolution
(Professor Henrietta Harrison)
LECTURE 4: 5TH NOV, TUE, 2 – 3PM
LECTURE DESCRIPTION
The Cultural Revolution was a massive event that not only altered the lives of millions of
people but also changed the course of Chinese history and ultimately set the stage for the
reforms that followed. This lecture will consider the two major strands of interpretation of the
forces behind the Cultural Revolution: elite politics and social pressures. It will also look at
the important role that the Cultural Revolution plays in shaping China’s politics today.
SEMINAR 4:7TH NOV, THU, 2PM – 3PM (GROUP 1), 3PM – 4PM (GROUP 2), 4PM – 5PM (GROUP 3)
Discussion Questions:
*Who was responsible for the violence that took place in the Cultural Revolution?
*What role have memories of the Cultural Revolution played in this year’s Bo Xilai case?
READINGS:
MacFarquhar, Roderick. The Origins of the Cultural Revolution. London: Royal Institute of
International Affairs, 1974-1997.
White, Lynn T. Policies of Chaos: the organisational causes of violence in China's Cultural
Revolution. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989.
Walder, Andrew G. "Beijing Red Guard Factionalism: Social Interpretations Reconsidered"
Journal of Asian Studies 61 (2002).
For the Bo Xilai case you will need to consult current news sources such as:
Reuters http://www.reuters.com/places/china
The Diplomat http://thediplomat.com/
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China File http://www.chinafile.com
ADDITIONAL READINGS:
Goldstein, Melvyn C et al. On the Cultural Revolution in Tibet: The Nyemo Incident of 1969.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009.
Honig, Emily. “Socialist Sex: The Cultural Revolution Revisited” Modern China 29.2 (2003).
Perry, Elizabeth J. and Li Xun, Proletarian Power: Shanghai in the Cultural Revolution.
Boulder: Westview Press, 1997.
Yang, Su. Collective Killings in Rural China during the Cultural Revolution. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Ye, Weili and Xiaodong Ma, Growing Up in the People’s Republic: Conversations between
Two Daughters of China’s Revolution. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2005.
2.6 Week 5: China’s Economy in Transition since Reform and Opening
(Dr Sarah Eaton)
LECTURE 5: 12TH
NOV, TUE, 2:00PM – 3:00PM
LECTURE DESCRIPTION
In this lecture we explore China’s economic development since the commencement of the
reform and opening period, examining its different stages with a particular focus on the
evolution of priorities in economic policy. We shall seek to better understand the transitions
of China’s engagement with the international economy, and in so doing, we will be able to
explore a number of interrelated themes. First, we look at the process and drivers of reform,
and the role of the party-state in facilitating outcomes. Second, we examine the evolving
economic balance in China’s economy and the persistent salience of export- and
investment-led growth versus domestic consumption. Third, we consider the ownership
structure of the Chinese economy, assessing the significance of state-owned enterprises
(SOEs) alongside the role of domestic firms, joint-ventures and wholly foreign-owned
enterprises (WFOEs) as engines of economic growth, in order to gain a clearer picture of the
extent to which the party-state has a continuing degree of active involvement in China’s
economic transition. Finally we touch on whether China be might considered a “market
economy” and what in this context the term “Chinese characteristics” might actually mean.
READINGS:
1. Naughton, Barry 2007. The Chinese Economy: Transitions and Growth MIT Press.
Introduction and chapters 4-6 (pp. 1-10; 85-158)
2. Haggard, Stephen and Yasheng Huang 2008. “The Political Economy of Private Sector
Development” in China’s Great Economic Transformation, edited by L. Brandt and T
Rawski: Cambridge University Press.
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3. Wu Jinglian 2008. “China’s Economy: 60 Years of Progress” Caijing (Part I-IV):
http://english.caijing.com.cn/2009-09-30/110269580.html
4. Prasad, Eswar 2009. “Is the Chinese Growth Miracle Built to Last?” China Economic
Review 20: 103-123.
ADDITIONAL READINGS:
Lin, Justin Yifu Demystifying the Chinese Economy Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
OECD 2011. China’s Emergence as a Market Economy: Achievements and Challenges.
Contribution to the China Development Forum in Beijing. Paris: OECD.
Pettis, Michael 2013. Great Rebalancing: Trade, Conflict and the Perilous Road Ahead for
the World Economy. Princeton University Press (especially Chapters 1 & 4).
Pettis, Michael March 25, 2011. ‘The Contentious Debate Over China’s Economic Transition’
Policy Outlook (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
Wong, Christine 2010. Fiscal Reform: Paying for the Harmonious Society, China Economic
Quarterly, June.
Wu Jinglian 2005. Understanding and Interpreting Chinese Economic Reform Mason,
OH:Thompson South-Western.
SEMINAR 5: 14TH NOV, THU, 2PM – 3PM (GROUP 1), 3PM – 4PM (GROUP 2), 4PM – 5PM (GROUP
3)
Discussion Questions:
*How important are state-owned enterprises in China’s domestic economic structure?
*Is there a “China model” of economic development?
READINGS:
1. Ferchen, Matt (2013) “Whose China Model is it Anyway? The Contentious Search for
Consensus” Review of International Political Economy 20(2): 390-420.
2. Kennedy, Scott (2010) “The Myth of the Beijing Consensus” Journal of Contemporary
China 19(65): 461-77.
3. Naughton, Barry (2010) “China’s Distinctive System: Can it be a Model for Others?”
Journal of Contemporary China 19(65): 437-60.
4. Sheng, Hong and Zhao Nong (2012) China’s State-Owned Enterprises: Nature,
Performance and Reform, Singapore: World Scientific (especially Chapters 1 to 5)
5. Xie Fusheng et al. 2012. ‘Guojinmintui: A New Round of Debate in China on State
versus Private Ownership’ Science & Society 76(3): 291-318.
6. Zheng, Yongnian and Minjia Chen 2009. “China’s State-Owned Enterprise Reform and
Its Discontents” Problems of Post-Communism, March/April.
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ADDITIONAL READINGS:
Brandt, Loren and Thomas Rawski 2008. China’s Great Economic Transformation. In
China’s Great Economic Transformation, edited by L. Brandt and T Rawski: Cambridge
University Press.
Breslin, Shaun 2011 “The ‘China Model’ and the Global Crisis: From Friedrich List to a
Chinese Mode of Governance?” Research Paper for GR:EEN. Global Re-ordering: Evolution
through European Networks (European Commission Project Number: 266809)
Chow, Gregory 2007. China’s Economic Transformation, Blackwell. See chapters 3, 4 & 16.
Huang, Yasheng 2008. Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics, Cambridge University
Press. See in particular chapters 1 and 5.
OECD 2009. State Owned Enterprises in China: Reviewing the Evidence. Working Group on
Privatisation and Corporate Governance. Paris: OECD.
Pearson, Margaret 2011. “Variety within and Variety Without: The Political Economy of
Chinese Regulation” in Scott Kennedy, ed. Beyond the Middle Kingdom: Comparative
Perspectives on China’s Capitalist Transformation, Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Ramo, Joshua Cooper 2004. The Beijing Consensus Foreign Policy Centre.
Yusuf, Shahid, Kaoru Nabeshima and Dwight H. Perkins 2006. Under New Ownership:
Privatizing China’s State-Owned Enterprises, Washington, DC: World Bank Publications.
Zhao, Suisheng 2010. “The China Model: Can it Replace the Western Model of
Modernization?” Journal of Contemporary China 19(65): 419-436.
2.7 Week 6: The China Model in contemporary Liberal and Radical thought (Dr Anthony Garnaut)
LECTURE 6: 19TH
NOV, TUE, 2:00PM – 3:00PM
LECTURE DESCRIPTION
China has loomed large in the minds of many intellectuals and statesmen across the globe
from the early modern times to today. For Francis Bacon, China presented a model of the
experimental method, while for Voltaire and many other philosophers of the Enlightenment
era China offered a model of secular, meritocratic government. In more recent times, in the
1960s China provided critics of Stalinism with a model of how a proletarian revolution might
evolve without the usurpation of a heavy-handed dictator, in the 1990s China bolstered the
belief of neoliberals that robust markets could emerge in even the most trying of
circumstances, and in the 2000s China presented a range of development agencies with a
model of how poor nations could rapidly improve their economic circumstances without
commensurate changes in the political domain. These various Chinese models were not well
founded upon Chinese realities, but that did not necessarily hamper their rhetorical
effectiveness. In this week's lecture we turn away from the study of modern China per se to
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look at what China, and its various associated programs of economic and social change, has
come to mean in public discourse both within and outside China today.
LECTURE READINGS:
Ferchen, Matt. 2013. Whose China Model is it anyway? The contentious search for consensus. Review of International Political Economy, 20(2): 390–420.
Xu Jilin, Pushi wenming, haishi Zhongguo jiazhi? (Universal civilization, or Chinese values?) Kaifang shidai 2010(5). (translation available at the lecture)
Nolan, Peter. 2005. China at the Crossroads. Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies 3(1): 1–22.
Ramo, Joshua. 2004. The Beijing Consensus. London: Foreign Policy Centre.
FURTHER READING:
Anderson, Perry. Two Revolutions: Rough notes. New Left Review 61:59-96.
Breslin, Shaun. 2011. The ‘China model’ and the global crisis: from Friedrich List to a Chinese mode
of governance? International Affairs 87:6, 1323–1343.
Dirlik, Arif. 2011. The idea of a "Chinese model": A critical discussion. China Information, 26(3): 277-302.
Feng Chongyi. 2013. 'The Dilemma of Stability Preservation in China,' Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, 42, 2, 3–19.
Garnaut, John. 2013. 'China's political winds shift.' The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 September 2011. (http://www.smh.com.au/world/chinas-political-winds-shift-20110901-1jo2k.html, accessed on August 17 2013)
Hou Huiqin, Xin Xiangyang and Ren Limei. 2012. The Chongqing practice: An example of the China Model. International Critical Thought 2(2), p.171-182.
Irwin Crookes, Paul. 2012. China's new development model: Analysing Chinese prospects in technology innovation. China Information 26(2): 167-84.
Mahoney, Josef Gregory. 2012. Remarx: Fukayama in China. Rethinking Marxism: A Journal of Economics, Culture & Society. 24(2): 302-307.
Page, Jeremy. 2013. China's Leader Embraces Mao as He Tightens Grip on Country. The Wall Street Journal August 16, 2013 (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323455104579014960827162856.html?mod=rss_about_china, accessed on August 17 2013).
Weil, Robert. 2013. Yuanmingyuan Revisited: The Confrontation of China and the West. Socialism and Democracy. 27(1): 95-135.
SEMINAR 3: 21ST NOV, THU, 2PM – 3PM (GROUP 1), 3PM – 4PM (GROUP 2), 4PM – 5PM (GROUP 3)
Discussion Questions:
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* What are the special characteristics of China’s path of economic, political and social
development? Of these, which characteristics are related to China’s unique endowments,
and which could potentially be fostered or emulated in other countries?
* Why does Xu Jilin reject the idea of a China model?
2.8 Week 7: An Introduction to State and Society in Contemporary China
(Dr Reza Hasmath)
LECTURE 7: 26TH NOV, TUE, 2:00PM – 3:00PM
“THE GESTALT STATE: THEORIES AND PRACTICES OF STATE-SOCIETY RELATIONS”
The modern Chinese state has affected every major aspect of the domestic society. With the
growing liberalisation of the economy, coupled with an increasing complexity of social
issues, there may be a belief that the state is retreating from an array of social problems.
Yet, as we survey China’s political landscape today, we see that not only is the central state
playing an active role in managing social problems, but new state actors at the local level are
increasingly seeking to partner with various social organisations to ensure the continuing
presence, legitimacy and viability of the state. In this context, this lecture examines how a
corporatist understanding of state-society relations may shed light on the new social
stakeholders emerging to the forefront, and thereafter play a greater role in managing
contemporary social issues. Furthermore, the lecture will critically assess potential barriers
for social organisations to voluntarily collaborate with the state.
READINGS:
Dickson, B. (2000) “Cooptation and Corporatism in China: The Logic of Party Adaptation”,
Political Science Quarterly 115(4): 517-540.
Foster, K.W. (2001) “Associations in the Embrace of an Authoritarian State: State
Domination of Society?”, Studies in Comparative International Development 35(4): 84-
109.
Gilley, B. (2011) “Paradigms of Chinese Politics: Kicking Society Back Out”, Journal of
Contemporary China 20(70): 517-533.
Hasmath, R. and J. Hsu, eds. (2009) China in an Era of Transition: Understanding
Contemporary State and Society Actors. New York and Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hasmath, R. and J. Hsu (2013) “What Explains a Lack of Local State-NGO Collaboration? A
Neo-Institutional Perspective”, Paper Presented at Forum on NGO Governance and
Management in China (Edmonton, Canada), August 16.
Heurlin, C. (2010) “Governing Civil Society: The Political Logic of NGO-State Relations
Under Dictatorship”, Voluntas 21: 220-239.
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Hsu, C. (2010) “Beyond Civil Society: An Organizational Perspective on State-NGO
Relations in the People’s Republic of China”, Journal of Civil Society 6(3): 259-277.
Hsu, J. (2012) “Layers of the Urban State: Migrant Organizations and the Chinese State”,
Urban Studies 49(16): 3513-3530.
Hsu, J. and Hasmath, R., eds. (2013) The Chinese Corporatist State: Adaptation, Survival
and Resistance. New York and Oxford, UK: Routledge.
Saich, T. (2000) “Negotiating the State: The Development of Social Organizations in China”,
The China Quarterly 161: 124-141.
KEY QUESTIONS:
*What are the commonalities and variances in the behaviour of the central and local
corporatist state?
*What is the relationship, if any, between the demise of the welfare state and the rise of
NGO activities in China? Can NGOs be effective conduits for social and political change?
SEMINAR 7 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2013, 2-3PM (GROUP 1), 3-4PM (GROUP 2), 4-5PM
(GROUP 3)
DISCUSSION TOPICS:
*What are the modern expressions of popular discontent in post-1978 China? How has the
Communist Party of China reacted to this discontent?
*What are the strategies utilised by the Communist Party of China to maintain regime
legitimacy?
READINGS:
Burns, J.P. (1999) “The People's Republic of China at 50: National Political Reform”, The
China Quarterly 159: 580-594.
Gilley, B. (2008) “Legitimacy and Institutional Change: The Case of China.” Comparative
Political Studies, 41(3): 259-284.
Frazier, M. (2004) “China’s Pension Reform and its Discontents”, The China Journal 51: 97-
113.
Hasmath, R. (2012) “Red China’s Iron Grip on Power: Communist Party Continues
Repression”, The Washington Times, November 9, p. B4.
Hasmath, R. (2013) “Responses to Xinjiang Ethnic Unrest Do Not Address Underlying
Causes”, South China Morning Post, July 5.
Lee, C.K. and Y. Zhang (2013) “The Power of Instability: Unraveling the Microfoundations of
Bargained Authoritarianism in China”, American Journal of Sociology 118(6): 1475-1508.
Li, C. (2012) “The End of the CCP’s Resilient Authoritarianism? A Tripartite Assessment of
Shifting Power in China”, The China Quarterly 211: 595–623.
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Schoenhals, M. (1999) “Political Movements, Change and Stability: The Chinese Communist
Party in Power”, The China Quarterly 159: 595-605.
Tong, J. (2002) “Anatomy of Regime Repression in China: Timing, Enforcement Institutions,
and Target Selection in Banning the Falungong”, Asian Survey 42(6): 795-820.
Wright, T. (2002) “The China Democracy Party and the Politics of Protest in the 1980s-
1990s”, The China Quarterly 172: 906-926.
2.9 Week 8: An introduction to society and culture in contemporary Taiwan
(Dr Monique Chu)
LECTURE 8: 3RD DEC, TUE, 2:00PM – 3:00PM
LECTURE DESCRIPTION
This lecture introduces the evolving patterns of society and culture in contemporary Taiwan.
An understanding of Taiwanese society and culture will also facilitate a better
comprehension of overall East Asian society and the interaction between the countries
therein. After briefly introducing Taiwan’s historical background, the lecture will explore
different aspects of Taiwanese society and culture during the post-War era focusing on
women’s movements, popular culture and migration.
ESSENTIAL READING
1. Gold, Thomas (1996). “Taiwan Society at the Fin de Siècle.” The China Quarterly, 148:
pp. 1091-1114.
2. Doris, T. Chang (2009). Women's Movements in Twentieth-Century Taiwan. Urbana and
Chicago: University of Illinois Press, pp. 46-166.
3. Bosco, Joseph (1994). “The Emergence of a Taiwanese Popular Culture.” in Murray A.
Rubinstein (ed.) The Other Taiwan: 1945 to the Present. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, pp. 392-
403.
4. Moskowitz, Marc L. (2009). “Mandopop under Siege: Culturally Bound Criticisms of
Taiwan’s Pop Music.” Popular Music 28(1): pp. 69–83.
5. Tsay, Ching-lung (2004). "Marriage Migration of Women from China and Southeast Asia
To Taiwan." in Gavin W. Jones and Kamalini Ramdas (eds.) (Un)tying the Knot: Ideal
and Reality in Asian Marriage. Singapore: National University of Singapore: pp. 173-191.
6. Tsai, Ming-Chang and Chin-fen Chang (2010). "China-Bound for Jobs? The Influences of
Social Connections and Ethnic Politics in Taiwan." The China Quarterly 203: pp. 639-
655.
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SEMINAR 2: 5TH DEC, THU, 2PM – 3PM (GROUP 1), 3PM – 4PM (GROUP 2), 4PM – 5PM (GROUP 3)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
*Assess the successes and failures of women’s movements in post-martial law Taiwan.
*Analyse the impact of globalisation on popular culture in Taiwan.
*What drives marriage migration to Taiwan and why does this trend matter to Taiwanese
society?
SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS:
Taiwanese history
7. Andrade, Tonio (2008). How Taiwan became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish and Han
Colonization in the Seventeenth Century. New York: Columbia University Press, Ch. 6
and Conclusion.
8. Phillips, Steven I. (2003). Between Assimilation and Independence: The Taiwanese
Encounter Nationalist China. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press: pp. 17-39.
9. Roy, Denny (2003). Taiwan: A Political History. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Women’s movements
1. Lu, Hsiu-Lien Annette (1994) "Women's Libration: The Taiwanese Experience," in
Murray A. Rubinstein (ed.) The Other Taiwan: 1945 to the Present. Armonk: M.E.
Sharpe, pp. 289-304.
2. Margolis, Diane Rothbard (1993). "Women's Movements around the World: Cross-
Cultural Comparisons." Gender and Society 7 (3): pp. 379-399.
3. Weng, Hui-chen and Dafydd Fell (2006). "The Rootless Movement: Taiwan's Women's
Movement in the KMT and DPP Eras." in Dafydd Fell, et al. (eds.) What Has Changed?
Taiwan Before and After the Change in Ruling Parties. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz: pp.
147-163.
4. Chiang, Lan-Hung Nora and Ying-chun Liu (2011). "Feminist Geography in Taiwan and
Hong Kong." Gender, Place & Culture 18 (4): pp. 557-569.
5. Peng, T.K. and Tsai-Wei Wang (2005). "Women in Taiwan: Social Status, Education and
Employment." in C. S. Granrose (ed.) Employment of Women in Chinese Cultures: Half
the Sky. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar: pp. 84-106.
Popular culture
7. Shin, Hyunjoon and Ho, Tung-hung (2009). “Translation of ‘America’ during the Early
Cold War Period: a Comparative Study on the History of Popular Music in South Korea
and Taiwan.” Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 10(1): pp. 83-102.
8. Moskowitz, Marc L. (2010). Cries of Joy, Songs of Sorrow: Chinese Pop Music and Its
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Cultural Connotations. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
9. Lin, Sylvia Li-Chun (2003). “Toward a New Identity: Nativism and Popular Music in
Taiwan.” China Information 17(2): pp. 83-107.
10. Ho, Wai-Chung. (2007) “Music and cultural politics in Taiwan.” International Journal of
Cultural Studies 10(4): pp. 463-483.
11. Gold, Thomas (1993). “Go with Your Feelings: Hong Kong and Taiwan Popular Culture
in Greater China.” The China Quarterly 136: pp. 907-925.
12. Jordan, David K. et al. (eds.) (2004) The Minor Arts of Daily Life: Popular Culture in
Taiwan. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
Migration
1. Wang, Hong-zen and Shu-ming Chang (2002). "The Commodification of International
Marriages: Cross-border Marriage Business in Taiwan and Viet Nam." International
Migration 40 (6): pp. 93-116.
2. Wang, Hong-zen (2007). "Hidden Spaces of Resistance of the Subordinated: Case
Studies from Vietnamese Female Migrant Partners in Taiwan." International Migration
Review 41 (3): pp. 706-727.
3. Tsai, Ming-Chang (2011). "“Foreign Brides” Meet Ethnic Politics in Taiwan." International
Migration Review 45 (2): pp. 243-268.
4. Tseng, Yen-Fen and Wu Jieh-Min (2011). "Reconfiguring Citizenship and Nationality:
Dual Citizenship of Taiwanese Migrants in China." Citizenship Studies 15 (2): pp. 265-
282.
5. Tseng, Yen-Fen (2011). "Shanghai Rush: Skilled Migrants in a Fantasy City." Journal of
Ethnic & Migration Studies 37 (5): pp. 765-784.
6. Shen, Hsiu-Hua (2005). "‘The First Taiwanese Wives’ and ‘the Chinese Mistresses’: The
International Division of Labour in Familial and Intimate Relations across the Taiwan
Strait." Global Networks 5 (4): pp. 419-437.
7. Tseng, Yen-Fen (2000). "The Mobility of Entrepreneurs and Capital: Taiwanese Capital-
Linked Migration." International Migration 38 (2): pp. 143-168.
8. Lan, Pei-Chia (2006). Global Cinderellas: Migrant Domestics and Newly Rich Employers
in Taiwan. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
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3 METHODOLOGY TRAINING
Students can choose to take either the Modern China Humanities course offered by the staff
of the Chinese Studies Institute, or Research Methods for Area Studies which will be largely
based in the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies.
3.1 MODERN CHINA HUMANITIES
Course convenor: Professor Henrietta Harrison
Overview
This course covers modern Chinese culture broadly conceived, from the high culture of
literature, film, and art through to cultural patterns and institutions such as nationalism,
religion and the family. The lectures will deal with the period from the late 19th century to
the present. The course is taught by specialists in several humanities disciplines and the
approaches and students will have opportunities to practice writing papers using these
approaches.
Course aims
• To broaden students’ knowledge of key aspects of modern Chinese culture and
society (1890-2012)
• To prepare students for future research on China in the disciplines of history,
literature, cultural studies, and history of art
Teaching
The teaching for this course continues over the first year. Students will attend regular
weekly lectures offered by the Chinese Studies Institute on Modern China. There will be a
series of eight seminars to discuss major topics and themes. Students will also have two
tutorials in Hilary term for which they will write essays on a subject of their choice.
Lecture list
Michaelmas Term
Week 1: Defining Modern China (PD)
Week 2 Geography and Environment (LN)
Week 3: Chinese-ness and Otherness (LN)
Week 4: The Foreign Presence in China (HH)
Week 5: Political Participation and Dissent (PD)
Week 6: Fiction and Society: Imagining Modern China (PB)
29
Week 7: From Gentility to Modernity (PB)
Week 8: The Chinese Diaspora (LN)
Hilary Term
Week 1: WWII: heroes, traitors and memories (HH)
Week 2: Land Reform (S.A. Smith)
Week 3: Creating a national language (Elisabeth Forster)
Week 4: Education (HH)
Week 5: Government by campaign (HH)
Week 6: The changing workplace (HH)
Week 7: Changing ideas of family and friends (HH)
Week 8: Religion and anti-superstition campaigns (BTH)
Trinity Term
Week 1. The 1980s Enlightenment (BTH)
Week 2. Tiananmen and its Aftermath (BTH)
Week 3. Government and politics in the Reform Era (HH)
Week 4. Nationalism and Globalisation (HH)
Week 5. Migration and Mobility (HH)
Week 6. Consumerism, Lifestyle, and Inequality (KG)
Week 7. Contemporary Art (SV)
Week 8. The Contemporary Literary Scene (MH)
Some changes are likely in the Hilary and especially the Trinity term schedules.
Students who choose to take the Social Sciences methodology course are also encouraged
to attend these lectures.
Seminar list
Michaelmas Term
Week 2: The Problem of the Modern (Peter Ditmanson)
Week 4: The Problem of the Past (Peter Ditmanson)
Week 6: Nation and Nationalism (Laura Newby)
Week 8: Modern Chinese Literature (Paul Bevan)
30
Hilary Term
Week 2: Popular Culture in Contemporary China (Paul Bevan)
Week 4: Modern Chinese Art (Shelagh Vainker)
Week 6: Religion (Henrietta Harrison)
Week 8: Family (Henrietta Harrison)
Tutorials
Students will have two tutorials on subjects of their choice drawn from the topics covered in
the course (broadly defined). Tutorials will be taught by the subject specialist concerned.
Students should contact the relevant tutors in the first week of Hilary term to let them know
that they will want a tutorial, to ask for reading lists, and to arrange when the tutorials should
happen.
Assessment
The course will be assessed by a single three-hour written examination paper on topics on
modern China from a humanities perspective. The exam will be held in Trinity Term of the
second year of the degree.
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3.2 RESEARCH METHODS FOR AREA STUDIES
There will be a Combined Introduction to the Research Methods Course and Oxford’s IT
services in Week 0 of Michaelmas Term (Thursday 10th October 2013) at 2.30 pm in the
Nissan Lecture Theatre, St. Antony’s College.
Course convenor: Dr Philip Robins
China MSc Co-ordinator: Dr Reza Hasmath
Quantitative Methods: Dr Christian Arnaud
This course runs over two terms and comprises two modules.
The first module runs during Michaelmas Term and covers principles of research
design, approaches to collecting data, and approaches for managing and analysing
qualitative data. During the first three weeks of the course students are invited to explore
the relationship between the social science disciplines and the empirical study of an ‘area’
such as China, India, Japan, Russia or Latin America and to reflect on strategies for
integrating social science theory with the production of area-specific knowledge. Subsequent
sessions will consider different approaches to obtaining and analysing qualitative data.
Specifically these include finding and analysing digital and archived sources; the collection
and analysis of talk and texts, and ethnography.
The second module runs during weeks 1-4 of Hilary Term and introduces students to
techniques in quantitative analysis. Students will develop the skills to understand and
evaluate the quantitative statistics and statistical tests commonly used by authors in
academic papers and official reports. Students will also develop the skills to carry out basic
statistical tests of research hypothesis, including t-tests and simple regression analysis.
Through class exercises and assessed written work students will be required to obtain and
demonstrate a general understanding of approaches to research. At the same time, students
will enjoy the opportunity and flexibility to specialize in accordance with individual disciplinary
and research interests.
Course Objectives
During the course students will:
Gain an understanding of the inter-relationships between theory and research design and between theory and data collection and analysis.
Gain a more informed and critical understanding of methodological approaches to the study of the region.
Acquire a working, practical knowledge of key methodological tools
Have a critical knowledge of social science debates on the relevance and utility of these methods to the study of the region.
Improve the ability to critically evaluate academic scholarship and other texts produced from different disciplinary traditions or from inter-disciplinary approaches with reference to the region – so be able to better assess the robustness of the knowledge that others have produced.
32
Improve skills in writing and in the presentation of information and argument.
Develop awareness of the qualities of good research design and good research practice as preparation for MSc/MPhil thesis and for further advanced research on the region.
Assessment
Assessment for this course comprises three parts, each weighted equally. *Each unit will set
its own assessment criteria and students should refer to their unit-specific handbook for
further details*
1. QUALitative Methods Assignment
a. A practical exercise in the collection and analysis of qualitative data (word limit 2,500 words)
b. Deadline: 12.00 noon on Monday of Week 9 of Michaelmas Term. (Monday 9th December 2013)
c. Submission arrangements: to be confirmed by your unit administrator.
2. QUANTitative Test
a. A take-home test in quantitative analysis, provided by your Unit.
b. To be set on Monday of Week 5 of Hilary Term. (Monday 17th February 2014)
c. Deadline: 12.00 noon on Monday of Week 6 of Hilary Term. (Monday 24th February 2014)
3. Research Proposal
a. Individual research proposal for each student (word limit 2,500 words).
b. Deadline: 12.00 noon on Monday of Week 9 of Hilary Term. (Monday 17th March 2014)
c. Submission arrangements: to be confirmed by your unit administrator.
General Reading: Recommended Books
Martin Denscombe (2005) The Good Research Guide: For Small Scale Social
Research Projects, Sage.
Gonick, Larry and Smith, Woollcott (2005): The Cartoon Guide to Statistics, Collins
Reference, New York.
Dietz, T. and Kalof, L (2009) Introduction to Social Statistics, Wiley-Blackwell
Wright, D.B. and London, K. (2009) First (and Second) Steps in Statistics (2nd Ed.),
Sage
Chava Frankfort-Nachmias and David Nachmias (2007) Research Methods in the
Social Sciences, Worth Publishers.
Bruce L. Berg and Howard Lune (2011) Qualitative Research Methods for the Social
Sciences, Pearson Education.
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4. OPTION COURSES
The MPhil requires students to choose two options from the list of available courses.
Students take one of these options in the first year and one in the second year. The option
list is not the same each year (for example options on literature and film are usually held in
alternate years to make it possible for a student to do both).
You are strongly advised to consider your future dissertation topic when selecting your first
year option. Taking an option and working with the academic teaching it is an excellent way
to identify a suitable dissertation advisor.
Option Courses
China’s Economic Reforms (Dr Sarah Eaton)
China’s Environmental Challenges (Dr Anna Lora-Wainwright)
China’s Twentieth Century on Film* (Dr Paul Bevan)
Cross-Strait Relations (Dr Monique Chu)
Diplomatic Language in a Chinese Context* (Dr Biljana Scott)
History and Historiography of Modern China (Professor Henrietta Harrison /
Professor Rana Mitter)
Modern Chinese Art* (Dr Shelagh Vainker)
Politics and Government of China (Dr Patricia Thornton)
Regional China: Central Places, Borderlands and Spaces In Between (Dr Anthony
Garnaut)
State and Society in Contemporary China (Dr Reza Hasmath)
The International Relations of Contemporary China (Dr Paul Irwin Crookes)
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4.1 China’s Economic Reforms
Dr Sarah Eaton
Overview
This course offers an introduction to key issues in China’s economic development since
economic reforms began more than three decades ago. Emphasis is placed on the political
economy of economic reform and the current challenges facing the Chinese economy. The
course does not presume that students have prior experience studying China or that they
have completed undergraduate-level training in economics.
Content and Structure
Weekly meetings will focus on discussion of the following topics:
1. Introduction to China’s Economic Reforms
2. Rural Reform
3. Development of the State and Non-State Sectors
4. Central-Local Relations
5. Regulatory State
6. Joining the Global Economy: Trade and Investment
7. State and Society in the Reform Era
8. Current and Future Challenges
Teaching Arrangements
There will be 8 classes of two hours each. Each class will include lectures and class
discussions. Each student is expected to submit a one-page list of comments and questions
on the readings the day before class. Drawing on student commentary as well as guidance
provided in the syllabus, “lead discussants” will be tasked with directing class discussion.
Over the course of the semester, students are expected to submit at least one 1000 word
reading response paper to the course instructor.
Course Assessment
There will be a three-hour examination in Trinity Term. Students will be required to answer
three questions. The marks for each question will be equally weighted in the final mark for
the paper.
Main textbooks:
Naughton, Barry (2007). The Chinese Economy: Transitions and Growth. MIT Press.
Brandt, Loren and Rawski, Thomas G. (eds.) (2008). China's Great Economic
Transformation (New York: Cambridge University Press).
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4.2 China’s Environmental Challenges
Elective Leader: Dr Anna Lora-Wainwright
Teaching Staff: Dr Anna Lora-Wainwright, Dr Monique Chu, Dr Sarah Eaton, Ms
Loretta Lou
Overview
China's rapid emergence as an economic power over the past quarter century has been
accompanied by growing understanding of its environmental impacts, ranging from land
expropriation, major infrastructural developments (dam building) and pollution. China has
developed a relatively impressive body of environmental protection policies and legislation
since the late 1970s, and recently turned towards the rhetoric of ‘sustainable’ and ‘scientific
development’ harboured within a ‘harmonious society’. Yet, it is widely agreed that there is a
serious ‘implementation gap’ so that central government policies and national laws are often
not well enforced in the localities. There have been recurrent reports of large-scale pollution
accidents and also of widespread, persistent and routine pollution through industrial waste in
water and through air pollution from industry and transport.
The challenges to enforcing environmental protection are more than ever a vibrant topic of
debate for academics, civil society agents and for Chinese policy makers alike. This course
will consider how these problems are framed by different stakeholders and with what effects.
We will begin by focusing on how particular types of ‘nature’ and the environment are
constructed as objects for protection and conservation while others are seen as
opportunities for development. Against this backdrop, we will consider the various
governance challenges to environmental protection, as well as the ways in which citizens
demand a cleaner environment, they ways in which they do so, and the circumstances in
which they do not. Taiwan and Hong Kong are considered as comparative contexts which
can shed light on the Chinese setting.
Research to date has documented that citizens have become increasingly vociferous about
environmental concerns, ranging from food safety to occupational health, waste, and
industrial pollution. They have increasingly taken action against pollution through civil
litigation, complaints and petitions to state institutions, environmental NGOs involvement,
resort to the media, and demonstrations. We will examine the role that these various types of
‘environmental movements’ might play in aiding (or halting) environmental protection and
sustainable development. This in turn sheds light on topics of great currency in the study of
contemporary China more broadly, such as the relationships between state and society,
state legitimacy, social justice and welfare.
Content and Structure
Topic list:
Wk 1 Inventing ‘nature’ and place (ALW)
Wk 2: Environmental consciousness (ALW)
Wk 3: Managing the Environment and Sustainability (ALW)
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Wk 4: Environmental governance (Sarah Eaton)
Wk 5: NGOs, the media and the rise of a green public sphere
Wk 6: Engaging the law and collective contention
Wk 7: Environmentalism in Hong Kong (Loretta Lou and ALW)
Wk 8: Environmentalism in Taiwan
Teaching Arrangements
This elective is structured as 8 seminar-style meetings of 1 and a half hours each. In the
course of the term, each student is expected to prepare one 15-minute presentation and a
1000-word essay to be pre-circulated with the class by email. All students are also expected
to submit to the rest of the group a one-page comment sheet on some of the readings the
day before class. This will form the basis for some of the discussion. Students (particularly
those presenting and submitting a short essay) will be responsible for steering the
discussion.
Depending upon the numbers in the class, other teaching materials will be used – we will
make particular use of film and video material. A reading list will be distributed in advance of
the course, although this may be supplemented during the course if new and interesting
material is published. Students are also encouraged to pursue relevant readings beyond the
list provided.
The classes will take place as follows:
Time: Tue 15:00-16:30
Place: China Centre seminar room
Course Assessment
This module will be assessed through a term paper of 4000 words, due Monday of week 0,
Trinity Term. The paper should be typed, double spaced, and correctly referenced. The topic
of the paper needs to be discussed with and approved by the course tutor no later than wk 7.
Background readings
China’s Local Environmental Politics (2013), Special collection of articles in the Journal of
Environmental Policy & Planning (Vol. 15, No. 1
Calhoun, Craig and Guobin Yang “Media, Civil Society, and the Rise of a Green Public
Sphere in China”, China Information 2007; 21, pp. 211-34
Edmonds, Richard Louis. 2011. The Evolution of Environmental Policy in the People’s
Republic of China, in: Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, 40, 3, 13-35.
Ho, Peter and R Edmonds 2008 China’s embedded activism: opportunities and constraints
of a social movement. Oxford: Routledge
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Lora-Wainwright (ed) 2013. Dying for Development: pollution, illness and the limits of
citizens’ agency in China (2013), special collection of essays in the China Quarterly,
especially introduction and articles by Lora-Wainwright, Deng and Yang, Johnson and Tilt.
Lora-Wainwright, Anna, Yiyun Zhang, Yunmei Wu and Benjamin Van Rooij 2012 ‘Learning
to live with pollution: how environmental protesters redefine their interests in a Chinese
village’ The China Journal 68: 106-24
Stern, Rachel. 2013. Environmental Litigation in China. A Study in Political Ambivalence.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Tilt, Bryan 2010 Struggling for Sustainability in Rural China: Environmental Values and Civil
Society. New York: Columbia University Press
Weller, Robert 2006 Discovering Nature: Globalization and Environmental Culture in China
and Taiwan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Familiarise yourself with the website http://www.chinadialogue.net, an online publication in
English and Chinese about environmental issues.
Also take a look around the China Environment Forum website
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/program/china-environment-forum
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4.3 China’s Twentieth Century on Film
Dr Paul Bevan
Overview
This course explores how filmmakers in the post-Mao period have represented China’s
turbulent twentieth century in their work. From the Sino-Japanese War to the Cultural
Revolution, and from the Tangshan earthquake to the building of the Three Gorges Dam,
Chinese cinema over the last thirty years has engaged intensively in the recording and
remembering of history, both from temporally distant perspectives and as events unfold in
real time. In this course, we watch feature films and documentaries by directors such as
Jiang Wen, Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Jia Zhangke, Lu Chuan, Ou Ning, and Feng
Xiaogang, and read broadly in English-language scholarship on Chinese cinema from the
1980s to the present day.
Teaching Arrangements
The course will be taught over 8 sessions in Hilary term, which will take place at the Institute
for Chinese Studies. Each session will consist of a lecture, a short student presentation/clip
analysis, and general discussion.
Course Assessment
The option is assessed by means of two 2,500 word essays and an examination.
Indicative reading
Chris Berry, “Seeking Truth from Fiction: Feature Films as Historiography in Deng’s China”,
Film History 7 (1995): 87-99.
Michael Berry, A History of Pain. Trauma in Modern Chinese Literature and Film, New York:
Columbia University Press, 2008.
Yomi Braester, Witness Against History: Literature, Film, and Public Discourse in
Twentieth-Century China, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003.
Jie Lu (ed.), China’s Literary and Cultural Scenes at the Turn of the 21st Century, New York:
Routledge, 2008.
Sheldon Lu and Jiayan Mi (eds.), Chinese Ecocinema: In the Age of Environmental
Challenge, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2009.
Jason McGrath, Postsocialist Modernity: Chinese Cinema, Literature, and Criticism in the
Market Age, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2008.
Lu, Tonglin, Confronting Modernity in the Cinemas of Taiwan and Mainland China,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Gary G. Xu, Sinascape: Contemporary Chinese Cinema, Lanham, MD: Rowman and
Littlefield, 2007.
Zhang Zhen (ed.), The Urban Generation: Chinese Cinema and Society at the Turn of the
Twenty-first Century, Durham: Duke University Press, 2007.
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4.4 Cross-Strait Relations
Dr Monique Chu
Overview
This course seeks to examine the origin, the evolution and the future prospects of Cross-
Strait Relations. It will use Cross-Strait tie as a test case for international relations theories
and frameworks in order to deepen students' understanding of this dyadic relationship, which
remains a focal point in East Asian international relations today.
Content and Structure
Topics to be examined include:
the nature of political conflict across the Strait
security issues facing the two sides
the impact of increasing economic integration on security
Taiwan's international space and Cross-Strait relations
the role of the U.S. in the dyadic relationship
the PRC's evolving Taiwan policy
the prospect of political conciliation across the Strait
Course Assessment
There will be a three-hour examination in Trinity Term. Students will be required to answer
three questions.
Course Readings
The three major textbooks for this course include:
1. Nancy Tucker Ed. (2005). Dangerous Strait: the U.S.-Taiwan-China Crisis. New York:
Columbia University Press.
2. Richard C. Bush (2005). Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press.
3. Scott L. Kastner (2009). Political Conflict and Economic Interdependence across the
Taiwan Strait and Beyond. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
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4.5 Diplomatic Language in a Chinese Context
Dr Biljana Scott
Overview
Diplomatic language is either subject to calumny for being full of equivocation, obfuscation
and prevarication, or to mystery as a secret code known only to the select few. This course
focuses on implicit communication and shows how a mastery of the unsaid is essential to
both international and interpersonal diplomacy. Four categories of the unsaid are identified
(gaps, stories-in-a-capsule, ambiguities and face-space), and exemplified with Chinese and
English data. The emphasis throughout is on linking a detailed analysis of linguistic form and
function to the broader aims of diplomacy.
No knowledge of Chinese is required as equivalent examples can be found in English and
other languages.
Aims
1. To determine the cost-benefit of diplomatic language
2. To detect and deploy the unsaid
3. To join up a close linguistic analysis of treaties and other data to the broader aims of
diplomacy and IR.
Content and Structure
Topics
1. What is ‘diplomatic language’ and why have recourse to it?
2. Mind the Gap: compounds, parataxis and scope ambiguity
3. Stories-in-a-capsule: metaphors, analogies and allusions
4. Value-speak: connotations and chengyu
5. Ambiguity: vagueness, implication and underspecification
6. Either-or ambiguity: lexical features and homophones
7. Face-space: indirect speech acts
8. Identity and the unsaid: speaking “the same language”.
Teaching Arrangements
The course consists of 8 two-hour sessions in HT, each of which includes lecturing,
workshop exercises and student presentations.
Course Assessment
A three-hour exam in Trinity term, with three questions to be answered.
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Course Readings
J.L. Austin, How To Do Things With Words (Oxford, UK: OUP. 1975 2nd edition)
Francis Beer and Christ’l de Landtsheer (eds.), Metaphorical World Politics (Michigan, US:
Michigan State University, 2004).
John E. Joseph, Language and Politics. (Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press. 2006).
Henry Kissinger, On China (New Yord, USA: Penguin Books, 2012).
George Lakoff, articles on his website, including: 'Metaphor and War: The Metaphor System
Used to Justify War in the Gulf' (1991): and 'Metaphor and War, Again.' (2003).
Richard J. Watts, Politeness. (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2003).
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4.6 History and Historiography of Modern China
Professor Rana Mitter and Professor Henrietta Harrison
Course description
This is a graduate colloquium designed for students in modern Chinese history or interested
in the historiography of modern China.
Students should learn:
to identify a select number of the major current debates in the field of modern Chinese history
to explain how those debates have developed
to articulate and defend a position within the debates
The required readings are available electronically. Students will be asked to select from
among the additional readings during the course of the term.
Course Outline
Week 1 The year 1900: The Boxer Uprising HH
Week 2 Western learning and science HH
Week 3 Rethinking the Nationalist Government RM
Week 4 Peasant revolution and the rise of communism RM
Week 5 Rewriting China’s WWII experience RM
Week 6 Building a socialist state HH
Week 7 The Cultural Revolution HH
Week 8 The past in the present RM
Prerequisites
A general understanding of modern Chinese history is expected. If you have not previously
taken a course on modern Chinese history, you should read several surveys before and
during the term. Indeed, it is highly recommended that all students refresh their memories.
Good surveys include:
Late Qing and Republican Era: Lloyd Eastman, Family, Fields and Ancestors: Constancy
and Change in China’s Social and Economic History 1550-1949. Oxford University Press,
1989.
Mao Era (1949-): Maurice Meisner, Mao’s China and After, 3rd Edition (1999).
Additional
Peter Zarrow, China in War and Revolution, 1895-1949 (2005).
Rana Mitter, A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World (2005).
Rana Mitter, Modern China: A Very Short Introduction (2008).
Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China, 2nd Edition (1999).
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4.7 Modern Chinese Art
Dr Shelagh Vainker
Overview
This is a graduate colloquium designed for students in modern Chinese art. Classes will
include viewing of paintings in the Ashmolean collection and the development of skills in
identifying paintings and prints dating from the late Qing to the present. Each class will
combine examination of works of art with discussion of the art historical, intellectual and
political contexts in which they were produced.
Students should learn:
The position of visual art within Chinese society.
Understanding of the debates relating to modernity and identity in Chinese art.
How to approach identifying ink paintings, prints and other pictorial works of art.
Content and Structure
Regionalism in the visual arts: Beijing, Lingnan, Shanghai
Early 20th-century responses of artists in China to art in the West
Traditional ink painters of the early twentieth century
Art and politics 1949-65
Art during the Cultural Revolution
Prints and printmaking
Post-Mao developments, including calligraphy
Teaching Arrangements
Tuesdays 10.00-12.00, Jameel Centre, Ashmolean Museum
Course Assessment
A three-hour exam in Trinity term.
Course Readings
Works below are available online or in the Sackler Library. There are duplicates of some
titles in the Dept of Eastern Art; these may be borrowed by arrangement with Shelagh
Vainker.
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Preparation
A general understanding of modern Chinese culture is expected. Good surveys include:
Andrews, Julia and Kuiyi Shen, The Art of Modern China, Berkeley, 2012
Andrews, Julia and Kuiyi Shen, A Century in Crisis: Modernity and Tradition in the Art of
Twentieth-century China, New York, 1998
Silbergeld, Jerome, Chinese Painting Style: Media, Methods, and Principles of Form,
Seattle, 1982
Sullivan, Michael, Art and Artists of Twentieth Century China, Berkeley, 1996
Vainker, Shelagh, Catalogue of Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford,
Oxford, 2000
Wang Yaoting, Looking at Chinese Painting, Tokyo, Nigensha Publishing Co. Ltd., 1995
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4.8 Politics and Government of China
Dr Patricia Thornton
This option provides an introduction to the political history and development, political
sociology, political ideologies and institutions, and the political economy of China in a
comparative context. Students will have the opportunity to read and consider a number of
approaches to conceptualizing, modelling, and analyzing Chinese politics within the broader
framework of comparative social science methods, with a particular focus on situating China
as a case within the field of comparative politics.
Major themes addressed in the course include:
Key phases and turning points in the establishment and reform of the political system
since 1949
Maoism in theory and practice; the political and ideological dynamics of the post-Mao
reform era.
Contemporary architectures of the party-state; central and local administration.
Key social groups (peasantry, intelligentsia, workers, entrepreneurs, migrants)
and their changing positions in the polity.
The political economy of industrialization, urbanization, economic liberalization, and
globalization.
The changing roles of law, the media (including new media) and other channels
of political communication.
Changing patterns of political participation, political dissent, and popular protest.
Conceptions of the nation and Chinese nationalism; discourse of exceptionalism
in comparative context.
Methodological issues in studying Chinese politics in comparative perspective.
Assessment
The Politics and Government of China (an advanced option for the M.Phil in Comparative
Government) will be examined through a three-hour examination paper in Trinity Term, date
to be determined by the Department of Politics and International Relations. Candidates are
required to write on three questions. The marks for each question will be equally weighted in
the final mark for the paper.
Teaching Arrangements
Students are welcome to attend the 12 hours of undergraduate lectures offered for PPE
227: The Government and Politics of China. Six hours of lectures will be held in MT, and six
are scheduled for HT. This seminar course will be held on Wednesday afternoons in Hilary
Term at the China Centre on Woodstock Road.
46
Indicative readings:
Yang, Dali. Remaking the Chinese Leviathan: Market Transition and the Politics of
Governance in China, 2004.
Whyte, Martin King. "Paradoxes of China's Economic Boom", Annual Review of Sociology.
35:18 (2009), 371-92.
Lee, Ching Kwan. Against the Law: Labour Protests in China’s Rustbelt and Sunbelt, 2007.
Tsai, Lily. "Solidary Groups, Informal Accountability, and Local Public Goods Provision in
Rural China", American Political Science Review, 101: 2 (May 2007), 355-72.
Zhao, Yuezhi. Communication in China: Political Economy, Power and Conflict, 2008.
Andreas, Joel. Rise of the Red Engineers: The Cultural Revolution and the Origins of
China's New Class, 2009.
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4.9 Regional China: Central Places, Borderlands and Spaces In Between
Dr Anthony Garnaut
Overview
This course option examines the significance of place and space to our understanding of
modern China.
Geography has been more influential in Chinese studies than in most area studies. This
partly reflects the attention given to the specific nature of places in Chinese political and
cultural traditions. For example, the imperial Chinese state exerted control through
prefectures and counties, the territorial domain of kitchen gods within each village was
clearly demarcated, and Chinese Communist revolutionaries conceived of their task as a
geographic maneuver of the countryside encircling the cities. It also reflects the intellectual
lineage of Chinese studies. One of the most influential scholars of China in the second half
of the twentieth century was G. William Skinner, through whose work geographic concepts
such as central places, macroregions and the interaction between cores and peripheries
became common place in the literature.
This course starts with a survey of traditional Chinese and Soviet ways of organising social
spaces. It then proceeds to an examination of the standard market town, the subject of a
rich tradition of village studies and the starting point of Skinner’s research on the spatial
dimension of Chinese society. This is followed by a systematic exposition of the geographic
concepts and research methods developed by Skinner and his colleagues and associates
from the 1960s through to the present. In the last lectures of the course, several topics in
contemporary China through a geographic lens: the spatial units (work units, urban
neighbourhoods and administrative villages) through which PRC government administers the
urban and rural populations; the dispersion of different religious and ethnic communities
through China; the geography of Communist mass campaigns such as the Great Leap
Forward and the Strike Hard campaigns of the 1980s; and further topics relating to the
research interests of students in the class.
Aims
To develop conceptual tools to think about the relationship between towns and their rural
hinterlands, between towns and larger cities and between “core” and “peripheral” areas of
economic and social activity.
To develop a language to describe the specificity of particular places within China, and to
relate local case studies to universal characteristics of contemporary China.
To learn how to apply geographic concepts to your own research interests.
To become familiar with the wealth of spatial data and online maps as and apply these to
your research to the study of modern China.
Content and Structure
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This course examines relationships between places of human activity that have different
status (questions of power), and between the certain parts of a social space and the whole
(questions of representiveness). The core readings for the course are the writings of G.
William Skinner, who applied principles of economic geography developed in Germany in the
inter-war era to late imperial and modern Chinese society. Other formulations of how
Chinese social life is structured through space are also considered, including those of critics
of Skinner who argue that politics and ritual upset or annul the ‘rational’ organisation of
space as described by Skinner. Students are actively encouraged to engage with academic
writing about space and place in their own area of research. Through the course students
will also be introduced to the wealth of spatially-referenced data that has become available
in recent years, such as census and other demographic surveys, household income and
expenditure surveys and linguistic surveys; support will be available for students interested
in using these data sets to explore the meaning of space and place in Chinese society.
The lectures and seminar discussions will address the following topics:
Traditional and modern conceptions of Chinese space
Early Skinner: The standard market town, marketing and social networks
Mature Skinner: macroregions, cores and peripheries
Late Skinner: Hierarchical Regional Space
Spatial approaches to culture
Spatial approaches to Chinese politics
Teaching Arrangements
There will be eight teaching sessions in the Hilary Term which will comprise of a one hour
lecture followed by a one hour discussion class. Each week, one or two students will make a
10-minute class presentation to address key questions for consideration, whilst students not
presenting are expected to have reflected on these questions during their reading and to
have formulated additional questions for discussion in the seminar.
Course Assessment
There will be one three-hour unseen examination in the Trinity Term where students will be
expected to answer three questions, with each question carrying equal weight.
Core Readings
Skinner, William G. 1964. ‘Marketing and Social Structure in Rural China.’ Parts I-III. Journal
of Asian Studies 24(1): 3-43, 24(2): 195-228, 24(3): 363-399.
Skinner, William G, ed. 1977. The City in Late Imperial China. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford
University Press.
Elvin, Mark and G. W. Skinner, eds. 1974. The Chinese City Between Two Worlds. Stanford:
Stanford University Press.
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4.10 State and Society in Contemporary China
Dr Reza Hasmath
Overview
This course option looks at state and society relationships using contemporary China as a
social and political laboratory. It will engage with theoretical debates and empirical research
that explore the intricacies of institutional interactions, with particular emphasis on
government and private enterprise relationships, and government and NGO relationships.
Moreover, the course will critically analyse the behaviour of micro-level actors, such as
migrant workers, ethnic minorities, and women, who are shaping the ‘new’ China. By
engaging with the course’s discourse and the various modes of analysis we will come to see
state and society as contested spaces for power, authority and legitimacy.
Aims
1. To develop an intimate understanding of institutional partnerships and configurations
in contemporary China.
2. To analyse the interactions and behaviour of political and social actors, and their
impact on state-society relationships.
3. To critically engage with current research on state and society relations utilising
multi-disciplinary approaches, notably in sociology, political science, development
studies, economics, and management.
4. To understand the Chinese state and society paradigm within the wider body of
mainstream theory, and in relation to other jurisdictions’ experiences.
Content and Structure
The course will address the following topics in a series of lectures and discussion seminars:
1. The Chinese Corporatist State
2. Government-Private Enterprise Relationship
3. Government-NGO Relationship
4. An Emerging Civil Society?
5. The State, NGOs and the Migrant Worker
6. From Education to the Labour Market: The Ethnic Minority Experience
7. Women in the Organisation
8. The Future of State and Society Relations
Teaching Arrangements
There will be eight, two hour teaching sessions in the Hilary Term. Each session will be a
combination of a lecture and discussion seminar.
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Course Assessment
There will be a three hour unseen examination in the Trinity Term where students will be
expected to answer three questions, with each question carrying equal weight.
Background Readings
The following are useful background readings looking at the development of contemporary
state and society in China:
Gries, P.H and S. Rosen, eds. (2004) State and Society in 21st Century China: Crisis,
Contention and Legitimation. London: Routledge.
Lieberthal, K. (2003) Governing China: From Revolution Through Reform 2nd ed. NY: Norton.
Perry, E.J. and M. Selden, eds. (2003) Chinese Society: Change, Conflict and Resistance,
London: Routledge.
Indicative Course Readings
Cao, Y. and C.Y. Hu (2007) “Gender and Job Mobility in Postsocialist China: A Longitudinal
Study of Job Changes in Six Coastal Cities”, Social Forces 85(4): 1535-1560.
Dickson, B. (2007) “Integrating Wealth and Power in China: The Communist Party’s
Embrace of the Private Sector”, The China Quarterly 192: 827-854.
Duckett, J. (2001) “Bureaucrats in Business, Chinese-Style: The Lessons of Market Reform
and State Entrepreneurialism in the People's Republic of China”, World Development
29(1): 23-37.
Foster, K.W. (2001) “Associations in the Embrace of an Authoritarian State: State
Domination of Society?”, Studies in Comparative International Development 35(4): 84-
109.
Frazier, M. (2004) “China’s Pension Reform and its Discontents”, The China Journal 51: 97-
113.
Gilley, B. (2008) “Legitimacy and Institutional Change: The Case of China”, Comparative
Political Studies 41(3): 259-284.
Hasmath, R. (2011) “From Job Search to Hiring to Promotion: The Labour Market
Experiences of Ethnic Minorities in Beijing”, International Labour Review 150(1/2): 189-
201.
Hasmath, R. and J. Hsu, eds. (2009) China in an Era of Transition: Understanding
Contemporary State and Society Actors. New York and Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Howell, J. (2007) “Civil Society in China: Chipping Away at the Edges”, Development 50(3):
17-23.
Hsu, J. (2012) “Layers of the Urban State: Migrant Organizations and the Chinese State”,
Urban Studies 49(16): 3513-3530.
Hsu, J. and R. Hasmath, eds. (2013) The Chinese Corporatist State: Adaptation, Survival
and Resistance. New York and Oxford, UK: Routledge.
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Lee, C.K. and Y. Zhang (2013) “The Power of Instability: Unraveling the Microfoundations of
Bargained Authoritarianism in China”, American Journal of Sociology 118(6): 1475-1508.
Oi, J.C. (1995) “The Role of the Local State in China’s Transitional Economy”, The China
Quarterly 144: 1132-1149.
Saich, T. (2000) “Negotiating the State: The Development of Social Organizations in China”,
The China Quarterly 161: 124-141.
Tsai, K. (2005) “Capitalists Without a Class: Political Diversity Among Private
Entrepreneurs”, Comparative Political Studies 38(9): 1130-1158.
Zhang, Y., E. Hannum and M. Wang (2008) “Gender-Based Employment and Income
Differences in Urban China: Considering the Contributions of Marriage and Parenthood”,
Social Forces 86(4): 1529-1560.
Zheng, B. (2005) “China's ‘Peaceful Rise’ to Great-Power Status”, Foreign Affairs 84(5): 18-
24.
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4.11 The International Relations of Contemporary China Dr Paul Irwin Crookes
Overview
This course option will explore China’s evolving role in the international political and
economic system and will examine the country’s external relations with key state, non-state,
and institutional actors. No prior knowledge of China or the East Asian region will be
assumed. The programme will lay emphasis on an empirically-led but theoretically informed
analysis of the extent and character of China’s interrelationships within international
relations, so as to be able to better understand how geopolitical interactions overlap with
specific policy priorities to shape outcomes at the regional and global levels.
Aims
1. To better understand the key issues that drive China’s decision-making in the
country’s international relations.
2. To provide a policy-led framework that can empower informed judgement on
perceptions of China’s engagement with the international system.
3. To enable a critical analysis of the literature to distinguish between different
perspectives on the character of China’s approach to foreign relations.
Content and Structure
The course will seek to explain how the overlaps between political and economic policy
inform on China’s external relations. It will closely examine a number of important regional
and global relationships with the aim of creating a balanced perspective in China’s
contemporary position. The course will address the following broad topic areas in a series of
lectures and discussion seminars:
1. The theoretical context in international relations of China’s re-emergence.
2. China’s current economic structure and the pursuit of Market Economy Status.
3. The international relations of China’s multilateral engagement.
4. The salience of regional tensions in China’s relationships across East Asia.
5. Cross-Strait relations with Taiwan as a domestic and geopolitical issue.
6. China’s energy security as a driver of policy in relations with Africa.
7. Cooperation and conflict in China’s key bilateral relationship with the US.
8. China’s evolving dialogue with the EU as an international actor.
53
Teaching Arrangements
There will be eight teaching sessions in the Hilary Term which will comprise of a one hour
lecture followed by a one hour discussion class. Each week, one / two students will make a
5-7 minute class presentation to address key questions for consideration, whilst students not
presenting are expected to have reflected on these questions during their reading and to
have formulated additional questions for discussion in the seminar.
Students will also write and receive feedback on one unassessed essay of 1,500 words.
Course Assessment
There will be one three-hour unseen examination in the Trinity Term where students will be
expected to answer three questions, with each question carrying equal weight.
The following works provide useful background reading for the whole course:
Scott, David. 2007. China Stands Up. The PRC and the International System: Routledge.
Shirk, Susan. 2008. China: Fragile Superpower: Oxford University Press.
The following internet resources provide perspectives on Chinese thinking:
There are often interesting insights into China’s international relations reported on each,
although some of the commentary can be oriented towards domestic affairs. As with all
internet resources, opinions and perspectives put forward online should be treated with
caution and used to trigger thinking about a topic in broad terms. Websites are not
substitutes for the use of books and peer-reviewed journal articles.
China Digital Times: an interesting source of topical Chinese articles which are
available to read in English: http://www.chinadigitaltimes.net
China Economic Review: the online version of this magazine provides a useful
synthesis of international economics and trade reporting about China:
http://www.chinaeconomicreview.com/en/category/sector/economics-trade
The China Daily: the Europe edition of the English language newspaper and worth
regular review for official opinions: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn
Indicative Course Readings
Buzan, Barry (2010) China in International Society: Is ‘Peaceful Rise’ Possible? The Chinese
Journal of International Politics, Vol. 3, pp5-36
Chow, Gregory (2010) Interpreting China's Economy. World Scientific Press. Chapter 1.
Cameron, F. (2010) The geopolitics of Asia – What role for the European Union?
International Politics, 47(3): 276-292.
Economy, E. C. (2011) China’s Energy Future: An Introductory Comment. Eurasian
Geography and Economics, 52(4): 461-463.
54
Foot, R. & Walter, A. (2011) China, The United States and Global Order: Cambridge
University Press. Chapter 2.
Kaplan, R. (2010) The Geography of Chinese Power. Foreign Affairs, 89(3): 22-41.
Ross, Robert. (2009) Chinese Security Policy: Structure, Power and Politics. Routledge.
Su, Chi. (2009) Taiwan’s Relations with Mainland China: A tail wagging two dogs.
Routledge. Chapter 1.
Wilkins, Thomas. 2010. The new “Pacific Century” and the rise of China: an international
relations perspective. Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 64 No. 4, pp381 —
405
Zhang, F. (2012) Rethinking China’s Grand Strategy: Beijing’s evolving national interests and
strategic ideas in the reform era. International Politics, Vol. 49 No. 3.
55
5 CHINESE LANGUAGE
Mandarin Chinese will be studied throughout the two years to enable students to acquire a solid foundation of vocabulary and general language facility on which they can build to read and understand printed journalism, academic periodicals, government publications, personal communications, and the like (in both simplified and full-form scripts). A similar foundation in speaking and listening skills will also be taught, from which students will be able to develop the ability to listen to broadcast media and speeches, and generally to communicate with native speakers of Chinese. Writing will be taught to an introductory level using the simplified script.
Chinese language training will be offered at two levels:
• Level 1 will be for students who are complete beginners or are false beginners, but not up to the next level. Students are taught reading, writing and translation skills as well as speaking and listening.
• Level 2 will be for students who have excelled at the beginner level, are confident in daily communication and able to recognise and write about 500-550 Chinese characters. Students must have learnt most of the main grammar points to enter the intermediate level.
5.1 Placement test
A placement test will be held for students who think they might be appropriate for Level 2. Students must achieve 60% in each part (English to Chinese translation, Chinese to English translation and grammar analysis) to be admitted to the level 2 course.
5.2 Web learning
In addition to their classes, students will be given the opportunity for language study using the website of the Oxford Centre for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CTCFL) in the Institute for Chinese Studies (http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/). Oxford is at the forefront of developing website-assisted programmes to improve interactive Chinese language teaching and learning, and we encourage and expect students to make full use of this opportunity.
5.3 TV news
China television news programmes are recorded daily and made available in the Language Lab to all language students, every morning from 9.30 to 10.00, for language training purposes. Level 2 students are strongly encouraged to attend from the start of their course. Level 1 students will probably want to wait until the second year.
5.4 Textbook
Practical Chinese Reader Books I and II, Beijing, Commercial Press, 1986 or later
editions
5.5 Collections
Collections are informal examinations held in 0th week before the beginning of each term
to give students feedback on their progress and ensure that they continue their regular
56
studies over the university vacations. You will have Chinese language collections at the
beginning of every term (except for that of your final examinations). This means that you
will need to be in Oxford for the week before the start of each full term, so please
arrange your travel plans accordingly. The marks do not count towards your final
degree, but they are very important for you, your teachers, the program director, and
your colleges in assessing your progress on the degree and are often referred to in
references for future employers: take them seriously.
A warning: Any student who fails the collection at the beginning of the Hilary Term of
their first year should be very cautious about making plans to go to China in the summer,
since failure in the Qualifying exam in Trinity Term will mean taking a resit. Resit
examinations are held in September and you will have to be in Oxford for them.
5.6 Study in Beijing
The period between September and December of the second year (covering Michaelmas
Term) will be spent on full-time language study at Peking University. Attendance at
classes is compulsory, and the results of the collection before the start of term and of
periodic tests will be forwarded to Oxford.
Students continue to pay Oxford university fees and are expected to cover their own
travel costs and living expenses in China. However, these costs will normally be more
than offset by the fact that most Oxford colleges will not require students to keep their
college room while in China. Students are also eligible to apply for (modest) financial
assistance from most colleges. The Faculty of Oriental Studies will bear the cost of the
fees charged by Peking University.
You can find out more about living in Beijing from The Oxford Undergraduate Handbook
for Studying Abroad in Beijing which is available on the CTCFL website:
http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Lang%20work/Study%20in%20China_files/Beida%20Handbook
%20-%202012-2013.pdf. Further orientation for the term abroad will be provided in the
Trinity Term of the first year.
5.7 Tips for Chinese language learning as part of the MPhil course
For many students on the MPhil learning Chinese will take up the majority of your study
time. Since few of you will have had experience learning a non-European language
before, the amount of memorisation required is likely to be a particular challenge.
Generally speaking each hour of language teaching will require at least three hours of
self-study. Students starting Chinese from scratch should expect to spend at least two
hours each day memorising characters. This will be in addition to homework on
pronunciation, grammar etc. and of course it will also be in addition to the reading and
essay writing you are doing for your studies courses.
Effective memorisation requires frequent repetition of the same material. You will
learn more if you study the same material morning and evening every day. It is
essential that you continue this daily repetition over the vacations. Some students
57
find the Anki software (http://ankisrs.net/), which tests you regularly on flashcards,
useful for this, but any regular scheme for testing yourself will also work.
Organise essays and preparation for other classes so that it fits round the schedule
of your language learning. It is essential to continue studying characters according to
a regular pattern every day, even when you are writing an essay or preparing for an
exam. A good pattern might be to do an hour of character memorisation in the
morning before you start your other work and another hour in the evening after you
finish.
Attend class and submit your homework on time. You are graduate students now
and it is your responsibility to do this without pressure from your teachers. Work
submitted late will not be marked.
As your Chinese improves you can look forward to a more flexible style of learning as
you begin to read in Chinese for your dissertation research and perhaps even your
regular studies classes.
5.8 Further information
Centre for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/
This website provides language learning materials, timetables for language classes,
and much other useful material.
58
6 DISSERTATION
6.1 Formal requirements:
The thesis must not exceed 20,000 words, including footnotes, but excluding the
bibliography.
It is submitted towards the beginning of the Trinity Term of your final year. Details of the
date and the submission requirements will be found in the Exam Conventions (below).
6.2 Timetable
First
year
Hilary Term Identify a topic and approach a supervisor to ask if they
would be willing to work with you on it.
Class meeting with the Course Director to discuss
dissertation topics. For this meeting you will need
1. A dissertation proposal (1 page) including:
title, the question you want to examine, possible
sources you hope to used.
2. The name of your proposed supervisor
Trinity Term Meet with your supervisor to discuss your proposal. Ask
for help with identifying suitable Chinese reading materials.
Start reading English language materials, which will be
more easily available in Oxford libraries than in China.
Summer Start reading through your Chinese materials
Second
year
Michaelmas
Term
Make use of your time in Beijing to conduct your research.
By the time you return to Oxford you should have finished
reading all the necessary materials
Keep your supervisor informed of your progress by email.
Hilary Term Formally submit the title of your dissertation to the Oriental
Institute
Write the first draft of your dissertation.
Meet with your supervisor to discuss your draft.
Easter
vacation
Rewrite your dissertation in response to your supervisor’s
comments
Trinity Term Submit final dissertation
Remember to leave yourself at least one week to proof-
read, print out and bind your dissertation. Your supervisor
is not responsible for proof-reading (including correcting
spelling etc.).
It is your responsibility to identify a supervisor early in the process, to keep your supervisor
informed of your progress, and to seek meetings with your supervisor when help is needed.
59
6.3 Choosing a topic
A thesis may take a variety of forms, but it is more than a glorified essay: it must be based
on solid research in primary as well as secondary materials. You will be given credit for
thoughtfulness in your choice of topic, originality of approach, assembling a sound body of
evidence, presenting the evidence accurately, acknowledging your sources, ordering your
argument logically, assessing the evidence systematically, and forming a conclusion based
on all the evidence.
There are four major factors to be considered in choosing a topic.
(1) The topic should be worthy of consideration and study; you may want to avoid
overworked topics where it is difficult to develop fresh and original lines of enquiry.
(2) You should choose a topic in line with your own interests and capabilities, so that your
enthusiasm for your topic can be sustained.
(3) There must be adequate materials available to pursue the topic. In your case this also
requires selecting a topic where there are Chinese language materials that will be available
for you to read and are not too difficult. All students should be able to read newspaper
articles, websites and other contemporary publications. Materials written before the 1920s,
when the modern form of writing Chinese was widely adopted, are likely to be a challenge
for most of you.
(4) You should consider, with the help of your supervisor, whether a particular topic is
feasible within the limits of time and space; the regulations on the length of the dissertation
and the deadline for submission usually mean choosing an aspect of a subject, within a
restricted period of time or geographical area, rather than a complete and comprehensive
treatment.
A dissertation is an enquiry into a topic. You set up a question (or a hypothesis), and
assemble and analyse the writings and evidence that help to answer the question (or test the
hypothesis). Your conclusion is your answer to the question on the basis of the information
you have assembled, interpreted and analysed.
6.4 Sources for research
It is expected that your work will be at least partly based on material in the Chinese
language: written sources (i.e. books, journals, newspapers and websites) and possibly films
or interviews. You may choose to translate some of this material as part of your thesis, to
appear in short passages in the text or in longer passages in one or more appendices. If you
are translating longer passages, it is advisable to provide the Chinese text in an appendix.
Since for many of you reading Chinese will be a slow process, you need to identify the
sources as soon as possible and work your way through them with a dictionary while you are
in China. You will probably not have time to do this after you return to Oxford. If you are
working on literature you should read the texts (at the very least the key passages) in the
original and provide your own translations in your dissertation, though you will probably also
want to consult published translations where they are available.
60
Secondary materials are books and articles by scholars about your topic, which may be in
English, Chinese or other languages. General background reading is essential to place your
topic in context, and you should make sure at the beginning of your research that you have
in place the framework for systematic background reading.
Basic bibliographical tools and links
Google & Solo (Oxford) books and part of the available articles,
Google will also lead you to useful as well as
useless websites (always look out for
websites posting specialist bibliographies)
BAS Online (only with the Oxford IP
address or with a VPN connection)
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bas/ (or through
the list of Databases
http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/oxlip_databases)
Chinese journal articles http://cnki.en.eastview.com/
Crucial books with extensive
bibliographies
Cambridge History of China-series
Science and Civilisation of China-series
Book review sections (for books and
general intros)
major academic journals devoted to
China/Asia (Journal of Asian Studies, T’oung
Pao, The China Quarterly, China Information
have a lot) or disciplinary journals (on history,
political science and so forth).
Library catalogues for Chinese and Japanese materials
Please note that you often need to be logged in as an Oxford user to utilize these resources.
1 ICS until 2008 Use card catalogue in Wade Giles.
2 Bodleian Use Solo at http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk in Pinyin, BUT
much if not most is only catalogued in Chinese characters
(i.e. not in transcription)
3 Allegro catalogue The real entry point: http://bodley24.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-
bin/acwww25/maske.pl?db=oxchi
4 United Kingdom Union Catalogue: http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/rslpchin/
61
5 Chinese e-resources at
Oxford
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/oriental/chier.htm
Note particularly:
China Academic Journals
China Core Newspapers Database
These provide the full text of all the main PRC journals
and newspapers for the last few years, and some for much
longer.
6 Internet Increasing amounts of material can be found full-text on
the Internet
Sources for current events
Newspapers and magazines
Economist
Financial Times
Foreign Affairs
New York Times
South China Morning Post
Wall Street Journal Asia asia.wsj.com (See also its Chinese-language website cn.wsj.com )
Websites
Care has to be taken in selecting reliable online sources, partly because much online
content does not have to be edited or approved before it goes live (unlike traditional sources
such as books, magazines, journals, newspapers), and partly because information on the
internet undergoes a constant process of revision, modification, recreation and deletion. Key
guidelines to reliability include the inclusion of such details as the author’s name,
title/position, and organisational affiliation; the date of page creation; and standard indicators
such as the use of bibliography and citation of sources. By the same token, webpages which
are anonymous, that display today’s date automatically regardless of when the content on
the page was created, and which are lacking in scholarly apparatus may well be less
academically trustworthy. The safest sources are probably those which are online
equivalents of reliable print media materials: JSTOR, Project Muse, online newspapers, and
so on. Blogs, opinion pieces, and other highly subjective accounts should be approached
more cautiously: they can constitute useful primary materials, but are less valid as
secondary sources.
Reuters News Agency http://www.reuters.com/places/china
62
Probably the best all-round news source for China at present, especially for
business, economics and politics. The articles headed “Insight” are particularly
useful.
They also provide Connected China http://connectedchina.reuters.com/ An
outstanding website on the structures and personnel of the Chinese central
government. It also highlights relevant recent news stories.
Boxun News http://en.boxun.com/
News about China by citizen journalists
Danwei www.danwei.com a news aggregator of unusual cultural and political articles
The Diplomat http://thediplomat.com/
A current affairs magazine for the Asia Pacific region
Human Rights Watch (China and Tibet) http://www.hrw.org/asia/china
Good for all sorts of protest movements and people who get in trouble with the
government (environmental problems, Burmese refugees, religious sects, democracy
activists etc etc).
Ministry of Tofu - http://www.ministryoftofu.com/
social topics/corruption scandals
中外对话China Dialogue http://www.chinadialogue.net/
Influential bilingual website focusing on environmental issues.
Letter from China: a blog for the New Yorker by Evan Osnos
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos
Tea Leaf Nation http://www.tealeafnation.com/
Very readable e-magazine collecting material from Chinese social media
China File http://www.chinafile.com
Online magazine run by the Center for US-China Relations and the Asia Society,
edited by Orville Schell, big-name analysts. Also includes good links to other major
China stories on the web.
Sinostand http://sinostand.com :
Current affairs blog run by Eric Fish, who rights for the Economic Observer
China Hearsay: Law and economics blog on China http://chinahearsay.com
Sinica Podcast hosted by Jeremy Goldkorn from Danwei and Kaiser Kuo, who is head of
international communications for Baidu: http://popupchinese.com/lessons/sinica/
63
Sinocism newsletter (compiled by Bill Bishop, links from Chinese & international media):
www.sinocism.com
The latest academic research
China Journal
China Quarterly
These are the two leading academic journals for study of contemporary China. You will find
them on the periodicals display stand in the Chinese Studies Institute Library and online
through the SOLO catalogue.
Official websites
National Bureau of Statistics of China http://stats.gov.cn
Freely available database that is constantly updated.
6.5 Writing and Referencing
Taking notes
You should decide at an early stage how you are going to organise your notes; eg.
according to subject matter, period, source etc. Whichever method you use, make sure that
the information is accurate and complete, so that you will not have to return to the source.
Keep a full record of all your sources, including all the detail needed in your notes and
bibliography: the author’s full name, complete title, publisher, date and place of publication,
total page numbers for articles, and specific page numbers for references and citations. If
you are using websites, keep a record of both the address and the date on which you
consulted them. Be exact when taking down sentences which may be quoted later, but be
careful not to use an author’s exact words in your own work if not quoting them. (See section
11: Academic honesty and plagiarism). .
Writing up
Writing always takes longer than you think, and so you should start writing as soon as you
begin to develop your ideas. Research rarely goes at a steady rate, and you need to pace
yourself. You should plan realistic, intermediate goals so that you get a sense of
achievement as you proceed. You may find it easier to write the main chapters first, then the
conclusion, and finally return to the introduction. And you may well need to shuttle between
these three in the process.
The introduction should present the topic, set out your specific aims, define your terms, and
indicate your main lines of enquiry. It should also give details of your methodology, an
overview of the historical and social context, literature review, or an account of your
documentation (genesis, reliability, audience).
64
The core chapters will present your evidence and/or main findings of your research. At the
end of each chapter, you may find it helpful to briefly sum up your main arguments, which
will in turn be summarized and placed in context in the conclusion.
The conclusion should weigh-up and summarise your findings. Check that you have
answered any questions raised in your introduction. You may need to look at differences as
well as similarities in the events, arguments, phenomena, or works you have discussed, and
to attempt to account for these.
Your dissertation is an exploration of an issue which seeks to address a specific question.
Examiners have considerable discretion, but both they and other readers are likely to be
concerned with: an interesting choice of topic; breadth of knowledge of the subject (including
accurate background knowledge about China); use of a range of sources; evidence of the
ability to use Chinese for research purposes (the aim of this MPhil); an argument that is
clearly expressed, interesting and convincing; a clear structure that supports the argument;
and correct presentation. Avoid including material (no matter how interesting) that is not
directly relevant to your discussion.
Remember to leave sufficient time (at least one week!) to review your work and check for
wrong spellings or typos. A spell checker is useful but at the same time can be misleading.
For example, it may not show typing errors such as “it” for “if”. It is all the more awkward
when you are dealing with Chinese-language materials. This means that spell checks
should not replace checking the spelling yourself, but merely be used as an auxiliary tool.
Backing up your work
It is impossible to emphasise too strongly the importance of saving work frequently and of
making copies. It is extraordinarily easy to lose a lot of work with the touch of a key, and it is
a matter of basic common-sense always to have a current backup copy of any work that is in
progress.
References and writing styles
All serious academic and non-academic publications have fairly rigid rules for the
presentation of information and annotations. Serious newspapers also have handbooks for
their journals that are sometimes even more detailed than guides for academic authors. The
point of these conventions is that we can trace back and verify information. One of the first
crimes in writing is copying others, either verbally or through excessive paraphrasing,
without properly referencing the provenance of your information. We call this plagiarism.
You must supply footnotes or endnotes and bibliography in a proper standardized format,
such as The Chicago Manual of Style (14th or 15th edition), Harvard Reference Style,
Oxford Style, or any other well established and widely used style. Whatever style you
choose to adopt, you must be accurate and consistent throughout. Do not invent a
reference style of your own.
Make sure you double check dates, other numbers, names and titles of historical figures,
and other factual data. When quoting, you also need to pay attention to the exact wording
(including letter case) and punctuation.
65
1 Annotations Proper annotations to indicate where quotations come
from and from which source information has been
taken are absolute crucial. They prevent
misunderstandings about plagiarism and allow the
reader to check your statements and information. Very
often people (and not just students!) have
misunderstood their sources, so checking is essential.
2 Models Always check with your teacher. Follow an existing
academic journal as a model (Harvard Journal of
Asiatic Studies for premodern China/Japan/Korea,
China Quarterly for modern China studies). Some
examples follow further below.
3 Layout Every page should have sufficient top, bottom, left and
right margins. When you start a section or chapter on a
new page, do so using hard return (rather than
inserting loads of manual empty spaces).
4 Footnotes/endnotes Which one to use is up to you or your teacher.
Generally speaking when there is a lot of textual
commentary, we use footnotes below the page.
Otherwise we use endnotes, because they distract the
reader. Abbreviated references to a
book/article/website are practical, as long as your
bibliography is arranged in such a way that references
can be retrieved from there
5 Glossary You must give the Chinese characters for any terms
that you use in hanyu pinyin. You may either provide
characters and translation in the text or provide a
glossary at the end of the dissertation.
6 Bibliography a. Arrange your list alphabetically b. Only include items you have actually used in your
essay or paper. It is not a reading list, but a reference tool for your reader.
There are scores of far more elaborate manuals and style sheets on the internet or in
published form. For instance, the “Guide to Referencing in the Harvard Style” written by
library staff at Anglia Ruskin University can be downloaded here:
http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm. This is the same style used in the Harvard
Journal of Asiatic Studies. Make sure you have one or more such tools yourself, so you can
consult them when in doubt. Acquiring good routines in matters of style early on saves you
much time later on. For Chinese language references we also refer to citation practices as
found in the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies.
66
The following references are examples in one particular humanities style and not exhaustive.
Different teachers and different publication venues will have their own customs. The main
thing to keep in mind is overall consistency.
Full version Short version Comments
Book by single author
(In an alphabetical list:) Meyer, Dirk (2011).
Philosophy on Bamboo: Text and the Production of
Meaning in Early China. Leiden: Brill.
Mitter (2000)
22 or Mitter
(2000) p. 22 or
Mitter (2000)
pp.23-24
When giving page
references, it is often
possible to leave out the
abbreviation p. (one
page) or pp. (more
pages), but this is a
personal matter. Many
publishers have offices in
different cities, but I
usually quote only the
main location.
Henrietta Harrison (forthcoming). The Missionary’s
Curse and Other Tales from a Chinese Catholic Village.
Berkeley: University of California Press.
Harrison
(forthcoming)
Once the book has come
out, this information is of
course out of date.
Yang, Kuan 楊寬 (1993). Zhongguo gudai ducheng
zhidushi yanjiu 中國古代都城制度史研究 [Research
on the system of cities in ancient China]. Shanghai
上海: Shanghai guji chubanshe 上海古籍出版社.
Yang (1993) or
Yang Kuan
(1993)
If you have numerous
authors by the same
family name, a common
occurrence in
bibliographies of Chinese
language works, you can
add their personal name
as well. Some colleagues
insert a comma after the
family name to indicate
that this is indeed the
family name. Personally,
I prefer to leave out the
Chinese characters for
the place of publication
and the name of the
publishers.
Book by a collective editor (or author)
(in an alphabetical list) Crossley, Pamela Kyle, Helen F.
Siu, and Donald S. Sutton eds. (2006). Empire at the
Margins: Culture, Ethnicity, and Frontier in Early
Crossley, Siu
and Sutton eds.
Please note that this is
an edited volume (hence
the three editors, here
67
Modern China. Berkeley: University of California
Press.
(2006) abbreviated as eds.).
Below follows a
reference to an article
from this book.
Lu Xun yanjiushi 魯迅研究室 ed.; Li Helin 李何林 and
others eds. (2000). Lu Xun nianpu 魯迅年譜
[Chronological biography of Lu Xun]. Beijing 北京:
Renmin chubanshe人民文學出版社.
Lu Xun yanjiushi
(2000)
Referring to this type of
collective work is always
tricky. As long as your
bibliography has all the
data, different forms of
shortening the title can
be used. Please note
(again) that Chinese
characters always follow
the transliteration.
Translation
(in an alphabetical list) Chard, Robert trsl. (1991).
Blades from the Willows (London: Wellsweep, 1991).
Chard (1991) This is a translation by
Robert Chard.
Unpublished dissertation
Robert Lawrence Chard, “Master of the family: history
and development of the Chinese cult to the stove”
(PhD dissertation at the University of California,
Berkeley, 1990).
Chard (1990) Dissertations are usually
not published and their
titles are therefore not in
italics. They can be
accessed either in
printed form, microfilm,
microfiche or nowadays
through downloads.
Article by single author (in journal)
Margaret Hillenbrand, “Chromatic Expressionism in
Contemporary Chinese Cinemas”, Journal of Chinese
Cinemas 6/3 (2012), pp. 211-231.
Hillenbrand
(2012) 211-231
Sometimes each issue
has a separate number
(for instance in The
China Quarterly) or the
issue per year could be
written as 6: 3
Jordan Paper, “Response to Kelly James Clark and
Justin T. Winslett, ‘The Evolutionary Psychology of
Chinese Religion: Pre-Qin High Gods as Punishers and
Rewarders’”, Journal of the American Academy of
Religion, 80: 2 (2012), pp. 518-521 (original article in
Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 79:4
Paper (2012)
518-521
The reference to the
original article by Kelly
James Clark and Justin T.
Winslett could of course
have been longer. Please
note the use of different
68
[2011], pp. 928–960). brackets when using
brackets with brackets,
for instance as follows ( [
{ } ] ).
Article by single author (in book)
Lin Zuhan 林祖韓 (1987), “Putian jizhong minjian
zongjiao xiaoshi” 莆田幾種民間宗教小史 [A brief
history of several types of folk religion in Putian],
Putianshi wenshi ziliao 莆田市文史資料 [Putian
literary and historical materials]. Putian莆田: Putian
chubanshe莆田出版社, pp. 116-136.
Lin (1987) 116-
136
Article by single author (in newspaper)
Rana Mitter, “On China by Henry Kissinger – review:
Henry Kissinger offers an erudite and elegant insight
into the new world superpower”, The Observer,
Sunday 15 May 2011.
Mitter (2011) Strictly speaking the
newspaper heading does
not use italics for the
title of the book under
review, but the article
does. Maybe, therefore,
the italics is
inappropriate.
Paper presentation
Peter Ditmanson, “Local and Trans-local Activism in
Commemorating the Martyrs of 1402,” Paper
presented at the International Conference on
Translocal and Transregional Dynamics in Chinese
History, 960-1911, National University of Singapore,
May 2008.
Ditmanson
(2008)
Always check whether
the paper has in the
meantime been
published. In this case I
am not certain.
Article by group of authors (in book)
(in an alphabetical list) Millward, James A. and Laura
J. Newby (2006). “The Qing and Islam on the Western
Frontier”, in Crossley, Siu and Sutton eds. (2006), pp.
113-134 CHECK PAGES
Millward and
Newby (2006)
113-134
A collective article is
quoted by the
(shortened) names of all
authors. Since the book
in question is already
included in this list, I
have here used the
abbreviated form.
Website
69
Barend J. ter Haar, “Falun Gong: evaluation and
further references”. At
http://faculty.orinst.ox.ac.uk/terhaar/falun.htm
(visited March 10, 2013).
Ter Haar (Falun
Gong)
It is difficult to refer to a
website by date, since it
is a growing organism.
This particular website
dates back in its original
form to late 1999 and
was revamped many
times (especially in 2005
and its bibliography
again in 2013). It is
therefore always
important to add the
date that you have
visited (and ideally
downloaded) a webpage.
Jeff Wasserstrom, “A Coming Distraction--Rana
Mitter's Modern China: A Very Short Introduction”. At
http://thechinabeat.blogspot.co.uk/2008/02/coming-
distraction-mitters-modern-china.html (visited March
11, 2013).
Wasserstrom
(2008)
References to websites
are difficult, but the
main thing is the title
(when given), the
location sand the date
you have visited it. This
particular website may
no longer exist in a year
from now (as it has been
discontinued), so
downloading is especially
important.
Biljana Scott, “Use of diplomatic language”, An
introduction to the Diplomatic Discourse Module by
Professor Biljana Scott, London Academy of
Diplomacy - October 3rd, 2011. Available at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd2QQLpxoFk
(accessed: 11 March 2013).
Scott (2011) To be honest, references
to YouTube and similar
video materials still seem
to be in flux. Title,
location and date of
downloading are again
the minimally required
information.
70
6.6 Academic honesty and plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of the thoughts or work of another as one’s own. Examples
include:
direct duplication of the thoughts or work of another, including by copying material, ideas
or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document (whether published or
unpublished), composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or
software, web site, Internet, other electronic resource, or another person’s assignment
without appropriate acknowledgement;
paraphrasing another person’s work with very minor changes keeping the meaning, form
and/or progression of ideas of the original, without acknowledgement.
piecing together sections of the work of others into a new whole, without
acknowledgement.
presenting an assessment item as independent work when it has been produced in
whole or part in collusion with other people, for example, another student or a tutor,
without acknowledgement.
claiming credit for a proportion a work contributed to a group assessment item that is
greater than that actually contributed.
The University website is the main repository for resources for staff and students on
plagiarism and academic honesty: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/epsc/plagiarism/index.shtml
The University Educational Policy and Standards website:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/epsc/plagiarism/electrores.shtml also provides substantial
educational written materials, workshops, and tutorials to aid students.
You are also reminded that careful time management is an important part of study and one
of the identified causes of plagiarism is poor time management.
71
7 EXAMINATIONS
The Examination Regulations
These lay down the formal rules for the structure and examination of the course. Copies are
available in college libraries. The full text is available online at
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/contents.shtml
The Examination Conventions
All the information about how your exams are organised, what the questions will be like and
what marks are given is in the exam conventions. They are available on the MPhil Modern
Chinese Studies page of the Oriental Studies website
(http://www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/ea/chinese/mph_modchst.html) . This year’s conventions will be
available by the end of the Michaelmas Term.
Read the exam conventions carefully before you take the exam!
Exam Organisation
What follows is a summary of the most important facts which relate to the examinations
process. (Further information can be found in the Examination Regulations - ‘Grey Book’)
The proper conduct of all examinations in the University comes under the jurisdiction of the
Proctors (two senior academics appointed for a one-year term of office and who, during their
time in post, are relieved of all normal university activities). The Junior Proctor normally
handles matters relating to graduate students and it is to the Proctors that all applications for
dispensation, complaints and appeals must be made, with the advice and support of the
student’s college.
Where deadlines are imposed, it is essential that they are strictly complied with. Penalties
can be imposed for non-observance. At their most severe, these can amount to students
being deemed to have failed part of their course.
Requests for extension of time to hand in papers due to illness or other matters of an urgent
nature must be made before a deadline has passed only through your College Tutor to
the Office of the Proctors. A fee may be charged.
Candidate numbers
In order to anonymise your work the university allocates you a ‘candidate number’. You will
be issued with this number before your exam, but you can also find it through the Student
Self Service Website http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/studentselfservice/. You must use this
number on all examinations and assessed work. Do not write your student number or the
number of your library barcode on your examinations.
72
Submitting your work at the Examination Schools
Submission procedure:
(a) go to the reception desk in the Exam Schools' main hall, and obtain a receipt form
(candidates with any Specific Learning Difficulty, for example dyslexia, should also obtain a
cover sheet)
(b) complete the receipt form (and any cover sheet) with details as specified
(c) hand the work (in its envelope) and the receipt form to Schools staff at the desk
(d) Schools staff will add date and time to the receipt form and sign it to confirm receipt
(e) Schools staff will give a copy of the receipt form to the student
The core opening hours of the Examination Schools building are 8.30am to 5pm, Monday
to Friday; the reception desk is staffed throughout this period.
Submission deadlines are always set between these hours, so that the hand-in and receipt
procedure can be followed (most are set for noon, but you must check). Outside these hours
work cannot be receipted, since staff will not be present.
Written examinations
Written examinations are usually held in the Examination Schools on High Street - a
nineteenth century building purpose-built for the holding of examinations.
Academic Dress
All members of the University are required to wear academic dress with subfusc clothing
when attending any university examination, i.e.:
Men: A dark suit and socks, black shoes, a white bow tie, and plain white shirt and collar.
Women: A dark skirt or trousers, a white blouse, black tie, black stockings and shoes, and
dark coat if desired.
Please refer to the Proctors’ and Assessor’s Memorandum for further information. You
should receive a copy of this from your college and it is also available on the web at:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/
Bilingual dictionaries
Bilingual dictionaries are no longer allowed for non-native English speakers in University
examinations, with the exception of examinations where bilingual dictionaries are permitted
as a resource for all candidates regardless of their native tongue, and which are specified in
Examination Regulations.
Pens
You may only use blue or black pens. The Examination Regulations state that work written
in pencil or using coloured pens will not be marked.
For formal regulations and information on course requirements, examinations, thesis
submission, supervision and other issues, students should consult the following in the
University of Oxford, Examination Regulations, 2012.
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/
73
Graduation Ceremonies
The final examiners meeting usually takes place at the start of July. Students should be
available in Oxford up until this date in case there is some problem with their exam paper
and they are required to attend a viva. For more information on Graduation you can visit
http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/matriculation_graduation/.
74
8 COURSE ADMINISTRATION 8.1 Degree Administration Teaching Rooms
Teaching takes place in various sites across the University. Please refer to the individual
course descriptions for details.
Website
Information on the MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies is on the Oriental Institute website:
http://www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/ea/chinese/mph_modchst.html
WebLearn
WebLearn is Oxford’s centralised Virtual Learning Environment. Here you will find the course
schedules, reading lists and notices for courses shared with the MSc in Modern Chinese
Studies and for Chinese language.
WebLearn Beta is part of a Single Single-on system provided by Computing Services – the
username and password are the same as for a number of other systems such as herald
email. To set up your WebLearn Beta account please go to https://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/portal
Select ‘Oxford Account’ at the top right of the page and enter your Single Sign on username
and password.
7.2 Student Administration
The student pages of the University website hold a wealth of information about Oxford –
please see http://www.ox.ac.uk/current_students/index.html
Here you will find information on arriving as a new student, registration, complaints and
appeals, study, skills and employment, equality, health and welfare, facilities and services
and disciplinary codes and procedures.
In addition, please see the information below:
Overseas Students
Advice for overseas students on a wide range of matters is available from the International
Office within the University Offices. Some useful University websites include -
International Student Guide
http://www.ox.ac.uk/international/international_support_services/index.html
Information about the International Student Office, the University and the city of Oxford.
Also, medical care, personal safety, bringing your family, employment and travel
International Office
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/io/index.shtml
Information about visa renewal and immigration procedures, student funding and the
international graduates’ scheme
75
Oxford University Student Union (OUSU)
www.ousu.org
Pages of special interest to Graduates
Welfare: http://www.ousu.org/welfare
International Students’ Campaign: http://www.ousu.org/news/international-students
Student Self Service
Student self service provides web access to important information that you will need
throughout your academic career. You are able to view and update your personal and
academic information throughout your studies at Oxford. This is where you check your
examination entries, find out your candidate number and ultimately view your results. See
http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/studentselfservice/.
Registration
An essential part of being a student of the University is the annual completion of registration.
This is the process by which we check that we have all the necessary information about you.
You will use Student Self Service to carry out your registration. In addition, Student Self
Service provides web access to important information that you will need throughout your
academic career.
You need to be a 'registered' student in order to:
Attend your course (programme of study)
Release your loan from the UK Student Loans Company (SLC) or your
sponsor/awarding body (where appropriate)
Use your University email account
Obtain your University Card/keep your University Card valid
Be eligible to take University examinations
Gain access to other Student Self Service facilities
You must complete your registration by the end of the first week of term in order to
confirm your status as a member of the University. Ideally you should complete
registration before you arrive.
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