MASTER OF ARTS IN CHINESE HISTORICAL STUDIES 2009-2011

SYLLABUSES FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS

CHINESE HISTORICAL STUDIES

The curriculum is on a part-time basis, and extends over two years.  It is normally mounted every other year.

The objective of the programme is to provide students with the requisite knowledge and necessary training to conduct independent research on Chinese historical and cultural issues.  It also caters to the continuous education needs of secondary school teachers in Chinese history and culture.

Applicants will normally hold a good honours degree or its equivalent in an appropriate subject.

Candidates are expected to take six courses and to write a dissertation. 

Normally, six courses will be selected from the following list and be taught in each cycle.

 

Courses

CHIN6007.     Imperial China: Thematic Studies

This course examines the political development of successive dynasties and their significance in the overall context of Chinese history.  Major institutional establishments and cultural achievements of different historical periods will also be discussed.
Assessment: 100% examination

CHIN6008.     Republican and Communist China: Thematic Studies

This course examines the political, social and economic development of China in the twentieth century.  Special attention is given to the themes of nationalism, revolution and modernization.  It aims to show how present-day China has evolved from its recent past.
Assessment: 100% examination

CHIN7001.     Materials and Methodology

This course introduces students to the basic research materials and research methodology (both Chinese and Western) in Chinese historical studies.
Assessment: 100% coursework

CHIN7002.     Chinese Historiography

This course provides a broad and systematic overview of the origins and development of Chinese historiography.  It examines in detail the teachings of leading Chinese historians and historiographers, both ancient and modern.
Assessment: 100% examination

CHIN6009.     Intellectual Development in Traditional China

This course examines the dominant intellectual trends in China from the Qin to the High Qing period.  Special emphasis will be given to their political, social and philosophical impacts.
Assessment: 100% examination

CHIN6010.     Intellectual Development in Twentieth Century China

This course examines the dominant intellectual trends and issues of twentieth century China, and discusses in detail their influences on various cultural spheres, such as literature, religion and philosophy.
Assessment: 100% examination

CHIN6011.     Education and Examination: the Chinese Experience

This course examines the history of the Chinese education and examination systems, surveys the changing thoughts about the relation of education, examination and talent nurturing, analyses the impacts of education and examination on politics, economics and society, and critically assesses the roles played by Western education and examination models in the modernization of China.
Assessment: 100% examination

CHIN6012.     Chinese Migration History: Inland and Overseas

This course examines the migration history of Chinese from ancient times to early twentieth century.  Topics discussed include the backgrounds and motives of the migrants, the routes they took, their destinations, and their adaptions to their new homes.  Special attention will be given to the emigrants of Qing China, their continuous conflicts with local residents, and how the problems they faced and the solutions they adopted reflect certain features of Chinese culture.
Assessment: 100% coursework

CHIN6013.     Documentary Research in Chinese Historical Studies

This course discusses in depth the history and the importance of documentary research in Chinese historical studies.  It also looks into various conceptual and practical issues in documentary research, such as the ways of classification and the methods of analysis.
Assessment: 100% coursework

Chinese Studies Seminars

Candidates are required to attend a series of seminars given by scholars from Hong Kong, China and overseas on Chinese historical and cultural issues.  They have to present findings of their independent research in the seminar series.

Dissertation

The dissertation should normally be around 20,000-30,000 characters in Chinese or 10,000-15,000 words in English.  The dissertation title shall be submitted for approval by December 31 of the second year of study, and the dissertation shall be submitted by August 31 of the second year of study.

Assessments

Courses are assessed by coursework or by examination as specified in the descriptions of individual courses.

Coursework assessment is based on essays, term papers, projects, tests, or other kinds of oral or written work as prescribed by the course instructors.

Examination is held at the end of the semester when the course is taken, and will be in the form of written examinations, open-book examinations, or take-home examinations.

Candidates must satisfy the examiners in the assessments of all first year courses before proceeding to the second year.  Candidates failing to satisfy the examiners in one or more courses may be reassessed before the commencement of the second year of study.  Candidates who fail in the reassessments may be required to discontinue their studies.