Research Postgraduate Programmes — Master of Philosophy
- Master of Philosophy
- Doctor of Philosophy
Master of Philosophy
In addition to the compulsory courses offered by the Graduate School, MPhil and 4-year PhD candidates are required to complete two compulsory courses, CHIN6002 and CHIN6003, offered by the School. Students are also strongly advised to take the Research Methods course (CHIN6001) in lieu of the equivalent course offered by the Graduate School. All courses should be completed by the end of the probationary period except for the Seminar course (CHIN6003) which can be finished by the end of the candidature.
CHIN6001. Research Methods in Chinese Studies
This course is designed as a research method course specifically tailored for the first-year students pursuing MPhil and PhD degrees in the School of Chinese. Its intention is to expose students to the latest development in data collection techniques and main electronic databases relevant to the study of Chinese language and literature, history, philosophy, and translation. It introduces the research outcomes, important debates, and latest theories in these aforementioned fields by discussing selected recent publications by both mainland and overseas scholars. It thus functions as a general survey on the current state of these fields.
Assessment: 100% coursework on a pass/fail basis.
* Students are strongly advised to take CHIN6001 which can be taken in lieu of the compulsory course offered by the Graduate School, “GRSC6034 Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods (The Humanities & Related Disciplines)” or “GRSC6036 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods (The Humanities & Related Disciplines)”, but cannot be counted as a compulsory course in the departmental coursework requirement.
CHIN6002. Special Topics in Chinese Studies
This course introduces students to the topics that are of relevance to their research specialties but have not been taken previously. Subject to the approval of the thesis supervisor and the Chairman of the Departmental Research Postgraduate Committee, students will select one 6-credit course from the undergraduate programmes, or one from the M.A. programmes. They will be given assignments at the equivalent research postgraduate level. The format of assignments may vary, depending on the courses chosen. It may include classroom presentations and essays, and will be decided at the discretion of the teachers.
Assessment: 100% coursework on a pass/fail basis.
CHIN6003. Seminar
This seminar course runs in parallel to the School of Chinese’s staff seminar. It consists of two parts – an oral presentation at the seminar on their research subject during their course of study (and before submitting their theses), and seminar attendance. During their candidature, research postgraduate students (except those admitted for the 3-year PhD programme) will take turn to do a public oral presentation, followed by a Q&A session. At present, students taking this course are required to attend 10 seminars, among which at least 6 should be research postgraduate presentations. Performance in seminars will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.
