Module Description
AY2024/2025 Sem 2 CHC coded courses timetable
Note: Not every module will be available in a semester.
** CHC coded courses are only open to graduate students in the Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) coursework programme.
In the descriptions of courses given below, the workload for the courses is displayed in an A-B-C-D-E-F format where:
A – No. of lecture hours per week
B – No. of tutorial hours per week
C – No. of laboratory hours per week
D – No. of project/assignment hours per week
E – No. of workshop/seminar/fieldwork hours per week
F – No. of hours for preparatory work per week
Pre-requisites indicate the base of knowledge on which the subject matter of a particular module will be built. Before taking a course, a student should complete any pre-requisite course(s) listed for that particular module. Where pre-requisites are specified, equivalent courses will also be accepted. If in doubt, students should consult the course instructor or academic advisors regarding acceptable equivalent courses.
CH5209 Topics in Rhetoric 修辞学研究专题
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is an in-depth study of selected topics in Chinese rhetoric such as the revival of rhetoric in recent decades, new rhetorical devices and stylistic features, contrastive rhetoric, rhetoric and grammar, the variety of vernacular Chinese, style as choice and deviation, history of Chinese rhetoric, etc. It is introduced for students who are pursuing the M.A. or Ph.D. programmes in Chinese literature or Chinese language. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5210 Chinese Lexical Semantics 汉语词汇语义学
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is designed to give graduate students advanced training in current theories and methods in Lexical Semantics. It systematically introduces classical contents of Semantics Description as well as more recent approaches, especially Frame Semantics, Cognitive Semantics and Construction Grammar. Also covered are some of the research topics in Chinese lexical semantics. Students will be exposed to readings, discussions and demonstrations of methods and expected to do original research, the results of which are to be presented orally and in a research paper. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5211 Seminar in Chinese Pragmatics 汉语语用学研讨
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is designed to give graduate students advanced training in current theories and methods in Lexical Semantics. It systematically introduces classical contents of Semantics Description as well as more recent approaches, especially Frame Semantics, Cognitive Semantics and Construction Grammar. Also covered are some of the research topics in Chinese lexical semantics. Students will be exposed to readings, discussions and demonstrations of methods and expected to do original research, the results of which are to be presented orally and in a research paper. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5212 Theories in Phonology 音系学理论
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
In this course, students will be exposed to different phonological frameworks (such as Sound Pattern of English and Optimality Theory) and the various phenomena that motivate them. Using this as a stepping stone, this course pursues phonological issues from the perspective of Chinese languages. Students may expect to learn the merits and shortcoming of various theories and their applicability to Chinese languages as well as to other languages. This course seeks to equip students with the ability to develop and evaluate phonological analyses. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5213 Cognitive Linguistics & Chinese Language 认知功能语言学与汉语研究
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : CH6201 - for students admitted before Academic Year 2005/2006 for cohorts 2005 and before.
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
By using the updated theoretical framework of cognitive linguistics, this course will provide students with a systematic knowledge of Chinese language and the latest development of Chinese linguistics. The topics include the most important issues in Chinese grammar and lexicon with an emphasis of the comparison between Chinese and English. The phenomena range from Modern Chinese, Classical Chinese, Chinese dialects as well as foreign languages. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5222 Topics in Modern Chinese Literature 中国现代文学专题
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : CH6201 - for students admitted before Academic Year 2005/2006 for cohorts 2005 and before.
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course stimulates critical thinking on important issues concerning modern Chinese literature such as the question of modernity, the impact of the May-Fourth Movement, what actually constitutes the so- called realism and romanticism, and the personality and complex reflected in the fiction of Lu Xun, Shen Congwen, Lao She, Qian Zhongshu, etc. The course is designed for graduate students with an interest in modern Chinese literature. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5223 Selected Authors 作家研究
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course focuses on one or two selected authors of modern and/or classical Chinese literature such as Qu Yuan, Tao Qian, Han Yu, Su Shi, Guan Hanqing, Cao Xueqin, Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Shen Congwen and others. The course is structured for graduate students who are interested in acquiring an in-depth understanding of Chinese literature. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5224 Prescribed Texts in Literature 文学专题
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is a comprehensive study of one or two texts in classical and/or modern Chinese literature not covered under CH5223 such as Shjing (Book of Songs), Chuci (The Songs of the South), Zuozhuan, Shiji (The Historical Records), the Book of Zhuang Zi, the Book of Xun Zi, Wenxin diaolong (The Literary Mind and The Carving of Dragons), the poetry of Du Fu and major works of the Chinese novel. Significant chapters of the texts are selected for intensive reading and close analysis. The course is provided for graduate students with an interest in studying Chinese literature at an advanced level. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5225 Topics in SE Asian Chinese Literature 东南亚华文文学专题
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The objective of this course is to underscore the uniqueness of Chinese literature in Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. It explores a wide range of topics including the identity problem and its expression, the status of Chinese literature, the strength and weakness of the works of major writers etc, all under the magnifying glass of comparative study. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5242 Selected Texts in Chinese Historiography 史学专题
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course examines one or two important historiographical works from traditional or contemporary China. Significant chapters of the texts will be selected for intensive reading and close analysis. Contemporary scholarship and sinological writings on the works will also be examined. This course is offered to graduate students with adequate knowledge of the history of China. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5243 Contemporary China-Southeast Asia Relations 当代中国与东南亚关系研究
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This graduate course looks at evolving China-Southeast Asia relationship in both a global and regional perspective, taking into account new variables like enhanced economic linkages between them, growing connectivity projects and their challenges, geopolitical environment in East Asia, and their interactions with other major powers. The program will delve into both opportunities and challenges facing the regional integration of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), along with the interactions among various strategies and initiatives hinging on Southeast Asia, such as China’s Belt and Road initiative, ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5244 Topics on History of Modern China 中国近代史专题研究
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is an in-depth study of selected topics of momentous importance in the history of modern China from a variety of approaches. Topics may include urban culture, popular protests, social movements, new cultural movements, political ideology, film industry, women’s history, leadership, migration, historical theories, Western centred and China-centred interpretations of modern Chinese history, and others. This course is offered to graduate students with adequate knowledge of modern Chinese history. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5245 Seminar in Early Taoism 早期道教研究
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The objective of the course is to introduce to students the evolution of early and medieval Taoism, including the use of early Taoist texts (Daodejing and Zhuangzi) within later Taoist religious movements. We will examine the Heavenly Master movement of the 3rd century, the Supreme Clarity revelations of the 4th century, and the Precious Treasure liturgies and scriptures of the 5th century, and Tang ordination texts. This course will focus on reading and interpreting original texts, introduce key concepts and methods for the study of Chinese religions and examine the relationship between Taoist ritual and popular cults. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5246 Seminar in Modern Taoism 近现代道教研究
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The objective of this course is to examine the development of Taoism from the Song dynasty to the current period. We will examine the rise of Thunder Magic and the Divine Empyrean movements of the Song, the rise of new schools of inner alchemy in the Ming, the spread of Lu Dongbin related spirit writing in the Qing, and the proliferation of regional Taoist ritual traditions in late modern period. The course will combine sinological methods with historical, anthropological and religious studies methodologies. The course will focus on the reading of original documents. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5247 Business Culture in Traditional China 中国传统社会与商业文明
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This is an in‐depth study of business culture, in relation to the socio‐economic development in traditional Chinese society. It includes critical analysis of various economic schools of thought and business philosophies, leadership and management practices, which largely influence the fiscal policies and financial administration of the country in various periods of pre‐modern China. This course would emphasize political and social implications of business culture on traditional Chinese society. Students are required to review major economic and management theories and appraise prominent financiers and government administrators. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5248 Intellectual Debate in Contemporary China 当代中国思想争鸣
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The last four decades have seen the emergence of an extraordinarily rich and diverse intellectual discourse in the Chinese and Sinophone world. This graduate seminar brings together critical essays from leading thinkers, writers, and scholars that open a window into public debate in China today on critical questions such as political and economic reforms, red legacies, the conflict between liberalism and leftism, the return of Confucianism, nationalism and its discontents, Sino-American rivalry, and the polemics surrounding the “Chinese Dream.” This course is taught in Chinese.
CH5249 The Annals of Lü Buwei, First Book of Chinese Empire 《呂氏春秋》：天下一统之思想蓝图
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course focuses on a close analysis of the Lüshi chunqiu 呂氏春秋 (Annals of Lü Buwei) within its historical, literary, and philosophical contexts. It examines the subtle ways in which this major work of philosophical literature amalgamated, integrated, and reformulated an entire world of prior texts and traditions in order to craft an inclusive and comprehensive vision for the rulership of China’s first empire—and in the process forming perhaps the first multi-chapter “book” in all of Chinese history.
CH5250 Introduction to Sources in Modern Chinese History 中国近现代史史料学
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 MCs (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
Sources are the indispensable foundations for historical inquiry. In the digital age, when fragments of sources are deceptively accessible, the challenge for history students to find and use sources only becomes more acute. As a source-centered methodological introduction, this course invites students to read various types of primary sources in modern Chinese history, such as archives, archival collections, grassroots documents, newspapers, oral history, diaries, and letters. Students will gain first-hand experience locating, reading, analyzing, and deploying diverse primary sources. By the end of the course, students will be able to engage sources judiciously for their research.
CH5660 Independent Study 独立专题研究
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-0-0-10
Prerequisite(s) : Subject to the approval from HOD
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This independent-study course requires students to work on a research project related to their field and present their findings in a seminar toward the end of the course. It aims at providing students with critical analytical and writing abilities for topics closely related to their field of dissertations. Choice of topics and plan of study are to be finalised with their supervisors’ approval. Regular consultation with supervisors throughout the course is required. Permission by the Department to read this course is necessary.
CH5880 Topics in Applied Chinese Linguistics 应用语言学专题
Unit: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course applies the knowledge of Chinese language and linguistics to interdisciplinary areas such as language in society, language in communication, language in education, language and psychology, second language acquisition, etc. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6201 Topics in Chinese Linguistics 中国语言学专题
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is designed to provide students with knowledge of the marked properties of the Chinese language. It is an intensive study of selected topics in Chinese linguistics, such as phonology, grammar, semantics, rhetoric, lexicology, dialectology, etc. Textual criticism, the Chinese script as well as the relationship between literature and linguistics will also be covered. This course will enhance students’ ability to analyse Chinese language at various levels, and their general proficiency of the language. Target students may be those graduate students in the Department who have an interest in Chinese linguistics. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6202 Universal Principles and Chinese Grammar 普遍语法原则与汉语语法现象
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
It is generally believed that the system of grammatical rules in a particular language is derived by the application of universally applicable grammatical principles in interaction with language-particular morphological and lexical properties. From this perspective, this course is designed to explore a set of important phenomena observed in the Chinese grammar and to work out with students on how those phenomena can be derived. Students are expected to acquire the knowledge of the universal grammatical principles and to be able to analyse Chinese grammatical phenomena from the perspective of the so- called Universal Grammar. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6203 Grammaticalization and Chinese Grammar 语法化理论和汉语语法现象
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course introduces grammaticalization, one of the approaches to historical linguistics, to graduate students. It focuses on topics of current interest, particularly the principles, the hypothesis of unidirectionality, the context and effects of grammaticalization, and the role of frequency. Chinese data will be examined or re-examined under the framework of grammaticalization. The similarities and differences between the theories of grammaticalization and lexicalization will also be discussed. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6221 Topics in Classical Chinese Literature 中国古典文学专题
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course analyses thematically selected topics in classical Chinese literature from traditional China including myths and legends, historical and philosophical prose, shi and ci poetry, drama and performance, and full-length novels. Critical reading and research skills are emphasised, exposing students to various analytical perspectives. This course is specially tailored for graduate students who are interested in traditional Sinology. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6226 Chinese Literary Theories and Movements 文学理论和文学运动
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course examines critically some of the major literary theories and critical movements in Chinese literary history past or present. It aims to provide students with a critical apparatus to examine and critique Chinese literary works and Chinese literary history on their own terms. The content of this course covers major literary works and theories as well as socio-historical context in which both texts and theories were produced. The course is designed for students with a strong interest in Chinese literature and culture. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6227 Culture and Society through Literature 中国文学与社会文化
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Interdisciplinary in nature, this course is designed to examine, through case studies, the intricate and multifaceted relationships among writers, literary works, and a mesh of cultural variables including printing, textual transmission, performance, entertainment, education, politics and popular religion. The focus of the course is thematic and is not restricted to any particular period or region. This course is offered to graduate students with adequate knowledge of Chinese literature. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6241 Topics in Chinese History 中国历史专题
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course studies selected topics in Chinese history such as Chinese historiography, cultural history of China, intellectuals and politics, dynasty history social and economic history, the traditional legal system, political thought, or any selected combination of these topics. Case studies with reference to a selected dynasty will be conducted. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6243 Seminar in SE Asian Chinese Studies 东南亚华人专题研究
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is a seminar in Southeast Asian Chinese Studies with particular reference to the Chinese in Colonial Malaya and Singapore. Topics and issues for discussion and analysis include Chinese immigration, Chinese associations and leadership, Chinese education and culture, women’s history, nationalism and popular movements, ethnic Chinese and nation-building, triangle relationship among the Colonial government, Chinese consuls and Chinese communities, and theory and methodology in Southeast Asian Chinese studies. This seminar targets at graduate students with general knowledge in Southeast Asian history and/or modern Chinese history. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6245 Culture and Society in Chinese History 中国历史中的文化与社会
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The course is designed for M.A./Ph.D. students in the Department and is a close, cross-sectional study of the development of Chinese society and culture in its various aspects over a given historical time span. It focuses on how different dimensions of an evolving culture were shaped and tied togetherinto an organic whole. Topics vary from year to year depending on the lecturer’s interests. A good reading knowledge of classical Chinese and English is required for study of selected problems through seminar discussions, group presentations and project works. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6246 Chinese History and Historians 中国的历史与史家
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course introduces students to the mechanisms of history writing. Students will examine how historians and their milieu mutually act on each other; how history can shape the visions of historians and how historians perceive and mould history as we know it. The course will broaden their horizons in a number of related fields of study, including traditional China, modern China, and philosophy of history. This course is offered to graduate students with adequate knowledge of Chinese history. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6247 Cold War and the Chinese in Southeast Asia 冷战与东南亚华人
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
In Southeast Asia, the global Cold War coincided with the decolonization process when newlyemerging independent nations were eager to seek powerful international allies and vice versa. As long-term sojourners and settlers in the region, the Chinese migrants and their local-born descendants arguably saw the height of the Cold War as the most challenging period. Although they have experienced creolization and acculturation in their country of destination and birth, their allegiances became suspect after China came under the communist rule. This course examines the policies and experiences of ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia during the Cold War and its aftermath. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6248 Studies in Sino-S.E. Asian Interactions 中国—东南亚：社会与文化互动之研究
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course critically examines patterns and characteristics of socio-cultural interactions between China and Southeast Asia, focusing on the post-1945 era. It aims at providing students with critical capacities to analyse the changing configurations of contemporary Asia and their historical precedents. Topics include cultural exchanges; Chinese new immigrants; transnational networks; the infusions of ideas about modernity and political transformation; literary influence of China and construction of new cultural/political identities; and the role of ethnic Chinese in Sino-S.E. Asian diplomatic and economic relations. Target students are those interested in modern Asia and ethnic Chinese in the region. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6249 Essential Outsiders? The Chinese in Southeast Asia 本质上的外来者？东南亚华人的研究
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The term “essential outsiders” – title of a 1997 anthology – encapsulates well the tensed political status experienced by the ethnic Chinese in many Southeast Asian countries today. However the level of discrimination and hostility they experience is not uniform across the region nor is it a constant phenomenon through history. This multi-disciplinary course is a critical analysis of the studies on the Chinese in Southeast Asia from the eighteenth century to the present. We will examine themes relating to economic migration, ethnicity and creolization, competing nationalisms and sinicization, as well as postcolonialism and citizenship. This is a bilingual course.
CH6250 Chinese Diaspora: Key Concepts and Theories 华人海外移民与研究概念
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Particularly since the 1990s, scholars and researchers have proposed and debated over the theories and concepts to discuss the Chinese abroad, especially how to distinguish between those who may or may not share affinities with the People’s Republic of China, be these political or cultural. The key ideas and terminologies include those distinguishing the Chinese overseas (huaren) from overseas Chinese (huaqiao), diaspora, assimilation and integration, Chineseness, Sinophone, flexible citizenship, and the phenomenon of return and the use of intimacies and tropes as methods of analysis. This course examines these key conceptions of the Chinese overseas and how they have emerged.
CH6251 Topics in Chinese Philosophy 中国哲学专题
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This thematic course covers in detail selected topics in Chinese philosophy such as pre-Qin Confucianism, Wei-Jin Taoist philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, Neo-Confucianism, Chinese thought over the last three hundred years (1610-1927), or any selected combination of these topics. Special seminars on selected texts such as the Confucian Analects may also be offered. Critical reading and research skills are emphasised. This course is specially tailored for graduate students who are interested in traditional Sinology. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6252 Intellectual Landscapes in Pre-Qin China 先秦思想景观
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is an advanced study in Chinese philosophy, focusing on textual analysis and conceptual investigation of different schools of thought in the pre-Qin period. Emphasis will be placed on the dynamic interrelationships among various doctrines in this period. Critical reading and research skills are emphasised. This course is specially tailored for graduate students who are interested in traditional Sinology. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6253 Approaches to Economic History of Modern China 现代中国经济史研究
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is an advanced introduction to recent literature and research methods in the economic history of modern China. The readings cover important topics in modern and contemporary Chinese economic history, such as industrialisation, economic state-building, agricultural collectivization, mobilization, globalisation, and enterprise reforms. It also guides the students to analyse a selection of primary sources of Chinese economic history, such as archives, memoirs, surveys, and oral history. The course brings together a general survey of significant research topics and firm training in the essential sources of modern Chinese economic history.
CH6261 Chinese Studies in the West 西方汉学研究
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is designed to introduce students to Western scholarship on Chinese studies by way of examining representative works from various disciplines within Chinese studies, including literary studies, historical studies, philosophy and religion. Emphasis is placed on critiquing the methodological assumptions, the handling of primary and secondary sources, interpretive strategies as well as the writing style in the chosen samples. The course may be team-taught by instructors from a variety of disciplines in Chinese studies. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6262 Independent Study in Chinese Studies 西方汉学研究
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-0-0-10
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This independent-study course requires students to work on a research project related to their field and present their findings in a seminar toward the end of the course. It aims at providing students with critical analytical and writing abilities for topics closely related to their field of dissertations. Choice of topics and plan of study are to be finalised with their supervisors’ approval. Regular consultation with supervisors throughout the course is required. Permission by the Department to read this course is necessary.
CH6263 Translation: Formal, Cultural, Political 翻译：形式、文化、政治
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Translation, as a process of cross-boundary communication, can be explored from many different perspectives: formal, cultural, and political (among others). Major topics to be covered in this course include the misunderstandings of translation, the problems of formal complexity and incompatibility, translating culture, foreignization versus domestication, the politics of translation, translating as a means of generating or solving (international) political problems, translation and ideology, etc. In each semester, a special set of topics will be focused on according to the particular interest and needs of the class of students. This course is taught in Chinese.
CH6770 Graduate Research Seminar 论文研习班（修读研究课程的研究生必须修读的单元）
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Admission to a graduate programme in Chinese Studies, or 120 units (or equivalent) and permission of Department
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This is a required course for all research Masters and Ph.D. students admitted since AY2004/05. It provides a forum for students to engage critically in discussion of their current research projects. Presentations by faculty on research ethics and dissertation writing may be included. Each student is required to present a formal research paper. Active participation in all research presentations is expected. The course may be spread over two semesters and will be graded “Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory” on the basis of student presentation and participation. The seminar is conducted in Chinese.
CHC5101 Contemporary Research in Chinese Studies 当代汉学研究导论
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This is a required course for students from Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) coursework programme. The complex fields of Chinese philosophy, history, and literature are always evolving. It is important that students from this program are kept up to date on the most important and recent research trends and themes. It is also crucial for the students that such an exposure is done in a crossdisciplinary manner. Therefore, the course will be co-taught by experts from at least two different disciplines. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5102 Contemporary Research in Chinese Language 当代汉语研究导论
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This is a required course for students from Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) coursework programme. This course will survey the latest research trends in the field of Chinese linguistics and Chinese Philology. We will be reading recent influential publications in both English and Chinese. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5301 History and Civilizations of the Tang Empire 唐帝国的历史与文明——政治、制度与文化
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This is an in-depth study of the Tang period (618-907 AD) of imperial China. It includes an introduction to research methodology and literature review, followed by a critical review of the Tang empire history and analysis of its various political, economic, cultural and foreign policies as well as social development. Case studies with reference to selected political and social issues will be included. Key historical figures will also be appraised. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5302 Chinese Buddhist Proselytic Literature 中国佛教宣教文学
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course traces the history of Buddhist proselytization in pre-modern China by focusing on the narrative strategies in Buddhist scriptures imported from India and Central Asia as well as Buddhist literature by Chinese authors including their commentaries on Confucian and Taoist texts. Students will come to appreciate how proselytization and assimilation of Buddhist philosophy facilitated each other and how Buddhist narratives contributed to the birth of oral and performing literature in China. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5303 Traditional Chinese Culture in Singapore and Malaysia 新马地区的传统中国文化
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is a survey of the traditional Chinese culture preserved and practised in Singapore and Malaysia. It is aimed at giving students a deeper understanding of how traditional Chinese culture was transmitted overseas and its relevance to the present Singapore and Malaysia societies. Topics of discussion will include Chinese high culture and popular culture, such as Chinese artistic expressions, food culture, Chinese beliefs, festivals and customs, wedding and funeral rituals. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5304 Society and Culture of the Ming Dynasty 明代的社会与文化
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The course is a detailed study of the society and culture of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). It includes the critical analysis of the social and cultural changes during the founding of the Ming dynasty, a transition from Mongol to Han rule, and the so-called “anti-traditional” period during the late Ming era. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5305 Prominent Nanyang Chinese in Modern China 影响近代中国的南洋华人
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course discusses prominent Nanyang Chinese who made significant impact on modern China or changed the course of modern Chinese history. Selected personalities who were born in Southeast Asia and later achieved great careers in China will be discussed and examined in historical, social, economic, cultural and/or political contexts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These individuals include Gu Hong Ming, Lim Boon Keng, Li Deng Hui, Wu Lien-Teh, and Robert Lim K.S The course will be taught in Chinese. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5306 Chinese Intellectual History, 10th – 19th Century 中国思想史
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course will focus on the development of Chinese intellectual history from the 10th to the 19th century, covering the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The course takes a thematic approach, and will discuss in depth the important research publications in both the English and Chinese academic worlds. The course will also cover the most influential works in both Chinese and English, and therefore, students will be able to gain a fuller picture of academic trends, methodologies, and challenges in the two different intellectual traditions. They will also be able to compare the different approaches and thus critically review the strength and weaknesses of the scholarship. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5307 Major Themes in Chinese History 中国历史研究专题
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course takes a broad look at China’s past and critically identifies major research themes in the field. A variety of themes such as gender, states relation, consumption and urban culture, relation within global economy, and migration networks may be covered. Understanding these different themes set against a wide spectrum of social class and historical factors, as well as cutting across a long period of time, will equip students with a new set of knowledge on Chinese history. This new knowledge will in turn set them to critically review their conventional understanding of imperial and modern China. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5308 Chinese Kinship and Local Society 中国宗族与地方社会
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course will survey the various ways kinship was practised and organized in Chinese history, especially after the Song dynasty. The interplay of how local conditions affected kinship practices, as well as how kinship organizations would impact power relations in local society, is one of the major research questions investigated in this course. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5309 Economic & Management Thought in Pre-Modern China 中国古代经济思想与商业观
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This is an in-depth study of economic and management thought in pre-modern China. It includes critical analysis of various economic thought, management practices and financial administrations in various periods of pre-modern China and their implications on political, social and cultural aspects. Major economic and management theories will be discussed; prominent financiers and government administrators will also be appraised. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5310 Chinese Rhapsody 中国辞赋
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Fu (Rhapsody) is the earliest refined literary genre in Chinese literature. It is also the dominant form that literati employed at provincial and imperial courts to present their suasions and express their personal feelings. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the tradition of Chinese fu (rhapsody). The fu is a major poetic form that attained prominence in 100 B.C.E. It was the most important genre of refined literature that dominated the Western and Eastern Han dynasties. Representative works of important Han and Six Dynasties authors are selected for intensive reading to train students to interpret and appreciate classical Chinese rhapsody. The course is designed to deepen students’ understanding of this poetic genre in the Chinese literary tradition. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5311 Ci Studies 词学研究
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Ci lyric is one of the most important genres of classical Chinese poetry. Flourishing in the Tang-Song period, a revival of ci was witnessed in the Qing dynasty, with the emergence of different ci schools and publication of many ci manuals and discourses. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5312 Tang-Song Poetry and Poetics 唐宋诗学
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Shi poetry and poetics in Tang-Song period are indispensable topics in the study of classical Chinese literature. This course aims at enhancing the students’ critical analysis and perspective of the shi poetry and poetics in Tang-Song period. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5313 Thematics in Chinese Literature 中國文學主題學研究
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The purpose of the course is to introduce students to a variety of themes in Chinese literature. We will trace the origins and development of these literary themes through reading and discussion of both poetry and prose works. Representative themes from early and medieval literature are selected for research and investigation. The course is designed to deepen students’ understanding of major themes in the history of Chinese literature. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5314 Chinese Religion 中国宗教学
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
By covering the major schools and developments in Chinese religions for the past two thousand years, students will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the core thoughts and philosophies of Chinese religious culture. This will translate into a better appreciation of the religious and cultural dialogues in contemporary China and Singapore. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5315 Neo-Taoism 魏晉玄學
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course examines the new development of Taoism in the third century when China entered into a period of political disunity for centuries to come. New interests in the dark mysteries of the universe and solid groundings (if any) of human flourishing and happiness came to the forefront. Classical Taoism was given a new twist as Confucian ideas were subtly assimilated and is often called NeoTaoism. The course focuses on the critical reading of some foundational commentaries on the Laozi and the Zhuangzi and illustrates how Neo-Taoism is different from its predecessor in early China. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5316 Print Culture and Chinese Literature: From Ming to Modern 中国文学与出版文化：从明代到现代
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Interdisciplinary in nature, drawing upon concepts from sociology of literature and cultural history, this course studies the interrelationships between Chinese literature and print culture. The period of study stretches from late Ming China to modern Singapore, focusing on several themes and issues, which include: 1) urban culture and literary production; 2) literary magazines, literary organizations, and literary movements; 3) popular readings and mass entertainment; 4) cultural connections between Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore; 5) Cold War culture and cultural Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5317 New Approaches to Modern Chinese Culture 现当代中国文化研究新视野
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Research on modern Chinese culture can be found across various disciplines including literature, media studies, sociology, gender study and political science. This graduate seminar draws on this interdisciplinary body of scholarship and aims to expose students to new developments, themes, and approaches in modern Chinese cultural studies, as well as engage with contemporary cultural theories and explore untapped historical sources. Among the linked topics are gender and sexuality, modernism, digital culture, ecocriticism, youth culture, and biopolitics. Students will interrogate limitations and contradictions within the field, all the while exploring new possibilities and directions within modern Chinese cultural studies. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5318 Time and Space in Traditional Chinese Culture 传统中国文化中的时间与空间
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The course takes time and space as the main axes to examine the development of traditional Chinese culture in its various aspects over a given historical time span. It consists of readings and research on selected topics concerning the cultural history of China, from the traditional periods to contemporary era, with focuses on how different dimensions of an evolving culture were shaped and tied together into an organic whole. Emphasis will be on both past and present, continuity and interruption in cultural developments, as well as the demarcation of urban and rural, elite and popular cultures in Chinese society.
CHC5319 Development of the Chinese Opera Scene in Singapore 新加坡华族戏曲发展史
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is a multidisciplinary study of the interrelationship between the development of Chinese opera and the history of Singapore. Drawing upon concepts from cultural, political and economy history, it focuses on overseas Chinese in Singapore and the localisation of the performing art. The period of study stretches from pre Raffles period to modern Singapore, highlighting on themes and issues, such as: 1) the overall development of Chinese Opera in Singapore; 2) relationship between Chinese opera and Chinese dialect groups in Singapore; 3) the audience; 4) the performer and stage; 5) localisation of the six major forms of opera in Singapore. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5320 Grammaticalization in Chinese 汉语语法化
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course aims to give students an overview of the historical development of the Chinese morphosyntax from the perspective of grammaticalization. Major topics included are periodization of Chinese, the historical development of Chinese morphology, the historical development of Chinese syntax, the emergence of the most important sentence patterns in Chinese, and the historical source of Modern Chinese. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5321 Beauty through Chinese Lenses 华语之谓“美”
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This is a linguistic course which focuses on Chinese interpretations of what is aesthetically beautiful. To do so, we will examine verbal/written accounts describing or referring to sonic (e.g. musical) and visual (e.g. artistic) representations, analysing cultural meanings behind words and phrases that crop up in these accounts. The premise is that, whereas sonic and visual representations themselves do not hold any meaning and therefore do not lend themselves readily to rigorous linguistic analyses, words or phrases describing or referring to these representations do. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5322 Pragmatics and Politeness 语用学和礼貌课题
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course introduces pragmatics to students with a particular focus on politeness. Politeness is an important topic in pragmatics and especially among East Asian languages. This course will cover the basic concepts of theories of politeness, face, face-work, contemporary politeness, historical politeness, and media politeness. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5323 Special Topics in Chinese Linguistics 汉语语言学研究专题
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course furthers students' understanding of the nature and development of Chinese language through an in-depth study of some linguistic phenomena from different theoretical perspectives. The topics, which may vary from year to year, could be related to, but not limited to Chinese grammar, Chinese dialectology, Chinese phonology and/or Chinese philology. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5324 Lexicon in Old Chinese 上古汉语的词汇系统
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course will survey the latest research trends and findings in the field of Chinese historical lexicology and Chinese historical morphology which focuses on the structure of the lexicon as well as the relationship between the lexicon and syntax in Old Chinese. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5325 Chinese Language Education and Research 华语文教育与研究
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course aims to provide an overview of Chinese language (CL) teaching in Singapore. To contextualize the local CL education aspects, this course begins with the illustration of key concepts relevant to Singapore education and CL environment. Subsequently, the policy, subjects, content and forefront practice are revealed to provide students with a holistic understanding of Singapore’s CL education. Lastly, this course introduces some research trends and their respective methodologies in the CL teaching in Singapore, so as to provide students with basic knowledge and capability to conduct practitioner-based research. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5326 Comparative Grammar between Chinese and English 汉英句法与语义对比
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Within the frameworks of cognitive and typological linguistics, this course focuses on the similarities and differences between the semantics and syntax of Chinese-English. We will cover ten major features of these two languages, including topic/subject, word formation, grammatical devices and constructions. It is designed to deepen the understanding of these two languages and improve skills in using these two languages. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5327 Meaning in the Lexicon and Grammar of Modern Chinese 现代汉语词汇及语法中的语义轨迹
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course introduces patterns in the lexicon and sentence structure of Modern Standard Chinese from the perspective of how meaning categories are grammatically distinguished and expressed. A distinction is drawn between encyclopaedic meaning and grammatical meaning that is reflected in linguistic structure. Major semantic and conceptual notions that influence language structure are covered, including referentiality, countability, situation type, causation, result, the time-stability of different kinds of states, encoding of spatial and motion-related concepts, etc. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5328 Testing and Assessment of Chinese Language 中文测试与评估
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course aims to provide an in-depth exploration of fundamental concepts and practices in Chinese language testing. It covers important topics such as language ability models, test design and administration, and assessments of vocabulary, grammar, reading, listening, writing, speaking, and translation and interpreting skills. Students will engage in task design and learn about traditional and merging scoring methods to ensure reliability and validity in testing. The course also examines the use of large language models in language assessment.
CHC5330 Chinese Popular Culture: Transformation and Flows 华语流行文化的蜕变与传播
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
Drawing upon concepts from sociology, media studies, literary theory and international relations, this is an interdisciplinary course that studies the developments and changes in different forms of Chinese-language popular culture (such as films, television dramas and popular music) as well as the transcultural flows of Chinese language popular culture within and outside Asia. Through this course, students will interrogate how Chinese-language popular culture is connected to questions of gender, national identities, and political power. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5331 Chinese Ceramics: From Tang to Qing 中国陶瓷：从唐代到清代
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course is design to acquaint students with historical knowledge of Chinese ceramics and apply it in regional studies. The methodologies of art history and archaeology will be taught. The period spans from Tang to Qing, which covers most Chinese ceramic found in Singapore archaeological excavations. The lectures focus on each type of ceramic in chronological order with datable materials excavated from datable tombs or with date inscription on the vessels. Ceramic shards collected from kiln sites over the years will be shown in the lectures and students are encouraged to handle the shards to enhance their learning experience. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5332 Oral History Methodology: Theory and Practice 口述历史方法学：理论与实践
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course trains students to conduct and manage oral history project independently. Upon document the past by preserving insights not found in printed sources and to create first-hand account, oral histories can provide insights not normally found in conventional reviews or summaries. The methodology is a qualitative research which has been widely used in UNESCO, archives, libraries, museums, educational institutions, etc.. The course focus on the study of the methodology and hands-on which cover these areas: 1) Development of the Methodology; 2) Workflow and Executable Technique; 3) Cross-disciplinary usage; 4) Challenges and Limitations; 5) Interpretation; 6) Case Studies. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5333 Epidemics and Chinese Medicine 瘟疫与中国医学
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
This course introduces students to the history of Chinese medicine from ancient China to the contemporary world, using the lens of epidemics and their effects on the development of Chinese medicine. It also examines the formation and changes of Chinese medicine, focusing on the historical and socio-cultural contexts. Different methodological approaches and various key themes in the history of Chinese medicine including Chinese medicine’s encounter with Western medicine, the construction of TCM, the globalization of Chinese medicine, the localization in Singapore and other important topics will be addressed. No knowledge of Chinese medicine is required. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5334 Life, Love, and Death in Classical Chinese Literature 中国古典文学中的爱恨生死
Units: 4
Workload : 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s) : Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s) : Nil
Cross-listing(s) : Nil
The purpose of the course is to discuss the themes of life, love, and death in classical Chinese literature from several perspectives. It looks at the different ways the topics concerning life, love and death are handled in various genres and historical periods. The content of the course will include a variety of genres, including lyrical and narrative poetry, short stories, prose and novels, spanning from Zhou to Qing dynasty. This course is designed to deepen students’ understanding of the most important themes of classical Chinese literature. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5335 Literature, Politics, and Media in Contemporary China 当代中国文化与媒体政治
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course is an introduction to the dynamic interaction among literature, politics, and media in contemporary China. The emphasis is on the manifold interplay between Chinese political discourse and its literary and cultural manifestations (i.e., literature, film, media, etc) in the age of market reforms. It brings together multi-disciplinary approaches ranging across literary studies, media ecology, and political culture to address critical issues confronting China today, such as the legacy of revolution and enlightenment, political and economic reforms, nationalism and its discontents, Chinese diaspora, media war and the COVID pandemic, and the polemics surrounding the emergence of global China. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5336 The Military in Chinese History and Culture 中国军事历史与文化
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course takes a broad but critical look at China’s military history. Major research themes related to military conflicts, military institutions, and military culture, and how all these affected the society and the individual will be examined and discussed.
CHC5337 Classical Chinese Landscape Poetry and Painting: Tang to Northern Song Dynasty 中国古典山水诗与山水画：唐至北宋
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course focus on the period from Tang to Northern Song Dynasty in ancient China(7th to early 12th Century), it takes an interdisciplinary approach to discuss the development and relationship of traditional Chinese landscape poetry and painting. It also examines the evolution of significant concepts in the history of art and literature such as “landscape/nature” and “picturesque”. Topics include Old Trees and Stelae, Misty River-Layered Peaks, Level-Distance Landscapes, Poems on Landscape Paintings etc. This course will explore the intertextuality between images/paintings and texts/poems. The course will also survey the different methodological approaches of contemporary scholars.
CHC5338 Chinese Maritime Exploration and Cultural Exchange 中国古代的海洋交通与文化交流
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course is designed to acquaint students with historical knowledge of Chinese maritime exploration history and cultural exchange resulted from the interactions. The methodology of literature review will be applied and archaeological discoveries will be shared. The period spans from Han to Qing, which covers most Chinese maritime explorations to the Indian Ocean and ideas spread through the sea routes. The lectures focus on each period of maritime activities in the form of diplomatic missions, trades and pilgrimages, which are recorded in historical texts, travel notes, rutters and navigation charts for a well-rounded view of the past events. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5339 Chinese Diaspora and Mass Media in the 20th Century 海外华人与20世纪的影视传媒
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course traces the China-Hong Kong-Singapore connection through film and television in the 20th century. Students will develop an understanding of the socio-political context in which Chinese diasporic communities were established and how the business of film production, distribution and exhibition connected these disparate localities. It will also highlight the symbiotic relationship between filmmaking and the television industry across different countries in East and Southeast Asia, notably between 1980s and 2000s. Students are encouraged to adopt a multi-disciplinary perspective in their critique of various representations of Chinese Diaspora on film and television and the mass media in general. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5340 Chinese Temples and Associations in Southeast Asia 东南亚华人庙宇与社团
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
Chinese Temples and Clan and Regional Associations are important religious and social nodes in overseas Chinese community networks in Southeast Asia. These networks are major sites for the flow of resources, ideas, and people from parts of China across Southeast Asia and back again. By studying these organizations, students will gain a deeper appreciation of Chinese networking and socio-religious activities, as well as new perspectives for understanding overseas Chinese communities. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5341 Cultural Cold War in Asia: Print, Film and Music 亚洲文化冷战：出版、电影和音乐
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
In the past decades cold war studies witnessed a paradigm shift of “cultural turn”, especially after the declassification, digitalization, and opening of official archives in various countries. Drawing upon concepts of cultural history, literary studies, and sociology of arts, this course re-examines this “battle of hearts and minds” in Asia through the lens of literary practices, print culture, film industry, and music performances. Special attentions are paid to the debates and problematics pertaining to inter-Asian connection (also disconnection), and the institutional networks of cultural production under such “psychological/media warfare” of the 1950s and 1960s. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5342 Topics in SE Asian Chinese Literature and Film 东南亚华文文学与电影研究
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course explores the fluid notions of “Southeast Asia” and “Chinese” through twentieth-century literary and cinematic texts. By analysing artistic representations and the contexts in which the texts are produced, students will reflect on issues related to regionalism, ethnic identity, diaspora, and historical memories etc. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5343 History of Chinese Epistolary Literature 中国尺牍文学史
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course will bring students into the fascinating world of Chinese epistolary literature by weaving together letters of different topics and styles, written by both canonical authors and the ordinary people. Following a chronological order, this course will expose the students to studies of material culture, social-cultural history, as well as literary history in general. By tackling questions like how letters that were supposedly private became widely circulated and how epistolary literature became literary genres in premodern China, students will get unique insights into the literary past beyond classical poetry and prose. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5344 Specific Topics in Chinese Literature 中国文学研究专题
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
Specific authors, works, literary themes, genres, theories and schools, as well as literary productions in different periods of Chinese history will be the various focal points of this course. These topics will be integrally studied with other social, political and cultural issues, with a purpose to broaden and deepen the students’ critical perspective of Chinese literature. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5345 Sociocultural History of Middle Period China 中国社会文化史：10-14世纪
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course introduces students to social and cultural historical studies on Middle-Period China from the 10th to 14th centuries, a period of profound political and social changes under the Song, Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties when China experienced alternating Chinese and foreign rules. Focusing on major scholarly debates and cutting-edge studies in recent decades, the seminar equips students the craft of historians through identifying and discussing the “golden triangle” of questions, sources, and methods. It enables students to rethink their conventional knowledge about Middle-Period Chinese history and to critically review the most significant or latest Chinese and English scholarship. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5346 “How We Work” in Modern Chinese Literature and Media 现代文学与新媒体文化下的劳动形象
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course examines representations of various kinds of labour in modern Chinese literature, cinema, and art, and how they variedly obscure and reveal tensions between the productive economy and cultural production. The course introduces students to major theories of labour in social and cultural critiques, alongside primary works (1960s-present) from the PRC, Taiwan, and Malaysia that variously complicate relations between the politico-social aspects of labour, and how labour appears in aesthetic representations. Topics include cultural work; gender and sexuality; rural-urban migration in poetry and prose; rights-based documentary vs. short video-forms; internet literature; cinema and digital media; social media; subculture. This course is taught in Chinese.
CHC5347 Contemporary Chinese Governance and Development 当代中国治理与发展
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This graduate course provokes critical thinking regarding the governance and development of contemporary China (the 1980s-present). It focuses on domestic political and socioeconomic structures that have reshaped the country’s development trajectory and foreign strategy in the globalisation era. The course captures the latest institutional and norm changes related to the Communist Party’s effort to centralise power and restructure central-local and state-society relationships. It delves into the fragmentation and cohesiveness in the Chinese system, trying to explain the limits and potentials of the world’s second largest economy challenged by enormous domestic tensions and external pressures.
CHC5348 Science in China 中国科学史新论
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course aims to introduce graduate students to the history of science, technology, and medicine in late imperial and modern China. Focusing on how advances in science, technology, and medicine influence society and vice versa, the course adopts an interdisciplinary perspective and encourages approaches derived from disciplines such as history, politics, gender studies, international relations, and museum studies. Attention will also be accorded to comparative analyses between China and other nations and scientific communities across the world.
CHC5349 Classical Chinese Landscape Poetry and Painting: Southern Song to Yuan Dynasty 中国古典山水诗与山水画：南宋至元
Units: 4
Workload: 0-0-0-2-3-5
Prerequisite(s): Graduate Students in Master of Arts (Chinese Culture and Language) programme
Preclusion(s): Nil
Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course introduces students to the development of classical Chinese landscape poetry and painting from 12th to 14th Century. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to the history of art and literature, the course examines the rising and flourishing of literati painting, conflict and mutual influences between academy-professional style and the scholar-amateurs style, and the changes in the relationships between poetry, calligraphy, and painting. The topics may include poetic landscape painting at Southern Song royal court; antiquitism and eremitism in literati landscape paintings during the Song-Yuan transition; emergence of artists as both poet and calligrapher under foreign rule.