150107 SE The Politics of the Chinese Social Credit System (M3) (2019S)

Participation, reading, attendance
Successful learning and class discussion stands and falls with the reading of the literature. Students are strongly encouraged to read at least two of the provided readings (key readings will be announced) and familiarize themselves with further suggested materials. To read an article does not necessarily mean to read every sentence, but to scan the text, highlight critical passages and grasp the main argument.

Attendance is required. One absence per term is allowed, additional absences without a doctor’s note (or equivalent) lead to grade deductions. If you miss more than four sessions without valid documentation, you will fail the class.

Presentation and session leadership
The SCS is an evolving and under-researched topic. Hence, this course strongly depends on students exploring the subject with original research. The latter half of the course will be open to student research. Depending on the number of participants, one or two students will be assigned to one session by late April. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: black and red lists, emerging models in “model cities” 示范城市and “pilot sites” 试点 (in-depth analyses of single or multiple cases), Chinese discourses on the SCS or related issues (data privacy, surveillance, social trust etc.), private Chinese credit scoring systems, the historical origins of the SCS (such as, the dossier 档案 system), the target management system 目标管理责任制for officials, the role of Internet/social media data and machine learning in credit scoring, a comparative country study, etc.

One week prior to the meeting, the responsible session leader(s) has/have to provide the class with two compulsory readings (either research articles or key policy documents/media articles). These readings should be uploaded to Moodle. The session will begin with a 20-30 min presentation by the session leader(s). Presentations should cover one to three research questions and, if possible, a puzzle, key assumptions at the beginning of research, findings, new questions arising from the research (Have your assumptions changed?) and issues to discuss by the group. Students in the MA Sinology program must include a substantial amount of Chinese materials in their research. Presentation materials have to be uploaded to Moodle at the latest one day after the presentation. The presentation will lead to an open discussion in the group, guided by the session leader(s).

Research outline & annotated bibliography
To prepare the term paper, students need to submit a research outline of about 900-1500 words. Students may continue to explore their presentation topic or pick up a new issue. The outline should specify a topic, and outline thoughts on its significance, the research question(s)/a puzzle, an annotated bibliography of at least ten pieces of academic or policy research, or key policy documents, as well as thoughts on the research method. Detailed instruction and feedback will be provided by the course instructor. Students in the MA Sinology program must include a substantial amount of Chinese materials in their research.

Term paper
The term paper will analyze a limited body of original empirical evidence to answer a specific and significant research question related to the course in 4500-5500 words, including bibliography, tables and figures. It should demonstrate the ability to situate a research question in the academic and policy debate, deploy standard qualitative or quantitative social science research methods and develop a defensible empirically grounded argument. Students in the MA Sinology program must include a substantial amount of original Chinese material in their research.