Fall 2012
New York University
A Private University in the Public Service
Course Name
Instructor Contact
Information
Class Day and Time
Office Hours Day
and Time
Course Description
Internship Seminar and Field Work
SCA-UA 9042/INDIV-UG 9701
Anna Greenspan: ag158@nyu.edu
Thursdays, 4:45 – 6:00
By appointment
This course aims to complement and enhance the internship experience. Students
will learn to critically examine their fieldwork in order to reflect upon what their
particular, concrete experience reveals about life in contemporary Shanghai.
Throughout the course each student will develop an independent research project
that provides a theoretical framework and argument within which to analyze their
internships. Through assignments and one-on-one meetings, students will learn to
choose a research topic, create a bibliography, write a basic research proposal,
and outline a research paper.
Seminar meetings will consist of reading-based discussions that focus on some of
the crucial issues shaping life in today’s urban China (e.g., cyberculture,
migration, creativity).
* Your grade in this course will be calculated based on the grading components
laid out in this syllabus. You must also complete 120 hours of your internship and
turn in a completed Time Sheet before the end of the semester in order to pass the
class. Failure to complete 120 hours, even if you complete all the other course
work, will result in failure of the course.
Course Objectives
- To successfully complete fieldwork
- To develop a research project that embeds concrete empirical experience within
a larger theoretical framework
- To critically examine, through readings and discussion, some of the vital issues
of China's urban development.
Grading Components Participation: 20%
Research Statement: 15 %
Research Proposal: 25 %
Final Paper: 40 %
Anna Greenspan has been teaching courses on philosophy and urbanism at NYU
Instructor Brief
Shanghai since 2009. Anna received her PhD in philosophy and cyberculture at
Biography
the University of Warwick (UK). Since then her research, writing and teaching
has focused on the rise of India and China: Asia’s giant neighbors. She is
currently working on a book entitled “Modernity 2.0: Shanghai’s Reemergence in
the 21st Century.”
A: Excellent performance showing a thorough knowledge and understanding of
Grading
the topics of the course; all work includes clear, logical explanations, insight, and
Expectations
original thought and reasoning.
B: Good performance with general knowledge and understanding of the topics;
all work includes general analysis and coherent explanations showing some
NYU Shanghai
Fall 2012
Attendance Policy
independent reasoning, reading and research.
C: Satisfactory performance with some broad explanation and reasoning; the
work will typically demonstrate an understanding of the course on a basic level.
D: Passable performance showing a general and superficial understanding of the
course’s topics; work lacks satisfactory insight, analysis or reasoned explanations.
F: Unsatisfactory performance in all assessed criteria.
NYU Shanghai has a strict policy about course attendance that allows no unexcused
absences. Each unexcused absence will result in the deduction of three percentage
points from the final grade. More than two unexcused absences will result in failure
of the course.
Students should contact their instructors to catch up on missed work but should not
approach them for excused absences. All absence requests and excuses must follow
the application procedure directions here:
https://wikis.nyu.edu/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=30017155
Students are expected to arrive to class promptly both at the start of class and after
breaks. Arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving more than 10 minutes early can
be considered an unexcused absence. Unexcused absences from exams are not
permitted and will result in failure of the exam. If you are granted an excused absence
from an exam by NYU Shanghai administration, your instructor will decide how you
will make up the exam.
This attendance policy also applies for classes involving a field trip or other offcampus visit. It is the student’s responsibility to arrive at the agreed meeting point on
time.
Submission of Late
Work
There will be no adjustment of attendance records after the end of the semester. If
you wish to contest a marked absence, you must do so before you leave Shanghai; if
you think that there may be a discrepancy about your attendance in class on a given
day, ask the NYU Shanghai academic staff to let you look at the attendance record.
Written work due in class must be submitted during class time.
Late work should be submitted in person to the Academic Assistant during regular
office hours (9:30-6:00, Monday-Friday). The Academic Assistant will mark down
the date and time of submission in the presence of the student. In the absence of the
Academic Assistant, another member of the administrative staff can accept the work
in person, following the same protocol.
Work submitted within five weekdays will be penalized one portion of a grade for
every day that it is late (so if it is late by one day, an assignment marked an “A” will
be changed to an “A-,” and so on). Work submitted more than five days after the due
date without an agreed extension will be given a zero.
Plagiarism Policy
Please note that final essays must be submitted on time.
The presentation of another person’s words, ideas, judgment, images or data as
though they were your own, whether intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes an
act of plagiarism.
Students must retain an electronic copy of their work until final grades are posted on
Albert. They must be prepared to supply an electronic copy if requested to do so by
NYU in Shanghai. Not submitting a copy of their work upon request will result in
automatic failure in the assignment and possible failure in the class. Penalties for
NYU Shanghai
Fall 2012
Required Text(s)
Week 1
08/30
Week 2
09/06
confirmed cases of plagiarism are set out in the Student Handbook.
See weekly readings below.
Introduction
Methodology Discussion: Choosing a Research Topic
Seminar Discussion: Cyberculture
Readings:
James Fallows. “The Connection Has Been Reset” Atlantic Monthly. March
2008. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/03/-ldquo-theconnection-has-been-reset-rdquo/6650/
Hannah Beech. You’ve Got Mail. Time Oct 16 2011
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2096818,00.html
April Rabkin. The Facebooks of China. Fast Company. January 2011
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/152/the-socialistnetworks.html?page=0%2C0
The Economist. An Internet with Chinese Characteristics. July 30. 2011
http://www.economist.com/node/21524821
Bloomberg: Businessweek. Tencent: March of the Penguins.. Aug 04 2011.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/tencent-march-of-the-penguins08042011.html
Week 3
09/13
Seminar Discussion: Cyberculture continued
Readings:
Yu Hua. “The Spirit of May 35th “ New York Times. June 23 2011.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/opinion/global/24iht-june24-ihtmag-hua28.html
Evan Osnos. “The Han Dynasty” New Yorker. July 4th 2011.
Look it up through:
https://getit.library.nyu.edu/go/3552187?umlaut.institution=NYU
If outside the Academic Center, you must be connected to a proxy in order to access the
above link. Instructions on how to set up a proxy are
here: http://www.nyu.edu/its/nyunet/offcampus/proxy/
Perry Link. A Message Too Powerful to Stop. New York Times. September 29
2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/opinion/30ihtedlink1.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1296116520Ky+ketQ7xzzM7DRs0w9O9Q
Brook Larmer. Where an Internet Joke is Not Just a Joke. New York Times.
October 26 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/magazine/the-dangerouspolitics-of-internet-humor-in-china.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1
Rachel De Woskin. East Meets Tweet. Vanity Fair. February 17 2012.
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/02/weibo-china-twitter-chinesemicroblogging-tom-cruise-201202
NYU Shanghai
Fall 2012
Week 4
09/20
Research Statement Due. Monday
Guest Speaker:
Zee Zee Zhong, Executive Director of Roots & Shoots Shanghai
Week 5
09/27
Week 6
10/11
Private Meetings (Group A)
Week 7
10/18
Methodology Discussion: Writing a Research Proposal
Seminar Discussion: Migration & Urbanization
Private Meetings (Group B)
Readings
William McNeill, “Cities and their Consequences,” The American Interest, Vol 2
No 4 (March/April 2007).
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=13&sid=732c9db2-d503-4e85a2ce563e17a93718%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d
#db=a9h&AN=24837143
If outside the Academic Center, you must be connected to a proxy in order to access the
above link. Instructions on how to set up a proxy are
here: http://www.nyu.edu/its/nyunet/offcampus/proxy/
Doug Saunders. By Century’s End We Will be an Entirely Urban Species. The
Spectator. Aug 5.
http://dougsaunders.net/2010/08/urban-migration-century/
Week 8
10/25
Seminar Discussion: Migration & Urbanization Continued
Leslie T. Chang . The Chinese Dream. The Wall Street Journal
November 8, 2004 http://leslietchang.com/articles4.html
Leslie T. Chang Min's Return. The Wall Street Journal. June 8, 2005.
http://leslietchang.com/articles2.html
Special Report. China migrant unrest exposes generation faultline. Wed Jun 29
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/29/us-china-migrantsidUSTRE75S0PU20110629
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/29/us-china-migrantsidUSTRE75S0PU20110629
The Economist. Invisible and heavy shackles. May 6th
2010 http://www.economist.com/node/16058750
Week 9
11/1
Week 10
11/8
Research Proposal Due
Private Meetings (Group A)
Private Meetings (Group B)
NYU Shanghai
Fall 2012
Week 11
11/15
Seminar Discussion: Creativity
Readings
Aric Chen. “The Next Cultural Revolution.” Fast Company. Dec 19.
2007. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/116/features-the-next-culturalrevolution.html
Jiang Xueqin. “How China Kills Creativity”. The Diplomat. July 2 2011.
http://the-diplomat.com/china-power/2011/07/02/how-china-killscreativity/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+t
he-diplomat+%28The+Diplomat+RSS%29
Jason Lim. Why China won’t be innovative for at least 20 more years. March 26
2012
http://venturebeat.com/2012/03/26/why-china-doesnt-innovate/
Week 12
11/22
Seminar Discussion: Creativity Continued
Readings
Bobbie Johnson. Shanzhai! Wired
07/12/10 http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/01/features/shanzai
Sky Canaves and Juliet Ye Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Rebellion in China.
Wall Street Journal Jan 22 2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123257138952903561.html
James Fallows: Can China Escape the Low Wage Trap? New York Times. May
26 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/opinion/sunday/can-china-escape-thelow-wage-trap.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=global-home
Week 13
11/29
Week 14
12/6
Week 15/Final Exam
David Barboza. Moving China Up the Value Chain. New York Times. August 4.
2011
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/moving-china-up-the-valuechain/
Private Meetings (Group A)
Private Meetings (Group B)
Guest Speaker/Lecture Series
Final Papers & Timesheet Due
NYU Shanghai