Master's level stand-alone courses

Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission to our courses at the Master's level you must:

• have a degree of Bachelor in social sciences or humanities
• have oral and written language proficiency in English equivalent to English 6/B from a Swedish upper secondary school.

COSM23: Contemporary Chinese Society, 15 credits (spring semester)

The course examines the major social, political, cultural, and economic changes shaping China today. You will explore how traditional Chinese values intersect with urbanisation, digital developments, and China's global role. Other key topics include revolutionary history, political ideology, governance, environmental policies, migration, media influence, civil society, and law.

Full course information and application details for Contemporary Chinese Society (COSM23)

COSM24: Contemporary Japanese and Korean Societies, 15 credits (spring semester)

This course gives you the tools to explore modern-day Japan and Korea from several angles: historical, cultural, political, and social. You'll learn how each country's past affects the way people live, think, and relate to one another today.

Full course information and application details for Contemporary Japanese and Korean Societies (COSM24)

COSM25: Contemporary South-East Asian Societies, 15 credits (spring semester)

This course provides in-depth knowledge about contemporary Southeast Asian societies. It explores the region’s political systems, religious expressions, economic changes, and contemporary culture, with a focus on both regional issues and specific countries, such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Full course information and application details for Contemporary South-East Asian Societies (COSM25)

COSM32: East and South-East Asia's Role in the Global Economy, 7,5 credits (autumn semester)

This course explores how East and Southeast Asia influence and are shaped by the global economy. You’ll study how supply chains, trade, finance, and innovation connect countries and regions and how these connections affect people’s lives.

Full course information and application details for East and South-East Asia's Role in the Global Economy (COSM32)

COSM34: Development Theories and Issues in East and South-East Asia, 7,5 credits (autumn semester)

This course introduces you to key academic theories of socio-economic development and grounds them in practical examples from East and Southeast Asia. In recent decades, the region has seen rapid (and historically unprecedented) growth and social change, but also inequality, environmental pressures, and political struggles. As such, the region provides us with an ideal lens for viewing and thinking through key issues in development.

Full course information and application details for Development Theories and Issues in East and South-East Asia (COSM34)

COSM45: Social Movements in East and South-East Asia, 7,5 credits (autumn semester)

This course offers an interdisciplinary perspective, linking Asia-focused Area Studies with Social Movement Studies. It examines the development of social movements across Asia and critically analyses concepts such as civil society, activism, and political change.

Full course information and application details for Social Movements in East and South-East Asia (COSM45)

COSM53: Grand Strategy, Geopolitics and the Fate of East Asia, 7,5 credits (autumn semester)

East and Southeast Asia are central to today’s global politics. This course helps you understand the region’s history, the forces driving change, and the challenges ahead. You start by learning key concepts in international relations and reviewing important historical developments since the Second World War. You then move on to examine the grand strategies of key regional actors, China, Japan, and the US. You also consider the strategic posture of North and South Korea, as well as Taiwan.

Full course information and application details for Grand Strategy, Geopolitics and the Fate of East Asia (COSM53)

COSM54: Body Politics in East Asia, 7,5 credits (autumn semester)

This course examines how the body has been a central site of power in twentieth- and twenty-first-century East Asia. You’ll explore how ideas about gender, sexuality, race, disability, and the nation are imposed on the body, and how these ideas are challenged and redefined. The focus is on East Asia, with examples from South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam. Topics include military prostitution, transnational adoption, population policies, disability activism, cosmetic surgery and more.

Full course information and application details for Body Politics in East Asia (COSM54)

CÖSM50: Qualified Internship in Asian Studies, 30 credits (spring and autumn semester)

This course gives you the chance to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Through an internship of at least 16 weeks, you apply your academic knowledge in a professional setting, either in Sweden or abroad.

Please note that the admission requirements for this course is a Master's degree in humanities or social sciences, 120 credits, or equivalent, and English equivalent to English 6/B from a Swedish upper secondary school.

Full course information and application details for Qualified Internship in Asian Studies (CÖSM50)