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The topic of the course are the forms of capital-labour relationship characteristic of the countries of East Asia, both those, which have been incorporated into the capitalist world-system for relatively longer periods (Japan, South Korean, Taiwan) and those, recently incorporated (China, Vietnam). While the exclusion of labour from the dominant political bodies and authoritative forms of culture is assumed to be a common feature of the capitalist accumulation and “development” in all these countries, the course focuses on the important differences between the “soft authoritarian” managerial models of post-war Japan, “harder” modes of exclusion and cooptation of different sectors of labour in South Korea and Taiwan, and essential disenfranchisement/disempowerment of labour in China/Vietnam. It gives both the overviews of the predominant forms of labour control/exploitation on macro-level, and more detailed case studies-based analyses of the modes of domination and control on the micro-level of the concrete workplaces. It also analyzes how the values of “labour” are constructed in the hegemonic cultural paradigms in the countries in question.
The students are expected to put their research into the regional perspective, even if they focus primarily on one country only
The course is aimed at:
- teaching students how to analyse complex socio-political phenomena taking into consideration the global environment, traditional regional paradigms and concrete local situations
- improving students’ abilities to critically utilize the research literature, and clearly formulate their own standpoints.
- giving students a broad overview of the main existing theoretical approaches towards the relationship between capital and labour, their history and their limitations.
Students who are admitted to study programmes or individual courses at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for by registering a study plan in StudentWeb.
International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.
Admission to the MA Degree program.
The course requires good knowledge of English. The course may be specially recommended for those, who have previously taken a 40-credits group in East Asian Studies.
The course consists of 10 seminars and lectures, 2 hours each (20 hours in total). The students are to present an essay (semesteroppgave: 8-10 pages) on a topic chosen in cooperation with the teacher, closely connected to the content of the course. A draft sketch of the essay is to be presented to the teacher for preliminary evaluation and collective discussion in the class. In the process of collecting the materials for and writing of the essay the students are being offered individualized personal instruction.
Teaching takes place throughout the semester.
Students are to present an essay (semesteroppgave: 8-10 normal pages) on a topic chosen in cooperation with the teacher, closely connected to the content of the course. The topic is chosen at the beginning of the semester, and a draft sketch of the essay is presented to the teacher two months later for preliminary evaluation. The submission of the draft sketch and the fulfilment of the teacher’s assignments related to the additional reading are prerequisites for being allowed to take the exam.
Active participation in the discussions on each other’s draft is obligatory.
The student must hand in an Obligatory statement regarding cheating along with the term paper.
The assessment is integrated in the course lessons and it is therefore not possible to sit for the exam unless the student is registered for the teaching component of the course.
Students are expected to use English for their oral and written presentations and exam essays (semesteroppgave)
Course grades are awarded on a descending scale using alphabetic grades from A to E for passes and F for fail.
An external auditor regularly evaluates the academic quality of the course, including the form of exam used on the course.
A student may appeal against an awarded grade and/or file a formal complaint about exam procedures.
Students who due to illness or other valid reason of absence were unable to sit for their final exams may apply for participation in make-up exams. Make-up exams are arranged either later in the same semester or early in the semester following the exam in question. Documentation of valid reasons for absence from the regular exam must be submitted upon application to participate in make-up exams.
Students who have failed an exam and students who wish to re-take an exam to achieve a better grade may not participate in make-up exams, but must re-take the exam when it is regularly scheduled.
A student can sit for this exam up to 3 times. If a student wishes to withdraw from the exam, s/he must do this in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the first day of the exam. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit for the exam.
Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. As a student at the University of Oslo you will therefore be asked to participate in various types of evaluation of our courses, facilities and services. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, in-depth evaluation of this course, a so called "periodic evaluation".
The course is an obligatory part of the MA program in East Asian studies. It may be also chosen by the students taking other MA programs.
More information about Master's Degree
Visiting address:
P.A. Munchs hus level 4
Postal address:
PO Box 1010 Blindern
N-0315 Oslo
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Mon-Fri: 12:30 - 15:00
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