Chinese Literature – (M.A.)

Contents

The MA degree consists of four components:

1. Core Course

Either

Traditional Chinese Literature in Translation

The course aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to read, interpret and analyse classical and premodern Chinese literary texts against cultural and historical contexts. Selected scholarly texts will be introduced to support and guide the discussion. The course component will provide students with a good basic knowledge of traditional Chinese literary culture and a useful foundation for other research. All texts are read in English translation but students with reading ability in classical and literary Chinese will be encouraged to read the texts in the original as well. Students electing this core course are recommended to choose a text-reading course in classical or literary Chinese as their minor option.

Or,

Modern Chinese Literature in Translation

The course aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to read, interpret and analyse modern and contemporary Chinese literary texts against cultural and historical contexts. Selected scholarly texts will be introduced to support and guide the discussion. The course component will provide students with a good basic knowledge of modern Chinese literary culture and a useful foundation for further research. All texts are read in English translation but students with reading ability in modern Chinese will be encouraged to read the texts in the original as well. Students electing this core course are recommended to choose a text-reading course in modern Chinese as their minor option.

2. Compulsory Course

Theory and Techniques of Comparative Literature

This course covers the historical development of comparative literature studies as an independent discipline and considers the main trends in comparative literary studies.

3. Minor Courses

Students who do not have advanced or native-speaker competence in Chinese are required to select one of the following two courses, which offer advanced training in reading and translating Chinese literary texts. These courses are also taken by fourth-year undergraduate students, but MA students will be required to do additional work.

• Traditional Chinese Language and Literature (MA)
• Modern Chinese Literature (MA)

For students with advanced or native speaker competence in Chinese, alternative minor units may be selected from the MA Sinology programme, or the second core course may be selected as a minor, with approval from the programme convenor.

4. Dissertation

A 10,000-word dissertation on an approved topic

Not all courses may be available every year.

Funding details

There are some scholarships and bursaries available for postgraduate students. These are very competitive and early application is advised.

Loans

Another way to fund your studies is through educational loans. Some high street banks offer loans for education. The other option is a career development loan. Before taking out a loan ensure that you understand what the repayments will be and that you will be able to afford them.

A Professional and Career Development Loan is a bank loan for UK students designed to help you pay for your course. Repayments start one month after you complete your course. You can borrow between £300 and £8,000. The bank will approve your loan according to your credit rating.

Eligible US students can apply for Stafford Federal Loans, Federal Plus and private loans to cover their tuition and maintenance costs.

The Registry Fees and Scholarship section can also certify student registration for other loans, such as Canadian educational loans.

Please contact:

• Registry Fees Section if you have any queries on educational loans or fees for degree courses.
• Noel Connaughton for fees information for occasional courses, certificates and diplomas.
• CEFIMS for fees information for distance learning courses.

Other Sources of Funding

Useful funding information can also be found at:

• Hotcourses Scholarship Search
• HERO funding information for research students