DSOC 22A01 - Understanding contemporary Chinese society through social sciences

The philosophy of this course is based on the following assumption: to be comprehended Chinese society must be analysed using the achievements of the social sciences. All societies are based on a set of norms and values, as well as on power relations, which contribute to a specific social stratification. Teaching Chinese society through the social sciences enables us to revisit the theoretical literature on the fabric of society. In particular, we will focus on the views of prominent European historians and sociologists such as Weber, Bourdieu, Braudel, Elias, etc. on how societies are organised, and how norms and values are established and challenged. Adopting a comparative approach, we will examine both Chinese and non-Chinese societies and provide many examples of research carried out by Chinese scholars. Finally, given the dramatic changes experienced by the Chinese society since the middle of the last century, we will pay close attention to its history.

At the end of the course, the student is expected to:

1°) have a basic knowledge of sociological notions useful to analyze a society and able to us them by reading and commenting academic papers and debating in class. Students will be more specifically introduced to critical thinking in order to question common views and mainstream opinions.

2°) have improved his (her) level of knowledge in history of contemporary China.

3°) be able to use comparative method in order to incite students to compare China with the society they know the best

To validate the course, the student is expected to pass the following assignments:

1°) Oral in-class presentation followed by 10-minute debate. The presentation will be about one or two articles dealing with the topics of the day. You should use the assigned readings as a starting point to explore issues related to the topic. It should demonstrate critical and innovative thinking. Each student is required to write a minimum 500-words essay summarizing the session (lecture and text presentation) during which he presented an article. 30%

2°) short paper (3000-4000 words; details to follow).

Choice for the paper topic : Week 3 Outline and bibliography : Week 5 Draft and reviewing : Week 8 Deadline to submit the paper: Week 10, with penalties for late submission (minus 1 point per day)

30%

Grading Criteria for essays

• A clear direction for your paper (problématique, research question). The best is a topic and a research question as precise as One possible.
• Based on academic literature not on media information
• Clarity of Presentation. Are your ideas clearly expressed? Can a reader easily identify your main points? Are the ideas presented elaborated sufficiently? Are there sign-posts to guide the reader? Are terms defined? do you have sources varied enough to take into account the diversity of real situations? Have you tried to deal with contradictory analysis?