Chinese: Master Thesis

The course is given as a freestanding course.

For admission to the course a Bachelor’s degree is required, as well as a passing grade in Advanced Course III, Part 2 in Chinese (independent project), worth 15 credits or equivalent, and a passed independent project of 15 credits (one-year Master’s thesis in Chinese) at the second-cycle level.

The Master’s thesis, which aims to develop students’ critical thinking and familiarity with scientific methodology, takes the form of an academic paper written in Swedish or English of approximately 25,000 words (±10%). The thesis must address a topic chosen in consultation with a supervisor and be based on research questions discussed with the supervisor. The material analyzed should, as a rule, be substantially more extensive than that required for the 15-credit Master’s (one-year) thesis.

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding within the field, including both broad knowledge and substantially in-depth knowledge of aspects relevant to the thesis;
• demonstrate considerable familiarity with concepts, theories, and methods in the field, as well as with key research questions in current scholarship;

Competence and skills

• independently identify and formulate the purpose of the work and produce an academic thesis in a critical, independent, and analytical manner;
• systematically search for, collect, manage, and evaluate material and information, and formulate a research problem so that the work can be completed within given time frames;
• independently select appropriate methods, carry out scientific analysis in accordance with discipline-specific requirements, and demonstrate a very high level of argumentation and coherence;
• critically discuss, evaluate, and present the work, both orally and in writing, in different contexts, including in summary form in Chinese;

Judgement and approach

• account for, analyze, and critically review one’s own and others’ arguments, as well as previous scientific methods and research underlying the thesis;
• make complex assessments with regard to relevant scientific, societal, and ethical aspects;
• explain how the results of the study contribute to the development of knowledge and demonstrate in-depth insight into the role of knowledge in society;
• critically problematize the thesis topic in relation to the field of Sinology and its limitations and possibilities;
• identify one’s need for further knowledge and take responsibility for developing one’s competence.

The teaching consists of seminars and supervision. Seminars are compulsory and require active participation.

The course is assessed through the written assignment, which must also be defended at a seminar. In addition, the student is required to act as an opponent on another student’s work. The component involving the presentation of the written assignment in Chinese is assessed during one of the thesis seminars and through a Chinese abstract included in the thesis.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies to placement and internship (VFU) except that this is restricted to only one further examination session.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

If you do not finish your essay: about supervision, examination and re-registration

1. Supervision of essays is linked to the term when a student is registered on the course for the first time. Supervision can be done individually or in a group. Hours for supervision are allotted at the course introduction for the term in question.

2. If students are unable to finish their essays within the course period, they must notify the Director of Studies as soon as possible in order to save any remaining supervision for the next course opportunity. Such a notification must be given before the course ends. If no notification is given, the supervision will be regarded as forfeited and the students only have the right to be examined in connection with later examination occasions.

3. Any remaining supervision that has been saved according to point 2 can be used during the six (6) subsequent terms from the first occasion when the student registered on the course. Saved supervision may only be used during one and the same term. After that, students only have the right to have their essays examined in connection with are registration on the course. A student may be given a new supervisor when the remaining supervision is used.

4. Students who have saved supervision according to point 2 and who intend to use it in connection with a later course opportunity, need to notify the Director of Studies for the subject in question no later than 20 April (before the Autumn term) or 20 October (for the Spring term). This also applies in case a student wishes to use supervision the following term after the first course opportunity.

5. To be able to use remaining supervision according to points 2-4, students must re-register on a course opportunity when the saved supervision is to be given. Students must also re-register on a course opportunity to have their essays examined.

6. In the event of unforeseen circumstances such as illness, saved supervision that a student has planned to use according to point 4, may be postponed by agreement with the Director of Studies/Study Counsellor.

The grading scale comprises: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U).

The results of and possible changes to the course will be shared with students who participated in the evaluation and students who are starting the course.

To follow a web-based course, students must have access to a computer, web camera and stable internet connection.

Equality aspects should be taken into consideration in content, literature, teaching and evaluation.