The course, arranged officially by the Unit of Communication Sciences at the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University and the Finnish University Network for Asian Studies and organized in practice by TaRC’s Svetlana Pasti, was aimed to raise students’ awareness of Chinese culture, society, and media, as well as the status of women in China.
The course was held in English from 10 March to 25 May 2021. The students watched the video lectures given by Finnish and Chinese researchers, read each session’s materials, and conducted independent research to write an analytical essay for each thematic session.
During the course, students wrote five analytical essays, and some of them additionally wrote a final essay on a topic relevant to the issues raised in the course.
In this way, they learnt to understand contemporary Chinese media and women’s issues in a historical-cultural context and the current global context and developed their skills in reflecting on the historical and cultural differences of Western and non-Western countries.
The students came from Finland and other places including Bulgaria, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. They had diverse main subjects: history, sociology of gender, cultural studies, communication, media research and journalism, fine arts, art history, and Finnish language.
Altogether 20 students from the universities of Tampere, Turku, and Jyväskylä took part in the course.
Half of the students enrolled in the course completed all the course assignments and received credits and grades. Those who left the course attributed their departure to being overloaded with other courses, fatigue, and stress. Some hoped they could take this course again and finish it next time.
TaRC thanks all the participants for their efforts on the course!