Program Overview

The Department of Chinese Literature offers undergraduate and graduate programs. We have designed a wide range of curriculum areas to deal with the classics of different eras and genres from ancient time to contemporary era. The department aims to provide students with comprehensive and balanced learning experience and help them acquire the ability to express and analyze, to interpret the classics, and to be well-versed in humanities. With the rigorous training in reading and writing, students are expected to apply the literary knowledge and analytical ability acquired to their everyday life and their own works. The ultimate learning objective is to provide students with a firm foundation for developing competency in mastering the critical knowledge of literary works, in philosophical thinking, and in putting knowledge into practice.

The aim of Bachelor’s program is to ensure the mastery of Chinese language by all students. The undergraduate curriculum aims, for the most part, to help students to foster their ability to express accurately, effectively, and in the appropriate style, while the skills in interpreting literary texts are also emphasized. Students are expected to enhance their humanistic skills required in their careers and make contributions to their fields.

   The graduate programs prepare students to do research in the humanities. Building upon the base of their mastery of Chinese language, students are expected to demonstrate interpretative understanding of the classics and the ability to carry out innovative research that shapes the field. The aim of the M.A. program is to provide students with textual reading and analysis skills. To this end, the department helps students to familiarize themselves with research tools, research resources and academic writing skills. Students are also expected to understand the core concerns of the field of their interests as well as the scholarship in that field. Ph.D. Students, already well trained in textual reading and analysis, participate in a variety of courses designed to provide them with critical acumen, the ability to dialogue with the field, and the skills necessary to carry out original research.