Admission requirements
Admission to the MA Asian Studies (research) or another relevant research MA programme and succesfully having finished BA3- course “Klassiek Japans 2” or comparable course. When in doubt, please contact professor Ivo Smits.
Students from other programmes are kindly referred to the course description of the regular MA course.
Description
This course consists of intensive reading of literary and/or historical texts in classical Japanese for MA students who have successfully completed their studies of Classical Japanese at BA level. In 2020-2021, we will be reading excerpts from 'The Tale of Genji' and medieval commentaries to it, and discuss academic literature on Genji interpretations.
Course objectives
Understand vocabulary in Japanese cultural history
Expand grammatical knowledge and refine reading skills
Refine translation skills
Use dictionaries and other relevant sources
Timetable
Visit MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Attendance and participation are obligatory for seminars. Students are required to attend all sessions. The convenors need to be informed without delay of any classes missed for a good reason (i.e. due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness, family issues, problems with residence permits, the Dutch railways in winter, etc.). In these cases it is up to the discretion of the convener(s) of the course whether or not the missed class will have to be made up with an extra assignment. Being absent without notification can result in a lower grade or exclusion from the term end exams and a failing grade for the course.
Course Load
| Total course 10 EC x 28 hours | 280 hours |
|---|---|
| Weekly seminars: 12 × 2 hours | 24 hours |
| Extra Sessions ResMA | 6 hours |
| Preparation seminars: 12 × 8 hours | 96 hours |
| Presentation(s | 20 hours |
| Final written assignment | 134 hours |
Assessment method
Academic Integrity
Students should familiarize themselves with the notion of academic integrity and the ways in which this plays out in their own work. A good place to start is this page. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students may not substantially reuse texts they have previously submitted in this or other courses. Minor overlap with previous work is allowed as long as it is duly noted in citation.
Students must submit their assignment(s) through Brightspace, so they can be checked for plagiarism. Submission via email is not accepted.
Assessment and weighing
| Partial Assessment | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Participation (including presentation) | 50% |
| Final written assignment, with translation/reading element (± 3,000 words) | 50% |
The final mark for this course is formed by the weighted average.
In order to pass the course, students must obtain an overall mark of 5.50 (=6) or higher.
The course is an integrated whole. All assessment parts must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.
Final Paper
The final paper is written in two stages: a first version which will be commented on and a final version. Students who do not meet the deadline for the first version will lose the right to get comments and will only be graded based on their final version.
Resit
Only if the total weighted average is insufficient (5.49 or lower) and the insufficient grade is the result of an insufficient paper, a resit of the paper is possible (50%). In that case the convener of the course may assign a (new) topic and/or give a new deadline.
A resit of the other partial assessments is not possible.
Exam Review
Students may request an oral elucidation of the assessment within 30 days after publication of the grade.
Reading list
See Brightspace.
Additional readings for the ResMA students will be determined by the convener at a later stage taking into account the students’ field(s) of interest. This extra literature will be discussed during the (extra) tutorial sessions.
Registration
Students are required to register through uSis. To avoid mistakes and problems, students are strongly advised to register in uSis through the activity number which can be found in the timetable in the column under the heading “USIS-Actnbr.”. More information on uSis is available in Dutch and English. You can also have a look at the FAQ.
Not being registered, means no permission to attend this course. See also the webpage on course and exam enrolment for registration deadlines and more information on how to register.
Contact
Remarks
Students with disabilities
The university is committed to supporting and accommodating students with disabilities as stated in the university protocol (especially pages 3-5). Students should contact Fenestra Disability Centre at least four weeks before the start of their courses to ensure that all necessary academic accommodations can be made in time conform the abovementioned protocol.