Chinese Studies BA

Core modules:

Exploring East Asia

This module introduces students to the study of modern East Asia. Beginning by encouraging consideration of what the subject of East Asian Studies is, it then introduces the following key topics: East Asian Geography and Environment, History, Culture and Media, Economics and Business, and Political Relations. In parallel with this content, the module also introduces core academic skills as follows: independent, lecture and seminar study; reflective practice; critical information, digital and visual literacy; evidence and argument in academic writing, and appropriate examination techniques. These two elements provide a firm foundation of knowledge and abilities for higher level study. 

20 credits

Chinese Language 1A

This module is focusing on receptive activities and written productive activities in Chinese language. It aims to enable students to acquire basic competence in grammar, reading, writing and translation both from and into Chinese skills. Every week carefully designed grammar structures and vocabulary will be introduced so that students will be able to do something practical in writing. Chinese characters and sentences are introduced from the earliest stages. 

20 credits

Chinese Language 1B

This module is focusing on interactive activities in Chinese. It aims to enable students to acquire basic competence in speaking and listening skills. Every week carefully designed grammar structures and vocabulary will be introduced so that students will be able to communicate in Chinese through a variety of activities. 

10 credits

Chinese Language 2A

This module is focusing on receptive activities and written productive activities in Chinese language. It aims to enable students to acquire basic competence in grammar, reading, writing and translation both from and into Chinese skills. Every week carefully designed grammar structures and vocabulary will be introduced so that students will be able to do something practical in writing Chinese characters and sentences are introduced from the earliest stages. 

20 credits

Chinese Language 2B

This module is focusing on interactive activities in Chinese. It aims to enable students to acquire basic competence in speaking and listening skills. Every week carefully designed grammar structures and vocabulary will be introduced so that students will be able to communicate in Chinese through a variety of activities. 

10 credits

Approved modules:
You will take one of the following modules. Each module has a humanities or social sciences focus and will look at a core text, which has played a significant role in developing an intricate, understanding of China. The content of these modules change regularly to ensure they are topical and make the best use of our staff expertise.

History and Culture in China

This module explores what it means to study China at university level, and considers how 'area studies' research on China fits within disciplines such as history and cultural studies. We will consider how histories and cultural understandings of China are built with the following in mind: how researchers use primary evidence such as texts, documents and/or images to understand social change; and how to navigate key debates in a field and evaluate competing arguments. You will finish this module with a deeper understanding of our core topic and the disciplinary approaches that frame it, and a foundation in critical research and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study.

We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore one core topic: In 2022-2023 we will explore the history of twentieth-century Shanghai as seen from the grassroots.

20 credits

Politics, Economy and Society in China

This module explores what it means to study China at university level, and considers how 'area studies' research on China fits within disciplines such as political economy, international relations, anthropology, sociology and geography. We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore core topics in contemporary China: including how Chinese society has changed; how researchers use different conceptual frameworks and types of primary evidence to understand change and its wider impact; and, how to use the different types of work published in the field and evaluate competing arguments in key debates. You will finish this module with a deeper understanding of our core topic and the disciplinary approaches that frame it, and a foundation in critical research and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study.

20 credits

Guided modules
You will take 20 credits from the following East Asian Studies modules and a list of guided modules available from other departments across the university including Philosophy, English, Music, Sociological Studies amongst others. A final guided module list is made available to new students when you select your modules as part of registration.

History and Culture in Japan

This module explores what it means to study Japan at university level and considers how 'area studies' research on Japan fits within disciplines such as history, comparative literature and cultural studies. We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore one core topic. We will consider how studies of Japan are built, how researchers use primary evidence in text and/or images to understand change, how to navigate key debates in a field and evaluate competing arguments. You will finish this module with a deeper understanding of our core topic and the disciplinary approaches that frame it, and a foundation in critical research and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study.

20 credits

History and Culture in Korea

This module explores what it means to study Korea at university level, and considers how 'area studies' research on Korea fits within disciplines such as history and cultural studies. We will consider how histories and cultural understandings of Korea are built with the following in mind: how researchers use primary evidence such as texts, documents and/or images to understand social change; and how to navigate key debates in a field and evaluate competing arguments. You will finish this module with a deeper understanding of our core topic and the disciplinary approaches that frame it, and a foundation in critical research and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study. You will develop a range of ways to express this understanding via short discussion board posts and video format, plus a written essay. We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore one core topic.

20 credits

History and Culture in China

This module explores what it means to study China at university level, and considers how 'area studies' research on China fits within disciplines such as history and cultural studies. We will consider how histories and cultural understandings of China are built with the following in mind: how researchers use primary evidence such as texts, documents and/or images to understand social change; and how to navigate key debates in a field and evaluate competing arguments. You will finish this module with a deeper understanding of our core topic and the disciplinary approaches that frame it, and a foundation in critical research and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study.

We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore one core topic: In 2022-2023 we will explore the history of twentieth-century Shanghai as seen from the grassroots.

20 credits

Politics, Economy and Society in Japan

This module explores what it means to study Japan at university level, and considers how 'area studies' research on Japan fits within disciplines such as political economy, international relations, anthropology, sociology and geography. We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore core topics in contemporary Japan: including how Japanese society has changed; how researchers use different conceptual frameworks and types of primary evidence to understand change and its wider impact; and, how to use the different types of work published in the field and evaluate competing arguments in key debates. You will finish this module with a deeper understanding of our core topic and the disciplinary approaches that frame it, and a foundation in critical research and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study.

20 credits

Politics, Economy and Society in Korea

.This module explores what it means to study Korea at university level, and considers how 'area studies' research on Korea fits within disciplines such as political economy, international relations, anthropology, sociology and geography. We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore core topics in contemporary Korea: including how Korean society has changed; how researchers use different conceptual frameworks and types of primary evidence to understand change and its wider impact; and, how to use the different types of work published in the field and evaluate competing arguments in key debates. You will finish this module with a deeper understanding of our core topic and the disciplinary approaches that frame it, and a foundation in critical research and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study. We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore one core topic

20 credits

Politics, Economy and Society in China

This module explores what it means to study China at university level, and considers how 'area studies' research on China fits within disciplines such as political economy, international relations, anthropology, sociology and geography. We will work on a combination of new and established research to explore core topics in contemporary China: including how Chinese society has changed; how researchers use different conceptual frameworks and types of primary evidence to understand change and its wider impact; and, how to use the different types of work published in the field and evaluate competing arguments in key debates. You will finish this module with a deeper understanding of our core topic and the disciplinary approaches that frame it, and a foundation in critical research and writing skills that you can apply and develop in further study.

20 credits

Core modules:

Chinese Language 3A

This module focuses on receptive activities and written productive activities in the Chinese language at the post-beginning to lower-intermediate level. It acts as a transition between the teacher-centred learning required for the acquisition of elementary and intermediate language skills, and the autonomous and self-directed learning required at more advanced levels. More grammar points are introduced and consolidated. Translation and functional reading skills are extended, with longer and more complicated texts.

20 credits

Chinese Language 3B

This module is focusing on oral and aural activities in Chinese language at at the post-beginning to lower-intermediate level. Every week students are made aware of and given the opportunity to practise spoken applications of specific themes, which is shared with the grammar and writing components.

10 credits

Chinese Language 4A

This module focuses on receptive activities and written productive activities in Chinese language at lower intermediate level consolidating the knowledge learned from semester 1. This module acts as a transition between the teacher-centred learning required for the acquisition of basic and intermediate language skills, and the autonomous and self-directed learning required at more advanced levels. Previous grammar knowledge will be consolidated and more advanced grammar points will be introduced. Translation and functional reading skills are extended, with longer and more complicated texts.

20 credits

Chinese Language 4B

This module is focusing on oral and aural activities in Chinese language at lower intermediate level consolidating the knowledge learned from semester 1. Every week students are made aware of and given the opportunity to practise spoken applications of given themes, which is shared with the grammar and writing components.

10 credits

Approved modules:
You will choose one of the following modules

Mass Culture in East Asia

This module takes a transcultural approach to the study of mass culture in East Asia over the twentieth century. We will examine how mass culture, from radio and literature to art and entertainment have continuously reshaped 'national' identities and communities across East Asia

20 credits

Gender and Identities in East Asia

This module offers an overview of the study of gender and its connection to social, cultural, political and economic discourses across East Asia. Covering key issues related to the structures and dynamics of gender in East Asia, we learn to situate these dynamics in their historical and cultural context using case studies drawn from across the region.

20 credits

East Asian Cinema

We will examine key film directors, cinematic movements and industry developments since 1945 from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mainland China. This module will introduce you to some of the key cinematic theoretical frameworks such as national and global cinemas, gender, spectatorship and will examine the ways in which selected East Asian films and directors interact with the history and culture of their respective nations. This module is designed to encourage students to critically examine both the text (the films themselves) and the context (the national environment, film festival circuit, film finance) that surrounds any film work.

20 credits

Digital East Asia

This module introduces students to how digital technologies are re-shaping the way 'East Asia' is imagined and lived. From media that connect major cities in East Asia to the world, to digital Asian cultures outside of the region, we will investigate how East Asia circulates in digital form around the globe. Students will examine social media and online practices, streaming sites, games, and other digital technologies, with a focus on how Chinese-speaking, Japanese-speaking, and Korean-speaking cultures are circulated and produced in the digital era. In doing so, we will examine how new identities, communities and economies form out of the circulation and re-production of digital media. Students will learn about these issues through the application of media research methodologies with an East Asia focus.

20 credits

East Asia through International Relations Theory

In this module you will explore the complex International Relations of North East Asia through the lens of International Relations theory. This module will explore topics and theories on a week to week basis, with each two weeks addressing a new theoretical perspective and a concomitant topic. Over the course of the module you will become familiar with both the politics of the region of East Asia, and common theories applied to understand these phenomena. You will be introduced to the politics of security, economic cooperation and conflict, national identity and memory, the politics of international status, as well as transnational environmental issues. You will also be introduced to the utility of limitation of realist, liberal, constructivist, critical, and environmentalist approaches to International relations theory

20 credits

Approved modules:
You will also choose one of the following modules

Chinese Business and Management

The objective of this module is to provide students an understanding of China's economic reform and open door policies, and the new free market orientation. While module content is academic rather than practical, this unit is designed to acquaint students with Chinese business environment and practice, and to inform them of issues and problems encountered by international businesses operating in China or doing business with the Chinese. Emphasis is on the Chinese business culture, the state-owned enterprise reform, development of the private sector and management issues of Chinese family firms, foreign direct investment and operating foreign businesses in China, human resource management, Chinese consumer behaviour, and the financial markets. An understanding of these topics is highly relevant to companies targeting the China market and essential background for graduates seeking a career in Far Eastern Business. Students are thus encouraged to develop business-related skills.

20 credits

Contemporary Chinese Society and Culture

This module introduces students to different ways of thinking about Chinese society and culture. In particular, we focus on sociological, anthropological and geographical approaches to contemporary Chinese society and culture, showing why and how China is important to current theoretical debates in these disciplines.

20 credits

Population and Environment in China

This module examines the interdependent relationship between population and environment in China. These are vitally important questions, in China and globally, that have attracted research by scholars of contemporary China, and in the wider academic disciplines of human geography and development studies. Through your work in lectures and seminars, you will gain a deep understanding of China's population and environment and its relation to social and economic change and to local and national institutions; and you will develop transferable skills of research, writing and critical analysis.

20 credits

Modern Chinese History: Beyond Revolution

This module will examine key themes in the histories of China's short twentieth century, with a primary focus on interpretations of 'modernity' and 'progress', explanations of revolution, and the ways in which new approaches in scholarship have influenced our understanding of China's recent past. While the structure of the module is loosely chronological, the emphasis is not on the detail of events but on the critical analysis of broad social and political changes, and we will examine these through recent historical writing on China and a range of primary textual and visual sources.

20 credits

Guided modules
You will take 20 credits from the following East Asian Studies modules and a list of guided modules available from departments across the university.

Mass Culture in East Asia

This module takes a transcultural approach to the study of mass culture in East Asia over the twentieth century. We will examine how mass culture, from radio and literature to art and entertainment have continuously reshaped 'national' identities and communities across East Asia

20 credits

Gender and Identities in East Asia

This module offers an overview of the study of gender and its connection to social, cultural, political and economic discourses across East Asia. Covering key issues related to the structures and dynamics of gender in East Asia, we learn to situate these dynamics in their historical and cultural context using case studies drawn from across the region.

20 credits

Digital East Asia

This module introduces students to how digital technologies are re-shaping the way 'East Asia' is imagined and lived. From media that connect major cities in East Asia to the world, to digital Asian cultures outside of the region, we will investigate how East Asia circulates in digital form around the globe. Students will examine social media and online practices, streaming sites, games, and other digital technologies, with a focus on how Chinese-speaking, Japanese-speaking, and Korean-speaking cultures are circulated and produced in the digital era. In doing so, we will examine how new identities, communities and economies form out of the circulation and re-production of digital media. Students will learn about these issues through the application of media research methodologies with an East Asia focus.

20 credits

East Asian Cinema

We will examine key film directors, cinematic movements and industry developments since 1945 from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mainland China. This module will introduce you to some of the key cinematic theoretical frameworks such as national and global cinemas, gender, spectatorship and will examine the ways in which selected East Asian films and directors interact with the history and culture of their respective nations. This module is designed to encourage students to critically examine both the text (the films themselves) and the context (the national environment, film festival circuit, film finance) that surrounds any film work.

20 credits

Contemporary Japanese Society

This module discusses key factors shaping contemporary Japanese society. Our particular focus will be on the last twenty years as post-Bubble Japan has entered a period of economic decline, prompting a series of debates about the effects of this change on society. Weekly lectures provide analysis and explanation of each week's theme, with a focus on cutting-edge scholarship from the fields of history, anthropology, media studies, gender studies, and cultural studies.

20 credits

Environment and Development of the Japanese Islands

This module takes geographical, ecological, socio-cultural and political-economic perspectives in charting the emergence of Japan as the world's first non-Western developed country. Beginning with Japan's geological formation in pre-history and ending with a speculative enquiry into the state of Japan in 2100, the module assesses the human and ecological consequences of Japan's development within the country's Asian, Pacific, and global contexts.

20 credits

Modern Japanese History

This module will explore key themes in the modern history of Japan from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century, while developing core skills in reading primary sources and historical analysis. Broad themes include identity and nation-building, social and economic change, war and its practical and cultural legacies. Key sub-disciplinary approaches will be based in social and cultural history, with some excursions into other historiographical approaches. It will be delivered through weekly lectures, and seminars structured around developing primary source analysis skills and relating these to appropriate secondary literature. 

20 credits

Experiencing 'Japan' through Literary Texts

This module enables students to understand the key debates and issues in Japanese culture and society as related in literature, from pre-modern to contemporary times. Taking a chronological and thematic perspective, the module engages with critical approaches to literature and its interpretation, and through these encourages students to develop and acquire critical thinking about concepts of Japan and Japaneseness.

20 credits

Understanding Contemporary North Korea

What does it mean to 'understand' North Korea, and what are the potential implications of this understanding, academically and professionally? This module explores these questions through the disciplines of international relations, history, media studies and anthropology, as we cover a range of topics in the field of contemporary North Korea. These topics include post-colonialism, founding myths, nationalism, identity, ideology, human rights, international relations, and security, and covers key events and trends from the mid-1900s to the present day. The module provides a foundation for students to critically analyse how the North Korean state and society are presented to us via a variety of voices, as well as how we might respond in any capacity to engage with North Korean affairs. Lectures, instructional videos and assigned readings will provide background, case studies and theoretical approaches helpful for developing a nuanced understanding of the topics covered. Seminar classwork and the assessed portfolio will be used to learn and practice skills integral to both academic and professional activities commonly associated with studies of contemporary politics and society.

20 credits

History of Korean Popular Music

This module examines the social history of (South) Korea from the 1930s to the dawn of the millennium through the lens of popular music. The module starts with songs on gramophone records made during the Japanese colonial period and ends with Psy's 'Gangnam Style,' which achieved global popularity while satirising urban lifestyle in Seoul. Each week, students and the module lead perform a close analysis of the selected song(s), informed by relevant socio-historical contexts such as Japanese colonialism, national division, the Cold War, urban migration, state censorship, democratisation, and globalization. Secondarily, the module introduces students to issues that are relevant to the study of popular music in any national or transnational context.

20 credits

Chinese Business and Management

The objective of this module is to provide students an understanding of China's economic reform and open door policies, and the new free market orientation. While module content is academic rather than practical, this unit is designed to acquaint students with Chinese business environment and practice, and to inform them of issues and problems encountered by international businesses operating in China or doing business with the Chinese. Emphasis is on the Chinese business culture, the state-owned enterprise reform, development of the private sector and management issues of Chinese family firms, foreign direct investment and operating foreign businesses in China, human resource management, Chinese consumer behaviour, and the financial markets. An understanding of these topics is highly relevant to companies targeting the China market and essential background for graduates seeking a career in Far Eastern Business. Students are thus encouraged to develop business-related skills.

20 credits

Contemporary Chinese Society and Culture

This module introduces students to different ways of thinking about Chinese society and culture. In particular, we focus on sociological, anthropological and geographical approaches to contemporary Chinese society and culture, showing why and how China is important to current theoretical debates in these disciplines.

20 credits

Population and Environment in China

This module examines the interdependent relationship between population and environment in China. These are vitally important questions, in China and globally, that have attracted research by scholars of contemporary China, and in the wider academic disciplines of human geography and development studies. Through your work in lectures and seminars, you will gain a deep understanding of China's population and environment and its relation to social and economic change and to local and national institutions; and you will develop transferable skills of research, writing and critical analysis.

20 credits

Modern Chinese History: Beyond Revolution

This module will examine key themes in the histories of China's short twentieth century, with a primary focus on interpretations of 'modernity' and 'progress', explanations of revolution, and the ways in which new approaches in scholarship have influenced our understanding of China's recent past. While the structure of the module is loosely chronological, the emphasis is not on the detail of events but on the critical analysis of broad social and political changes, and we will examine these through recent historical writing on China and a range of primary textual and visual sources.

20 credits

Contemporary Korean Society

Since the end of World War II, South Korea has undergone rapid modernisation and radical social transformations that have created both opportunities and challenges. Through the disciplines of history, political science, social science and anthropology, this module examines major social, political, and cultural events and issues in contemporary Korea, including the developmental state, democratisation, gender, migration and modernity, contemporary social movements and Korea's place in the global community. This module aims to contribute to the development of students' capacity to go beyond observing and describing phenomena they may encounter when engaging with Korea, towards exercising an informed and nuanced understanding of the underlying forces that shape Korean politics, culture, business and society today. Classes are in the format of lectures, instructional videos and readings, followed by a series of seminars during which students will engage in research sessions and skills-focused tasks to discuss the experiences of one of Asia's most dynamic nations. The module is assessed with a portfolio of tasks designed to practice skills and deploy knowledge developed through engagement with the module's content and activities.

20 credits

Understanding Contemporary North Korea

What does it mean to 'understand' North Korea, and what are the potential implications of this understanding, academically and professionally? This module explores these questions through the disciplines of international relations, history, media studies and anthropology, as we cover a range of topics in the field of contemporary North Korea. These topics include post-colonialism, founding myths, nationalism, identity, ideology, human rights, international relations, and security, and covers key events and trends from the mid-1900s to the present day. The module provides a foundation for students to critically analyse how the North Korean state and society are presented to us via a variety of voices, as well as how we might respond in any capacity to engage with North Korean affairs. Lectures, instructional videos and assigned readings will provide background, case studies and theoretical approaches helpful for developing a nuanced understanding of the topics covered. Seminar classwork and the assessed portfolio will be used to learn and practice skills integral to both academic and professional activities commonly associated with studies of contemporary politics and society.

20 credits

History of Korean Popular Music

This module examines the social history of (South) Korea from the 1930s to the dawn of the millennium through the lens of popular music. The module starts with songs on gramophone records made during the Japanese colonial period and ends with Psy's 'Gangnam Style,' which achieved global popularity while satirising urban lifestyle in Seoul. Each week, students and the module lead perform a close analysis of the selected song(s), informed by relevant socio-historical contexts such as Japanese colonialism, national division, the Cold War, urban migration, state censorship, democratisation, and globalization. Secondarily, the module introduces students to issues that are relevant to the study of popular music in any national or transnational context.

20 credits

East Asia through International Relations Theory

In this module you will explore the complex International Relations of North East Asia through the lens of International Relations theory. This module will explore topics and theories on a week to week basis, with each two weeks addressing a new theoretical perspective and a concomitant topic. Over the course of the module you will become familiar with both the politics of the region of East Asia, and common theories applied to understand these phenomena. You will be introduced to the politics of security, economic cooperation and conflict, national identity and memory, the politics of international status, as well as transnational environmental issues. You will also be introduced to the utility of limitation of realist, liberal, constructivist, critical, and environmentalist approaches to International relations theory

20 credits

Historians and History

This course will introduce students to the most influential 'schools' of historical practice in operation in the second half of the twentieth century and which remain influential today. These include Marxism, the Annales school, quantitative history, history from below, feminist and gender history, and postmodernism, as well as English empiricism. Lectures will provide an overview of each approach, and discuss the historical context in which it emerged. In seminars, students will be taught to assess critically the opportunities and limitations of each approach.

20 credits

Dynamics of Social Change and Policy

This unit adopts a 'sociological perspective on social policy' to provide a macro perspective on contemporary social and economic transformations in the UK and globally, with a particular emphasis on the challenges posed for social policy theory and practice, as well as the potential to imagine alternative social policy scenarios. Issues considered include: globalisation, neoliberalism, falling fertility and ageing societies, precarious labour markets and migration and mobility. The unit adopts a comparative and international / global perspective, variously emphasising not only the perspectives of International Organisations, but also the challenges faced by other types of welfare regimes.

20 credits

Urban Theory

This module aims to develop student's imaginative engagement with the nature of urban life and human settlement. Urban theory refers to writing and thinking devoted to 'seeing' and understanding urban life - ideas are critical to how we engage with the key features and problems of the urban world. Theory is also important to our understanding of how cities work in practice - how we understand and view urban life is critical to the development of cities and to efforts seeking to make them more socially just, sustainable and better places to live. Urban Theory introduces a range of ideas and key concepts in urban studies with a view to understanding how cities have developed and how they 'work' in broad terms. The module considers a range of thinkers, ideas and problems.

20 credits

Children and Digital Cultures

Digital technology has transformed the lives of many, impacting on culture and society. Many young people have quickly seen ways of extending and deepening social networks through their uses of technology, and immersed themselves in Virtual Worlds, Facebook etc and enjoyed browsing on shopping sites. This module examines new technologies and associated social practices impacting on children's lives, considering the nature of new digital practices and how these affect identity, society and culture. Educational implications of new technologies is a developing field of research and students will engage critically with debates within the field alongside examining websites and new practices.

20 credits

The Uses of History

This module explores the theory and practice of public history by providing students with the opportunity to communicate their scholarly work to an audience beyond the boundaries of our discipline. Students will articulate an aspect of their own historical interests to a non-academic audience and evaluate the use of history outside academic settings. The course will engage in debate about important questions facing historians in the present, and consider ideas about the role and purposes of History as an academic subject.

20 credits

Digital Storytelling

The use of digital media to enhance the effectiveness of a narrative is common in the fields of business, entertainment, cultural heritage, education and journalism. The module provides an introduction to the area of digital storytelling including key concepts and technologies involved in creating/using digital content and how to use digital media to tell a story. Students will be taught practical skills such as how to create and use digital media such as images, videos, and sounds, and how to design and create complex multimedia applications using Adobe Animate CC (an industry recognised platform, using HTML and CSS).

20 credits

Social Problems: Policy and Practice

This team taught unit adopts a 'sociological approach to social policy'. Drawing on current examples and comparative references, it explores social and ideological constructions of social problems and the role of the state and other agencies in responses to them. It explores key concepts and themes in social policy and practice such as inequality, justice and fairness; individual versus collective responsibility; and welfare versus social control. It focuses on major contemporary issues, including welfare and work; housing and homelessness; and community participation. The unit aims to equip students with the necessary critical perspective and skills to understand and explore social problems.

20 credits

Solidarity: Politics, Law, and Society across the Globe

In this interdisciplinary module, we explore how solidarity has been understood, practised, and contested across the globe. From Cuban solidarity for African liberation struggles to cross-species solidarity in climate activism today, we explore the possibilities of solidarity in action. In doing so, we will look at the wide-ranging impact that solidarity has had from individual survival to regime change. Taking a critical approach to the topic, we will also explore situations in which acts of solidarity can amplify forms of exclusion and injustice.

20 credits

Sociology of the Body

This module examines the cultural and societal impact we have on bodies, and they have on us. In the social world we are understood first through our bodies, and this can have an impact on everything from our opportunities for employment to our access to medical care. During this module you will explore the social construction of the body and the ways it is controlled and experienced in contemporary society. You will also develop an understanding of some of the social factors that can shape bodily experience and identity such as racialisation, gender, ageing, weight, medicalisation, and representation.

Module Aims:

To introduce students to key theoretical approaches to the sociology of the body.

To develop students' understanding of the social construction of the body.

To critically explore social factors that can impact the body and identity.

To explore how our bodies intersect with our multiple social identities.

To encourage students to create a social justice focused framework for understanding the marginalised body in contemporary society.

20 credits

In Sickness and in Health: The Sociology of Medicine

Covid conspiracies and care home crises. AIDS activism and autism advocacy. Questions relating to health and illness are amongst the most crucial facing us today and, from before we're born until the moment we die, we are profoundly shaped by our engagements with medicine. In this module we will examine the ways in which our bodies, minds, and societies are formed through our engagements with, and understandings of, health, illness, and medicine. We will explore intersecting inequalities in healthcare provision; patients' experiences of ill health and activists' fight for recognition; contemporary health crises; and the COVID pandemic. And we will use these critical examples in order to develop a nuanced understanding of the role of health, illness, and medicine within contemporary society.

20 credits

Core module:

China Year Abroad

This year abroad at Nanjing University is designed to equip students with more advanced language skills, as well as to immerse them in Chinese culture, enabling them to take part in a range of structured and informal learning experiences to develop their familiarity with the Chinese social, cultural and physical environments. On completion of the module they will have acquired facility in operating with confidence with a Chinese language environment, possessing a vocabulary of around 3000 characters. Both of these elements are essential for progression to Level 3.

Where extenuating circumstances prevent a cohort, or a large portion of a cohort, from completing a complete academic year abroad, the School of East Asian Studies will provide alternative arrangements for students to meet the language learning outcomes.

120 credits

Core modules:

Chinese Language 5

This module is divided into four sections, each one focussing on a key linguistic skill which is demanded of adult foreign users of the language. These skills are: interpreting/translating between Chinese and English; summarisation of information bearing texts; writing in Chinese, with a focus on short reports and the interpretation of data; and speaking, with a focus on group and individual presentations. Group work, with students determining their own materials for study, is a key element of the module, enabling students to develop as independent learners.

20 credits

Chinese Language 6

This module builds on skills acquired in Chinese Language 5. It is divided into four sections, each one focussing on a key linguistic skill which is demanded of adult foreign users of the language. These skills are: interpreting between Chinese and English; summarisation of information bearing texts; writing in Chinese - with a focus on short reports and the interpretation of data; and speaking, with a focus on group and individual presentations. Group work, with students determining their own materials for study, is a key element of the module, enabling students to develop as independent learners.

20 credits

East Asian Dissertation

The East Asian dissertation requires that students produce an extended and focused study of a subject of their own choice, within the scope of their degree programme, and allows students to refine and extend their independent research, analytical and writing skills. The unit is delivered through a combination of group meetings in lecture or seminar format and through individual supervision.

40 credits

Researching China 1

This unit explores some of the key debates and latest empirical developments in a specific field of research currently undertaken by a member of SEAS staff in Chinese Studies. It enables students to understand how research questions are formulated and answered by exploring the member of staff's disciplinary focus, the range of theoretical approaches employed, and the various methodologies available in researching this field.

20 credits

Guided modules
You will take 20 credits of guided modules. This could one of the following East Asian Studies modules or you can chose from a list of guided modules available from departments across the university.

China Research Project 1

In this module, you will work on a research project related to the field of research explored in LAS355.  You will formulate and design and conduct a research project (with appropriately framed questions and methods) that produces a 'creative research output' and supporting project report. Specific projects will be supported by appropriate research training provided by the module organiser and/or central/Faculty services. At the end of the module, creative outputs will be displayed as part of a programme-wide and School-wide event to specialised/non-specialised audiences.

20 credits

Education@Sheffield

In Education@Sheffield students are invited to explore and evaluate the rich and diverse research taking place within the School of Education. Through a series of seminars presented by active researchers, students are encouraged to critically engage with research - and the researchers themselves - in the fields of educational and childhood studies. The Education@Sheffield module enables students to acquire a critical understanding of various themes, settings and methodologies which shape contemporary educational research.

20 credits

Globalising Education

This module considers the extent to which education might be viewed as a global context with a shared meaning. Moving outwards from the dominant concepts, principles and practices which frame 'our own' national, or regional responses to education, the module explores other possible ways of understanding difference. By examining 'other ways of seeing difference', in unfamiliar contexts, students are able to examine the implications of globalisation for education and explore the opportunities and obstacles for the social justice agendas within a range of cultural settings.

20 credits

Global Data Industries

This module focuses on the global data industries, the rise of which has been accentuated by the growth of the digital economy. Platforms and digital technology corporations now double up as the data industries, especially with their focus on data accumulation, storage, management and governance. Similarly, the emergence of data annotation and labelling firms in countries in the Global South, the rise of data centres across countries, and the emergence of governance frameworks that enable or regulate these industries make them important entities to be studied. Students will acquire an understanding of datafication, its infrastructural and commercial dimensions, all of which undergird the development of the data industries. Students will be able to critically analyse the experiences of human labour and work, as well as sustainability in the context of the data industries in diverse contexts. Finally, students will be able to comprehend policy, governance and regulatory developments in relation to these industries.

20 credits

Race, technology and digital media

The relationship between technology, digital media and ideas of 'race' is far from straightforward. Unpicking it requires us to interrogate how and why technologies are designed. It also compels us to ask how, and with what effect, race and racial difference are depicted in contemporary representational media. In this broad ranging module, we place an emphasis on literature from sociology, critical media and Science and Technology Studies and situate highly contemporary examples in a longer history of the race/technology interface. Students will be equipped with the critical tools to consider how, why and with what consequence race becomes enfolded into the technologies and media that comprise our everyday lives.

20 credits

Year 1
In place of the Chinese language modules available on the standard pathway, you will take the following.

Your approved and guided module choices are the same as in the standard pathway.

Advanced Chinese Language 1A

This module develops receptive activities and written productive activities in Chinese language at lower intermediate level. This module acts as a transition between the teacher-centred learning required for the acquisition of basic and intermediate language skills, and the autonomous and self-directed learning required at more advanced levels. Core grammar knowledge will be consolidated and more advanced grammar points will be introduced. Translation and functional reading skills are developed with a range of texts.

20 credits

Advanced Chinese Language 1B

This module develops oral and aural skills in Chinese language at at the post-beginning to lower-intermediate level. Every week students are made aware of and given the opportunity to practise spoken applications of specific themes, which are shared with the grammar and writing components

10 credits

Advanced Chinese Language 2A

This module develops receptive activities and written productive activities in Chinese language at lower intermediate level consolidating the knowledge learned from semester 1. This module acts as a transition between the teacher-centred learning required for the acquisition of basic and intermediate language skills, and the autonomous and self-directed learning required at more advanced levels. Previous grammar knowledge will be consolidated and more advanced grammar points will be introduced. Translation and functional reading skills are extended, with longer and more complicated texts.

20 credits

Advanced Chinese Language 2B

This module develops oral and aural skills in Chinese language at at the post-beginning to lower-intermediate level, consolidating the knowledge learned from semester 1. Every week students are made aware of and given the opportunity to practise spoken applications of given themes, which are shared with the grammar and writing components.

10 credits

Exploring East Asia

This module introduces students to the study of modern East Asia. Beginning by encouraging consideration of what the subject of East Asian Studies is, it then introduces the following key topics: East Asian Geography and Environment, History, Culture and Media, Economics and Business, and Political Relations. In parallel with this content, the module also introduces core academic skills as follows: independent, lecture and seminar study; reflective practice; critical information, digital and visual literacy; evidence and argument in academic writing, and appropriate examination techniques. These two elements provide a firm foundation of knowledge and abilities for higher level study. 

20 credits

Year 2
Your second year will be spent studying at one of our partner universities in mainland China or Taiwan, where you will take intensive Chinese language classes and be immersed in Chinese culture and society.

China Year Abroad

This year abroad at Nanjing University is designed to equip students with more advanced language skills, as well as to immerse them in Chinese culture, enabling them to take part in a range of structured and informal learning experiences to develop their familiarity with the Chinese social, cultural and physical environments. On completion of the module they will have acquired facility in operating with confidence with a Chinese language environment, possessing a vocabulary of around 3000 characters. Both of these elements are essential for progression to Level 3.

Where extenuating circumstances prevent a cohort, or a large portion of a cohort, from completing a complete academic year abroad, the School of East Asian Studies will provide alternative arrangements for students to meet the language learning outcomes.

120 credits

Year 3
In place of the Chinese language modules available on the standard pathway, you will take the following.

Your approved and guided module choices are the same as in the standard pathway, with the exception that you can to take one additional approved module in Chinese studies.

Advanced Chinese Language 3

This module builds on skills acquired in the Chinese Studies Year Abroad. It is divided into four sections, each one focussing on a key linguistic skill which is demanded of adult foreign users of the language. These skills are: translating between Chinese and English; summarisation of information-bearing texts; writing in Chinese, with a focus on short reports and the interpretation of data; and speaking, with a focus on group and individual presentations. Group work, with students determining their own materials for study, is a key element of the module, enabling students to develop as independent learners.

20 credits

Advanced Chinese Language 4

This module builds on skills acquired in Advanced Chinese Language 3. It is divided into four sections, each one focussing on a key linguistic skill which is demanded of adult foreign users of the language. These skills are: translating between Chinese and English; summarisation of information-bearing texts; writing in Chinese, with a focus on short reports and the interpretation of data; and speaking, with a focus on group and individual presentations. Group work, with students determining their own materials for study, is a key element of the module, enabling students to develop as independent learners.

20 credits

Year 4
In place of the Chinese language modules available on the standard pathway, you will take further modules in advanced Chinese language.

Your approved and guided module choices are the same as in the standard pathway.