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Advanced Issues in East Asian Contemporary Society

Code: 101524
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
East Asian Studies OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Tomás Grau De Pablos
Email :
tomas.grau@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Tomás Grau De Pablos
Roberto Figliulo
Africa Nadal Hernandez

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

In order to enrol to this course, students should have passed all the credits corresponding to 1st, 2nd and 3rd years of East Asian Studies. Students must have oral and written comprehension competences in English in order to understand readings and audiovisual material which will be used. Additionally, students must demonstrate their ability to conduct independent research work and present their results in a way that's academically fit and shows intellectual honesty.

Objectives

This course aims to study in depth current societal issues, distributed in modules, around Chinese, South Korean and Japanese contemporary societies that will be taught by different teachers. Each module will propose a different critical approach to a number of social and cultural phenomena, which will be based on the methodologies of Social Science, Gender Studies and Cultural Analysis.

Learning outcomes

  1. Using the specific terminology of political sciences, economy and sociology.
  2. Using different tools for specific purposes in the fields of political sciences, economy and sociology.
  3. Assessing the obtained results in the search information process in order to update the knowledge about political sciences, economy and sociology.
  4. Comparing and critically assessing the different social environments in the field of East Asia.
  5. Knowing the history, values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia in order to understand and critically assess social issues, phenomena, and processes related with that region.
  6. Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  7. Developing self-learning strategies.
  8. Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  9. Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
  10. Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
  11. Designing and managing projects.
  12. Know and understand the characteristics of society and social processes in East Asia.

Contents

The course aims to study in depth current issues about Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean contemporary societies, that will be taught by different teachers. The objective is to offer a critical approach to different phenomena from the methodological point of view of sociological and cultural analysis. The specific contents will be indicated in each module's program.


Labor, Political Movements and Social Developments in East Asia


This module will focus on the development, from the 1980s to the present, of the main factors that shape the social, labor, and political landscape in East Asia. For this reason, its focus will be providing the necessary theoretical framework that might allow exploring contemporary issues in these countries, like the impact of communication technologies, the development of the so-called “platform economies,” and the emergence of newer social and spiritual trends. The main objective of this module, therefore, will be to establish a common framework for students so that they might assess the current social situation in East Asia, which they will need to be familiar with by the end of the course.


Case Studies


This module will develop case studies on specific topics that pertain to specific countries in East Asia, emphasizing those that currently exert an influence on current generations. The topics presented for this modules cases will be based around the course's theoretical framework and the teacher's field of research.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Written assignments, studying, reading assignments 50 2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12
tutorship 15 0.6 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12
Lectures 35 1.4 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 12

Each section of the course is divided into theoretical and practical classes that will require the active participation of students. The use of Virtual Campus will be the common space to exchange information on the subject (announcements, news, materials and other resources, readings, etc.)

The specific methodology of the course is particularly linked to: the reading of texts and other teaching resources; cooperative work in the classroom, including analysis of the various educational resources used (text, audio, images, etc.) with guided discussions; Study of cases; Encourage reflection about the own autonomous learning process; Using information technology and communication (ICT).

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Written test (Only Labor, Political Movements and Social Developments) 40% 3.5 0.14 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12
Discussions and commentaries around Documentaries/Articles (Case Studies Module) 30% 16.5 0.66 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12
Written assignment + Presentation 30% (20% Presentation, 10% written assignment) 30 1.2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Continuous assessment

Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing various tasks and tests. These activities are detailed in the table at the end of this section of the Study Guide.

Review

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.

Missed/failed assessment activities

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5.

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for. In case of retaking, maximum grade will be 5.

Classification as "not assessable"

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as \"not assessable\" on their transcript.

Misconduct in assessment activities

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the student involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject. Assessment activities in which irregularities have occurred (e.g. plagiarism, copying, impersonation) are excluded from recovery.

Use of AI

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies may or may not be permitted depending on the activity. The permitted and prohibited uses in each case will be detailed in the course introduction. Students must clearly identify which parts were generated using AI technologies, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools influenced the process and the final result of the activity. A lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in graded assignments will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty on the assignment grade, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.


Single assessment

This subject may be assessed under the single assessment system in accordance with the terms established in the academic regulations of the UAB and the assessment criteria of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting. Students must make an online request within the period established by the faculty and send a copy to the teacher responsible for the subject, for the record.

Single assessment will be carried out in person on one day during week 16 or 17 of the semester. The Academic Management Office will publish the exact date and time on the faculty website. On the day of the single assessment, teaching staff will ask the student for identification, which should be presented as a valid identification document with a recent photograph (student card, DNI/NIE or passport).

Single assessment activities

The final grade for the subject will be calculated according to the following percentages:

  • 40% Workin Paper and 20% Oral Evaluation: Students will have to submit an individual written work that must selected from the research lines offered at the beginning of classes. Once presented, the student must defend it with an oral presentation, in which synthesys and argumentation, knowledge of the topic as well as its relationship with the subjects treated in class will act as indicators of prowess.
  • 40% Writing Test: A test wil be delivered to evaluate the student’s grasp of the section’s content. These tests will relate to the texts presented in classroom. The student will need to show that they’ve understood the themes and ideas present in these texts, as well as offer their interpretation.

Grade revision and resit procedures for the subject are the same as those for continual assessment. See the section above in this study guide.

Bibliography

Allison, A. (2013). Precarious Japan. Duke University Press.

Chang, K.; Kim, S. i Lee, K. (2025). Neoliberalization of South Korea: Economic Restructuring, Social Precarity, and Post-Developmental Democracy. Springer.

Dijck, J. v., Poell, T., i Waal, M. d. (2018). The Platform Society. Oxford Academic.

Gottlieb, N. i McLelland, M. (2003). Japanese Cybercultures. Routledge.

Jin, D. Y. (2015). Digital Platforms, Imperialism and Political Culture. London: Routledge.

Li, L. (2019). Zoning China: Online Video, Popular Culture, and the State. MIT Press.

Kingston, J. (2014). Critical Issues in Contemporary Japan. Routledge.

Kinsella, S. (2013). Schoolgirls, Money and Rebellion in Japan. Routledge.

Kloet, J. de i Fung, A. (2017). Youth Cultures in China. Polity.

Saito. T. (2013). Hikikomori: Adolescence without End. University of Minnesota Press.

Yoon, K. (2020). Digital Mediascapes of Transnational Korean Youth Culture. Routledge.

Software

No specific software will be used.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 English second semester morning-mixed