Chinese Studies

First year

Second year

More info

Objectives
Programme
Master’s thesis and requirements for graduation

2009-2010

Objectives

Successful completion of the programme equips students with:

• an excellent command of Mandarin, and – for certain specialisations – of Premodern
  Chinese;

• extensive knowledge of China and insight into its internal and external dynamics;

• starting points for contextualising China within Asia;

• the ability to comment on China from different angles (e.g. Western Europe) for both
  specialist and general audiences, and to act as cultural mediators;

• insight into the history of Chinese Studies and its current development, as well as its
  interfaces with various disciplines (e.g. anthropology, [art] history, linguistics,
  literature, religious studies) and its social relevance;

• insight into disciplinary thinking;

• good analytical skills;

• insight into concepts, terminology and methodology as dictated by regionaldisciplinary
  specialisation, as well as some experience in their application;

• research experience: the ability to locate, evaluate and use source materials, professional
  literature and research tools and techniques, as well as training in the oral and written
  presentation of results, both for monitoring purposes and for reporting in various
  professional settings.

The programme aims to raise students to a level of knowledge and skills that allows them
to proceed to PhD research. Alternatively, graduates qualify for positions outside the
university that require an academic level of thinking.

Programme

Preparations for year 1 (in situ) are time-consuming. Students should apply for this
programme as early as possible, preferably before 1 February and not later than 15
March. After this date, placement at a university in China/Taiwan for the MA-1 year
cannot be guaranteed.

Structure

The Master in Chinese Studies is divided into two parts.

• First Year

The first year of the programme consists of intensive language acquisition in China
or Taiwan. Applicants whose command of Chinese is assessed by the department as
sufficient for program entry in year 2 are exempt from year 1 and enter the programme
in its second year.

During the first year, the focus is on language acquisition. Students take special nonnative
speaker courses and – if their language skills are sufficient – courses from the
regular programme. The department of Chinese Studies has considerable experience
in administering such in situ modules at National Taiwan Normal University, Peking
University and other institutions in China and Taiwan.
Course levels in situ range from beginner to near-native. Students sign up for the
appropriate level on the basis of recent scores in internationally recognised tests of
Chinese as a foreign language, or examinations held at the beginning of the academic
year. Courses are conducted entirely in Chinese, with the obvious exception of
translation from and into English. In most, if not all courses, group size ranges from
small (4 or 5 students) to medium (about 15 students), with up to 20 or 25 contact
hours a week. Language pedagogy aims at giving students as much content exposure as
possible. Courses may include training in Chinese as it is used in radio and TV bulletins,
conversation, writing, Premodern Chinese, short stories, and translation.

• Second Year

The second year takes place in Leiden. Students join a Master’s Class in Asian Studies,
which concentrates on themes of scholarly significance across the region. Continued
language training in the second year aims at an excellent command of Mandarin, and of
Premodern Chinese for those whose research interest requires it, and focuses especially
on broad and practical applications to the situations in which graduates often find
themselves in their professional lives. Topics may include legal, commercial and political
language use, language use on Internet, and language and the new media. A state-of-thefield
seminar offers students context for their respective regional specialisations. Current
scholarly discussions in Chinese Studies are linked to the critical evaluation of primary
source materials.

In topical readings, a coherent series of Chinese texts are analysed according to a single
theme, such as environmental problems or foreign policy. A writing course provides the
students with more in-depth practice in written language skills, and focuses on basic
skills such as taking minutes, reporting and correspondence.

Master’s thesis and requirements for graduation

In order to graduate, students must have successfully completed the 120 ects programme
and have completed their final thesis as a component of that programme. The
programme is concluded with a master’s thesis based on original individual research.
Students are supervised individually by staff members of the department.
The thesis for the Chinese Studies master’s programme carries 15 ects, and as a rule
contains a maximum of 10,000 words including notes, bibliography and appendices.
Also see: hum.leiden.edu/students/regulations.jsp.