Portfolio Composition and Criteria of Evaluation

The master's programme accepts student with experience in Asian Studies or without it, including students with no skills in Asian languages (after the enrollment it is possible to voluntary study these languages on the basics of two-year intensive programme).

Specialization in Asian Studies and Asian language skills are regarded as priority criteria in student’s selection.

The Board considers positions listen below on the basics of confirming documents.

Basic education

Enrollee students who have priorities are the ones that provided diplomas with specialization in Asian Studies or other specialization of socio-humanitarian field:

-         Asian Studies and Foreign Regional Studies with specialization in Asian states

-         Other disciplines of socio-humanitarian field with specialization in Asian states

-         Other disciplines of socio-humanitarian field

-         Other specializations (evaluated in terms of presence of socio-humanitarian disciplines and disciplines connected with Asian Studies in courses studied)

If enrollee student does not possess a graduation diploma, he or she provides the latest transcript from the home university.

Possession of honors degree or personal scholarship

Possession of honors degree is evaluated depending on specialization and in accordance with following priority disciplines:

-         Asian Studies and Foreign Regional Studies with specialization in Asian states

-         Other disciplines of socio-humanitarian field with specialization in Asian states

-         Other disciplines of socio-humanitarian field

Possession of scholarship (personal scholarships receives from university, state scholarships, Moscow City Government scholarship, President of Russian Federation scholarship, foundation scholarship, non-government organization scholarships) is confirmed by references from deanery or from scholarship providing organization or by the list of winners of scholarship competition from the open source.

Enrollee student marks basic (priority) document for expert evaluation

Level of motivation (motivation letter)

Letter’s content, structure, narration style are evaluated.

Motivation letter is composed in the free form. Letter’s size ought to be about 1000 characters. It is necessary to justify the choice of the programme in the letter, demonstrate the conscious choice of specialization, academic of professional interests, connected with Asian states. From the letter’s content should be clear how chosen specialization correlates with previous educational, academic or practical experience, as well as with presumed further application of received knowledge (for instance, such application may be scientific work, post-graduation study, diplomatic, state service, analytic, teaching work, development of business and enterprises, etc.). Either it should be clear why specifically this program is necessary for the student and what would be his or her next step in this study direction. It is welcomed if person understands the potential application of received knowledge, for example, in the university.

Level of Asian language skills

Level of Asian language skills is evaluated according to the following priorities:

-         Asian language skills in terms of received bachelor program in Asian Studies or Regional Studies with specialization in Asian states (if any East-Asian language was studied not additionally, but on the basic terms), or Asian language skills confirmed by language certificates: HSK, Japanese proficiency test (JPT), Korean proficiency test (KPT), etc.

-         Asian language skills in terms of received bachelor program or specialist program (except for listened below)

-         Asian language skills as a result of a study at Asian language courses on the basics of high education institutions or  equated to them accredited courses with the duration of no less than 2 years or 500 hours.

 Asian language skills are regarded as an advantage in entry process, however are not obligatory. In terms of applications of enrollee students with no Asian language skills this point is not evaluated.

 Language study or academic scholarships in Asian states

Only 6-monts scholarships or scholarships that suppress such duration are evaluated. Scholarships ought to be confirmed by certificates, diplomas, references.

Scientific essay

Scientific essay is composed in the size up to 10-12 thousand characters, on the themes that are connected with topical problems of development of Asian states.

Further are listed seven general sections in terms of which enrollee student should independently choose a one concrete theme. Themes may touch upon different historical periods of development of China, Japan and Korea, as well as the problem of interaction between those states.

1. Problems of historical and cultural development of East Asia (including historic-cultural tendencies in various historical periods, peculiarities of philosophic-religious systems, ethnic development, visual and applied art, etc.)

2. Social structures, social and socio-politic peculiarities of development of East Asian states, foreign Asian diasporas

3. Governmental and political systems, the systems of states administration (including in forms of separate regions (provinces, prefectures), local authorities, political parties and groups)

4. Socio-economic and economic peculiarities of development of East Asian states in various historic periods (peculiarities of economic development, clan-group peculiarities of economy building, agricultural state and agricultural relations, etc.)

5. Basic problems and threats of East Asian states (struggle for water resources, corruption, religious-ethnic conflicts, ecological issues, struggle for stable economic development, territorial disputes, trade and economic conflicts, etc.)

6. International and interstate relations with participation of East Asian states (interactions between Russian and other countries and East Asian states in various historical periods, interactions between East Asian and Southeast Asian states, peculiarities of development of large-scale international organizations, including BRICS, SCO, ASEAN, the system of international treaties with participation of East Asian states, etc.)

7. Basic theories, methods and schools of Asian Studies (historic-geographical researches, the descriptions of methods of the greatest theories and schools of Asian Studies, concepts of the East, etc.)

Examples:

Section 1

Theme: “The influence of Song Confucianism on the development of esthetic concepts in Japan”.

Theme: “The activity of Portuguese missionary on the south banks of China and Japan in XV-XVII centuries”.

Section 2

Theme: “The system of leadership in social structures of Chinese diasporas in modern Indonesia”.

Section 4

Theme: “The dynamics of development of foreign direct investments to south regions of China in 2005-2011 years and their influence on restructuring of regional economy”.

Section 6

Theme: “The participation of Russia and China in establishment of unified educational space in the SCO region”.

Essay is composed in the form of scientific article with standard requirements set to this kind of work. The size of the text ought to be up to 10-12 thousand characters with spaces (14 type size, Times New Roman, 1,5 interval, indents – 2 cm up and down, 3 cm left, 1 cm right). 

Basic criteria of essay’s quality are:

1. Problematic and scientific nature of work.

2. Logical structure of the text, if necessary – the implementation of necessary elements of structure (problematic nature of titles of chapters (sections) and paragraphs (subsections)).

3. Accuracy and correctness in formulation of subjects and objects, justifications of topicality of theme, aims and tasks, completeness of overview of literature and sources, correspondence of work’s results with work’s aims.

4. Proper scientific apparatus (representative and correctly composed bibliography, the presence of the sufficient number of correctly formed references on sources and literature, the presence of references and notes in proper places).

5. Language and style appropriate for scientific text, the correctness of language, logical narration, absences of logical mistakes and contradictions.

6. Independent nature of text, absence of plagiarism – direct borrowing of external text (including separate phrases) that is not marked with quotation marks, as well as the absence of implementation of external ideas with no references set. If plagiarism is discovered, the essay is not evaluated (i.e. enrollee student receives 0 points for this item).

7. Correct nature of thesis justified by the author, persuasiveness of such justification.

 8. Acquaintance with crucial theories, methods and researches connected with essay’s theme.

Selection committee retains the right to invite enrollee student to the interview, if further comments on essay’s content are necessary, or potential plagiarism is discovered and other possible reasons.

Publications and scientific works:

Evaluated:

-         Documented participation in scientific organizations (conferences, seminars, etc.), scientific-reviewing projects, centers, labs.

-         Scientific publications:

1. Publications in referred journals and digests (list of publications by Russian Higher Attestation Board), including in collective scientific monographs (no less than one publication), publications in Western and Asian languages.

2. Publications in professional papers: journals, student publications digest, conference digests (no less than two publications), scientific web and electronic editions.

3. Publications in mass media on socio-humanitarian topics that demonstrate scientific-analytical nature.

Enrollee student should present at least one work that can represent most completely his or her scientific achievements.

Printed works should be presented in PDF format. In a separate list should be stated the work’s title, journal’s (digest) title, publication data, pages.

Example:Ivanov S.A. Modern Chinese historiography on Mao Zedong and his activities in Cultural Revolution// Moscow State University Digest, Asian Studies Series, №2, 2012, P. 30-41.

 Fiction works are not evaluated in terms of selection process.

Enrollee student’s participation in profile student competitions and science Olympics, in summer and winter schools of socio-humanitarian field

Confirmed by presented certificates, diplomas, etc.

Recommendations

Recommendations should be presented from scientific advisers or teachers who taught courses that are connected with programme’s content. Recommendation may also be given by a specialist who personally knows enrollee student from work scientific experience. Recommendation is presented in written and free form. The size of recommendation basically should not surpass a one page of text. Following points should be mentioned in the recommendation:

-         Recommender’s info (name, job title, degree, contacts)

-         How long and from what activities (lections, joint researches, scientific advising, etc.) recommender is familiar with enrollee student

-         Evaluation of enrollee student’s characteristic: scientific research abilities, motivation in study, hardworking skills, independent thinking skills, communication skills, etc.

Portfolio evaluation criteria