Assessment of Bachelor Thesis – Opponent
Study programme:International Economic Relations Field of study:International Studies – Diplomacy Academic year:2020/2021
Bachelor Thesis Topic:The impact of China’s Uyghur policy on its international soft power Author’s name:Kai Wangle
Ac. Consultant’s Name:Jeremy Alan Garlick, M.A., Ph.D.
Opponent:Ing. Mgr. Pavel Přikryl, Ph.D.
Criterion Mark
(1–4)
1. Overall objective achievement 2
2. Logical structure 1
3. Using of literature, citations 1
4. Adequacy of methods used 3
5. Depth of analysis 2
6. Self-reliance of author 1
7. Formal requirements: text, graphs, tables 1
8. Language and stylistics 1
Comments and Questions:
The Bachelor Thesis titled The impact of China’s Uyghur policy on its international soft power seems to be very promising as it deals with a current and highly controversial issue of the Uyghurs in People’s Republic of China which has recently attracted a lot of attention.
The author draws on a wide range of resources, both primary and secondary, and refers to them frequently.
Kai Wangle has demonstrated an excellent knowledge of English language as he uses advanced grammar and vocabulary with a very limited number of spelling and grammatical mistakes (e.g. page no. 8: places instead of placed; page no. 25: sloser instead of closer, etc.), by which the paper stands out undoubtedly among other theses. The structure of the thesis is logical, it is not fragmented into excessive number of subchapters, which makes the thesis highly readable. Especially contributive is the chapter 4 focusing on international reactions to China’s Uyghur policy as the analysis adds to the current state of the art.
Unfortunately, the thesis also suffers from several shortcomings. The major drawback of the thesis is the missing methodology and operationalisation as the author only mentions in the second paragraph of the introduction ”the paper is a case study” (page no. 1). This section should be elaborated in more detail.
Also, the research question should be stated more clearly in the introduction as the author mainly describes what he is going to analyse and what the outcome of this analysis will be (ibidem). The thesis would also benefit from a literature review which would help the author demonstrate the current state of the art and identify the knowledge gap. The last critical remark concerns chapter 2 focusing on the history of Xinjiang and Uyghurs as it is rather long and highly descriptive.
I do recommend the thesis for defence and suggest ”very good” as a final grade.
Questions:
1. What constraints did you have to overcome when collecting data? 2. Could you elaborate more on the differences among indices measuring soft power presented in chapter 1.1.?
Conclusion: The Bachelor Thesis is recommended for the defence.
Suggested Grade: 2
Date: 05/01/2021 Ing. Mgr. Pavel Přikryl, Ph.D.
Opponent
