Corso di laurea magistrale in
Lingue dell'Asia e dell'Africa
per la comunicazione e la cooperazione internazionale

This is a postgraduate course with a substantial research component. It is designed as the first step leading students to write their final dissertation. Students will acquire:

• a deeper understanding of their chosen area of Asian or African studies and the critical debates within it (KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING)
• a conceptual and technical understanding that enables the evaluation of current research and methodologies, as well as the technical skills necessary to pursue primary research in their chosen area (APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING, MAKING JUDGEMENTS and COMMUNICATION SKILLS)
• the ability to situate their own research within current and past methodological and interpretative developments in the field (LEARNING SKILLS)

By the end of the course, the students should have acquired:

• the skills necessary to locate, read, interpret and analyze the primary source material relevant to their area of interest;
• the skills necessary critically to evaluate their own and others' work;
• the ability to formulate a research proposal using the appropriate primary materials and to place this within its relevant academic context, to locate and assimilate relevant secondary source material and to discuss pertinent interpretative debates;
• the ability to reach an independent judgement, based on their own research; and
• a facility in communicating the results of their ideas, research and its conclusion in a written form as a work of historical scholarship.

This online course is structured into 36 hours of academic teaching in a seminar setting. The course is divided into 5 modules, each having a different focus on the course content. Texts, materials and activities will be available on the Moodle platform.

In order to obtain a pass for this exam, students have to do all the activities related to the five sections of the course at least two weeks before the exam date.

Students will be trained with regard to the collection, processing, critical assessment and initial analysis of data, individually or in a team of several students, as a preparation for their work on the Master thesis. Based on a preliminary project description for the master thesis, and under guidance of a supervisor, they will identify and collect different kinds of data. Depending on the topic of research, these may include data from:

• literary, historical, political or other kinds of texts
• interviews, participant observation, other kinds of fieldwork
• online sources, radio and TV programmes, films, etc.

All methodologies of collecting relevant data require a conscious and critical approach. Therefore, an important part of the course implies a reflection on methodologies and practices of data collection, treatment and analysis.

 

Module E. Adami (12 h)

This four-lecture (12 h) part of the course intends to revise communicative strategies in academic English focused on African and Asian research methods (written and oral). Through classwork and assignments based on specific material and worksheets, students will tackle issues such as academic vocabulary, language of argument, essay structure, criticism and evaluation, project/handout/paper writing and oral presentation skills. A collection of materials and activities will be uploaded to the course webpage and will be used during the classes.

 

Module D. Moro (6 h)

Searching, Citing and Referencing

This module of 6 hours illustrates briefly the whole process of research from the search for keywords, to the writing of a bibliography through a selection of tutorials and some concrete examples. In particular, it is aimed at learning how to find the right keywords for searching for the existing material on search engines and databases both in English and transliteration from other languages and on how to look for specific titles and get them from the web or the libraries. Last but not least, it shows the importance of distinguishing between the two main citation styles used for writing a scientific text and the relevant bibliography. The assignment will be 1) Finding the right keywords corresponding to one research question 2) creating a brief bibliography in either notes-bibliography or author-date style form by making use of the Chicago Manual of Style (online quick guide). 

Module F. Grande (6 h)

The analysis of fairytale and related narrative phenomena (myth, legend) as an instance of anthropological research. Emphasis will be placed on textual analysis. This three-lecture part of the course includes a theoretical introduction to faitytale, myth and legend, as well as an introduction to text-oriented practices of interpretation of these narrative materials.

Module S. Stafutti (6 h)

 This part of the course aims to offer students methodological and critical tools helping them evaluating the reliability of online sources and web pages. Students are requested to autonomously carry out critical appraisals about online sources, making use of the materials at their disposal on the Moodle platform.

Please note that during the first semester a seminar will be held, inviting professional journalists whose field of work is China to talk about China - press freedom- press communication - the image of China through Western/Italian media. The seminar is compulsory for the students whose major is Chinese. All the students are invited to attend. Further information will be provided by the beginning of the semester.

 

 

Module A. Consolaro (6 h)

This module explores the issue of Orientalism and discusses the construction of the East/West binary in knowledge production about Asia. In particular it introduces postcolonial theory that stems from a critique of orientalism, focusing on feminist contribution to postcolonial theory and indigenous research methodologies. 

 

See materials and modules on the Moodle course page.