Programme objectives

This programme provides an applied, interdisciplinary approach to the study of Chinese culture and society. It is intended for students who wish to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture and society and their skills in the Chinese language for either professional or academic purposes.

Programme duration

2 years full-time study

Programme commencement

Autumn semester

Teaching language

English

Tuition fee

60,000 RMB in total; 30,000 RMB * /per acdemic year

Academic calendar

1 st Semester: Autumn semester from mid-September to mid-January

2 nd Semester: Spring semester from mid-February to mid-July

Entry requirements

* Prospective students should have a non-Chinese passport and be in good health;

* Academic requirements: Prospective students must hold a recognised bachelor's degree or above, or equivalent.

* English proficiency: Minimum requirement is 550 points or above for TOEFL, a grade 6 or above for IELTS, or other certificate of English proficiency from an approved authority. Native English speakers are exempt from this requirement,other candidates whose university courses are taught in English will be considered case by case.

* Professional backgrounds: Prospective students who are able to show relevant professional experience deemed appropriate to the programme applied for will be given prior consideration.

Courses

Core coursedescriptions

* Chinese Culture

This course covers such subjects as: the history of Chinese Literature; culture and nationalities; language and writing system; customs and habits; cross-cultural studies; ancient Chinese works, modern Chinese works; theory of Chinese movies and television, etc.

* Chinese Philosophy

This course covers such fields as: the history of Chinese philosophy; schools of Chinese philosophy; political and moral ideology in ancient China; philosophy of science and technology; philosophy of religion; Marxist philosophy; logic; aesthetics; ethics; Daoist philosophy; Chinese Buddhism.

* Modern Chinese History

This is an introductory course which has no prerequisites and which assumes no prior knowledge of modern Chinese history. It introduces students to major themes and interpretations from the late Qing Dynasty in the 19th century to the end of 20th century. Both English textbooks and various original documents will be used in class.

* Chinese Literature

The syllabus provides an introduction to Chinese literature, including areas such as: a brief literary history; the main categories of Chinese literature; Chinese images in literary history; the comparative study of literature; ancient and modern Chinese works; aesthetics and theory; criticism of modern Chinese literature and its historical context; modern thoughts on literature in China.

Senior academic staff invloved

* Prof. Wang Xu

* Prof. Chen Jiaming

* Prof. Zhou Jianzhang

* Prof. Zhou Ning

* Prof. Peng Zhaorong

* Prof. Wang Nuo

* Prof. Chen Yanru

* Associate Prof. Sheng Jia

* Associate Prof. Song Ping

* Associate Prof. Zhuang Hongming

* Associate Prof. Liu Yonghua

* Associate Prof. Chen Qiang

* Associate Prof. Zhang Xianqing

* Associate Prof. She Shaomin

* Associate Prof. Liu Xuncheng

* Associate Prof. Lin Feng

School at a glance

The School of Humanities has 5 departments : Chinese Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, Journalism and Communication, and Anthropology and Ethnology. All the departments have a long history and are well-established; they draw on rich scholarly traditions and resources, and offer advanced scholarship across a wide range of disciplines; they seek to stimulate initiative and innovation in new fields of academic study and across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Currently the School has 67 full professors and 66 associate professors, 33 of whom are doctorate programme supervisors. Teachers and researchers with the title of professor or equivalent account for 77 percent of the academic staff.

The School of Humanities hosts one state key discipline in Chinese economic history, offers supervision in one principal PhD programme with eight secondary programmes. The School offers supervision in a further six secondary Ph.D. programmes, including Chinese linguistics, drama and traditional opera, and philosophy of science and technology. The School also runs 27 MA programmes. It is a national training and research base for foundation discipline in the literary arts, and history, and communications listed as provincial key disciplines. Currently the School has a total of 2,460 students, including 171 doctoral students, 604 master's students, and 58 international students.

Research centres

* Research Institute of Chinese Language and Literature,

* Research Institute of History,

* Research Institute of Anthropology,

* Research Institute of American History,

* Research Institute of Philosophy,

* Research Institute of Religion,

* Research Institute of Communications,

* Research Institute of Ancient Texts.

Contact information:

Principal: Prof. Sheng Jia Coordinator: Dr. Liu Jiajun

Tel: +86 (0)592 2183746 Fax: +86 (0)592 2187166

Email: ljj@xmu.edu.cn or humancol@xmu.edu.cn

Web: http://rwxy.xmu.edu.cn

"During my stay in China I've visited many places and cities, each has its own culture and charm that stunned me in many different ways. However, Xiamen is the one that impressed me the most. I fell in love with this city the moment I landed at this beautiful place. Added by the friendliest and warmest people I've ever met in China, and delicious cuisines, Xiamen is really a recommended place for anyone who wishes to have a cozy, healthy life.

Cendrawaty T. from Indonesia(second from right)

Master's student in Literature

As the city has a deep tie on me, it is pretty much understandable that I chose Xiamen University to continue my graduate programme. The campus speaks for itself and indeed justifies my true feeling for the city. Xiamen University is one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever seen, surrounded by lakes, elegant and classic buildings, plenty of stadiums. The atmosphere of studying at Xiamen University is also very stimulating, the relationship between the professors and students are pretty much cool, informal with mutual respect.

I really feel at home at Xiamen University. One of the experiences that I'll never forget is I get to know what "Bo Bing" is, a local dice game, which is quite interesting and fun to play. Finally, thanks Xiamen for making my life worth living. "