Trinity College Dublin - Chinese Studies

Course Overview/Contact:

Chinese Studies is a multidisciplinary field of study, drawing upon and integrating disciplines such as History, Linguistics, Politics, Social Policy, Cultural Studies and Translation Studies. The course focuses on China today and China over the last century. This course offers a unique and vibrant educational experience which equips its students to be global citizens. The M.Phil. programme offers the opportunity to engage with key aspects of contemporary China, including its political and economic landscape, modern history, society, popular culture and language. Given China’s economic impact and international reach, this course equips its graduates to engage deeply with contemporary China. The multidisciplinary nature of the course can accommodate students from a wide range of backgrounds. The M.Phil. in Chinese Studies incorporates an integrated Study Abroad module: a period of time spent at one of Trinity’s partner universities. This permits students to develop their Mandarin language skills as well as to experience campus life.

Our M.Phil. offers you:

• Tailor-made programme according to your interests and Chinese language ability
• Small class size, taught by world-class experts
• Wide choice of Study Abroad destinations across the Chinese-speaking world
• Competitively-priced tuition including Study Abroad flights, visa and study fees
• The chance to study at a premier university in the heart of vibrant Dublin

Our Master's degree in Chinese Studies seeks to develop students’ in-depth knowledge and understanding of China in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries within a comparative, global context. We approach the study of China from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including modern Chinese history and thought, politics and governance, language, society and culture.

It is principally aimed at students with a primary degree in humanities or social science subjects. It produces employable graduates equipped with the analytical and methodological skills for future careers requiring a strong knowledge of contemporary China, and provides a unique opportunity to undertake subject-specific study and research training in the context of contemporary China. Opportunities for further doctoral research are available in a variety of subject areas.

Flexible Design

You can tailor your Master's programme according to your language ability and interests. Students choose between two key strands in this taught Master's degree. Each strand offers a range of core and elective modules which provide different disciplinary perspectives on contemporary China. Strand 1 offers you intensive Mandarin tuition in addition to the core modules on contemporary China, and aims to you to an intermediate proficiency level in spoken and written Mandarin. Strand 2 provides for students who have prior Chinese language learning experience, through their undergraduate programme, other study or work experience, and is also suitable if you are a native speaker of Mandarin. If you enrol in Strand 2, you may choose to polish your Chinese language proficiency through intermediate to advanced Mandarin modules.

Study in China

The first two semesters of the degree are delivered in Dublin. In the third semester of the degree, you will gain first-hand experience and understanding of Chinese life and society through our Study Abroad programme in one of Trinity's partner universities (including for instance Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Beihang University, the University of Nottingham-Ningbo, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore).You then return to Trinity College to complete the fourth and final semester, and submit a Master's dissertation.

Course Options:

2 Years Full Time

Course Url

http://www.tcd.ie/Asian/teaching/chinese/mphil.php

Course Coordinator

Dr Lorna Carson

Telephone Number

 +353-1-896 1560

Course Email

carsonle@tcd.ie

Next Intake

September 2017

Closing Date

31st March 2017

Entry Requirements:

Admission to this course is at graduate level, and applicants will hold a good honours degree (minimum II.1) from a recognized university. The course is designed for students from a wide range of backgrounds. A background in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is helpful but not a requirement. The M.Phil. in Chinese Studies is designed to provide a multidisciplinary introduction to the discipline of Chinese Studies without requiring any specific prior knowledge of China or language proficiency. The course has two different strands for students with no prior knowledge of Mandarin and students with intermediate or advanced Mandarin. For students with no prior knowledge of Mandarin, proven language learning ability will be useful, although not necessarily in an Asian language.

Language entry criteria, Strand 1: There are no specific Chinese language entry criteria for Strand 1. Applicants must satisfy the University’s English language requirements.

Language entry criteria, Strand 2: Strand 2 applicants must already have at least foundational reading skills in modern Chinese as well as proof of language proficiency at the B1 proficiency level (or equivalent). The B1 proficiency level means that you can understand the main points of standard spoken Mandarin, you can read and understand written texts on familiar topics in modern Chinese; you can participate in conversations on everyday topics, and you can write short texts in simplified Chinese. This strand also caters to native speakers of Mandarin. Students who wish to apply to Strand 2 must submit transcripts or equivalent certification of their language learning experience/accomplishments at the time of application as a supplementary document. For native Mandarin speakers, such certification should be in the form of documentation confirming that their primary degree or schooling was completed through Mandarin. These will be considered on a case by case basis by the course committee. Applicants must also satisfy the University’s English language requirements.