Universität Wien

150028 SE Dynamics of Dissent: Protests and Social Movements in Sinophone Societies (2024W)

8.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 15 - Ostasienwissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Monday 07.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 14.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 21.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 28.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 04.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 11.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 18.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 25.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 02.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 09.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 16.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 13.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 20.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18
  • Monday 27.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum Sinologie 2 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-18

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This seminar explores protests and social movements across Sinophone societies, including mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. By examining the distinct political, social, and historical contexts of these regions, we will investigate how dissent emerges, evolves, and is either repressed or accommodated. With the help of academic books and articles, documentaries, newspaper articles and social media posts, we will analyze underlying grievances, protester strategies, and state responses in major and minor protest events. The seminar will focus on how protesters adapt to different political contexts and incorporate emerging technologies into their activities. Case studies will highlight innovations in protest repertoires, such as the use of digital platforms and encryption to evade surveillance in China, leaderless movements in Hong Kong, and institutional advocacy in Taiwan. By the end of the seminar, students will have developed a nuanced understanding of the complexities of dissent in Sinophone societies. In particular, they will be able to compare protest dynamics in different contexts, to identify and compare protest repertoires, and to understand the role of technology in contemporary protest events.

Assessment and permitted materials

Students are required to attend regularly; if more than three sessions are missed, the seminar will be considered failed. Additional components include a presentation, submission of a term paper, and active participation in the sessions.

IMPORTANT: The rules of good scientific practice apply. According to the regulations of the University of Vienna, the submitted work can be subjected to a plagiarism check for control purposes (Turnitin). According to the Austrian University Act, "plagiarism [...] exists in any case if text passages, theories, hypotheses, findings or data are taken over and passed off as one's own without acknowledging the source or the author" (§ 51 Abs 2 Z 31 UG 2002, see also link of the Studienpräses to the definition of plagiarism:
https://studienpraeses.univie.ac.at/infos-zum-studienrecht/wissenschaftliche-arbeiten/plagiat/).
It is therefore forbidden to include foreign content unchanged (copy-paste) in one's own seminar paper without marking the copied passage and indicating the source.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Absence for no more than three sessions 20%, presentation 30%, research paper 50% of the grade

Grading Scale for Course Requirements:
90–100 points: Grade 1 (Very Good)
80–89 points: Grade 2 (Good)
70–79 points: Grade 3 (Satisfactory)
60–69 points: Grade 4 (Sufficient)
Below 60 points: Grade 5 (Fail)

Examination topics

Independent literature research for presentation and term paper, a term paper of 7,000 - 10,000 words.

Reading list

McAdam, Douglas, Tarrow, Sidney and Tilly, Charles. 2001. Dynamics of contention. Cambridge University Press.

Bennett, W. Lance, and Alexandra Segerberg. 2013. The logic of connective action: Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics. Cambridge University Press.

Fu, Diana. 2018. Mobilizing without the masses: Control and contention in China. Cambridge University Press.

Ma, Ngok, and Edmund W. Cheng. 2020. The Umbrella Movement: Civil Resistance and Contentious Space in Hong Kong. Amsterdam University Press.

Zhao, Dingxin., 2008. The power of Tiananmen: State-society relations and the 1989 Beijing student movement. University of Chicago Press.

Association in the course directory

Sozialwissenschaftliches Einführungsseminar (M4); Introductory Social Science Seminar;

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MA Sinologie alt: PS PR und GG

Last modified: Mo 13.01.2025 15:05