Admission requirements
MA Asian Studies students (60 EC, 120 EC or research) will be given priority in enrollment if demand exceeds the available places.
Description
This course investigates how art and art practices have contributed to producing and contesting power in early modern and modern Asia. We will explore the connections and ruptures between early modernity and modernity in different regions of Asia with a focus on three key issues: 1) representing space and place, 2) representing the body, 3) the gaze and the other. We will cover a wide range of visual media such as painting, print, photography, modern and contemporary art. We will consider approaches to analysing these media from the perspective of how they contribute to producing, contesting, resisting, escaping or disguising power relations. In the analysis, we will focus on context (producers, viewers, depicted subjects) and we will practice detailed analysis of selected artworks. This course brings together art from transnational Asian contexts and histories and forges dialogues between pre-modern and modern histories of art, as well as those between art-making, political thought, human-nature interfaces and meta-processes of empire, colonialism, decolonization, displacements and internationalisms.
Course objectives
Students will learn analytical methods in the fields of art history and cultural studies: Students will develop a critical understanding of key terms in art history, such as space, gaze, modernism, and popular visual culture. They will learn to use these terms as critical analytical categories, which they can then apply to their own research projects.
The course fosters historical awareness of the intersections of art and power in Asia by covering both the early modern and modern periods.
Students will develop critical awareness in applying critical terms of art history and cultural studies to the study of art and art practices in early modern and modern Asia: Through secondary readings, students will engage critically with historical developments in applying these terms to the study of early modern and modern Asian art, and they will apply these insights practically by doing their own analysis of selected case studies pertaining to their own research projects and interests.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
The deadline(s) in MyTimetable is/are set for administrative purposes only. The actual date(s) will be communicated by the lecturer(s) in Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Attendance is compulsory for all sessions. Students must prepare well and contribute to in-class discussion. If a student cannot attend because of illness or misadventure, they should promptly inform the convener. Extra assignments may be set to make up for missed class time, at the convener’s discretion. Absence without notification may result in lower grades or exclusion from assessment components and a failing grade for the course
Assessment method
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to be familiar with Leiden University policies on plagiarism and academic integrity.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. It is assumed that students' work is their own work with all sources used properly indicated and documented in the text (with quotations and/or citations). Students may not substantially reuse any work 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.
Assignment(s) must be submitted to Brightspace through Turnitin, so they can be checked for plagiarism. Submission via email is not accepted.
ChatGPT: What is possible and what is allowed? Dos and Don'ts.
Assessment and weighing
| Partial assesment | weighing |
|---|---|
| Attendance | pass/fail |
| Group presentations | 40% |
| Essays | 60% |
Essays
3 Short Essays of 1,500-2,000 words each on the three key modules of the course, 20% each
Final marks
Final marks are formed by the weighted average.
In order to pass a course, students must obtain an overall mark of 5.50 (=6) or higher.
Each 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.
Submission of term papers and written assignments
Students must complete all papers and assignments on time.
Late submissions for all written work for the first or second attempt will result in a deduction of marks as follows:
1-24 hours late = -0.5;
24-48 hours late = -1.0;
48-72 hours late = -1.5;
Submissions more than 72 hours late, including weekends, will receive a failing grade of 1,0 for the assignment.
If students face extenuating circumstances they can request an extension by contacting the [Board of Examiners](Exemptions and petitions - Leiden University). Note that such a request needs to be submitted four weeks before the deadline.
Word limits
A mark deduction applies to papers which exceed the world limit or word range specified in the course description. Students who exceed this word limit will receive an automatic penalty of 0.5 mark deduction.
Resit
Resits will be allowed only for the short essays (60% of the course).
Only if the total weighted average is 5.49 or lower and this is the result of one or more of the short essays graded 5.49 or lower, a re-sit of one or more of the short essays is possible (20% each). In that case the convener of the course may decide to assign a new topic. The deadline for this version will be determined by the course convener, after consultation with the student. A re-sit for other course components is not possible.
Inspection and feedback
Written assignments will be returned with feedback. Students can make an appointment to discuss their written work with the instructor.
Reading list
Readings will be provided through the syllabus on brightspace.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the information bar on the right.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Herta Mohr.