Perspectives in History Fall 2021
Reading Worksheet – Nov. 22nd
Name:
Date:
Read Darius Longarino, Yixin (Claire) Ren, and Changhao Wei, “Legal Obstacles to #MeToo Cases in China’s Courts.” China Brief 21, no. 9 (May 7th, 2021) and “Open letter on PKU #MeToo Case,” and answer the following questions.
Question #1: The article by Longarino, Ren, and Wei notes that “once survivors [of sexual assault and sexual harassment] get to court, the rules of evidence still work against them. When alleged harassers bring litigation for defamation or illegal termination, the rules give them an advantage.” Which rules, specifically, give alleged harassers these advantages in the legal arena?
Write your answer in the box below. Your answer should be 4 sentences minimum, and should include at least one quote from the reading. You do not have to give a page number.
Question #2: Imagine that you are an academic researcher or journalist thinking about doing a research project on the history and present circumstances of #MeToo in China. On the basis of what you have read in this article, what are some primary sources that might be useful for researching this topic? You can either discuss sources (or possible types of sources) that are mentioned in the article or use the article to brainstorm about the kinds of sources that might be out there.
Write your answer in the box below. Your answer should be 4 sentences minimum. No quotes necessary.
Question #3: Why do you think that government censors were so quick to censor online discussions of the case of Gao Yan, a student who killed herself after she was raped by a professor at Peking University?
Write your answer in the box below. Your answer should be 4 sentences minimum. No quotes necessary.
Question #4: According to the open letter, what are some of the things that Yue Xin went through after seeking more information about the case of Gao Yan from Peking University’s administration?
Write your answer in the box below. Your answer should be 4 sentences minimum, and should include at least one quote from the reading. You do not have to give a page number.
Question #5: The open letter contains this sentence: “Because of a work error by the Department of Chinese, the text of Shen Yang’s public self-criticism could not be found.” What does this imply about the case of Gao Yan’s alleged rape by Shen Yang? Given what you know from this class, what might have been included in this “public self-criticism”?
Write your answer in the box below. Your answer should be 4 sentences minimum. No quotes necessary
Sign the following statement, submit the worksheet on Canvas, and you’re done!
On my honor, I have neither received nor given any unauthorized assistance on this assignment.
Signature (typing your name is fine): _________________
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