Chinese Studies

Specialisation of: Asian Studies
Degree: Master of Arts in Asian Studies
Mode of Study: Full-time
Duration: 2 years
Start date: September
Language of instruction: English
Location: Leiden
Croho/isat code: 60840
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This two-year specialisation in Chinese Studies combines content courses with intensive and advanced language training. You will be taught by internationally recognised experts in fields ranging from political science to literature and religion, as well as experienced teachers of Chinese as a foreign language.
The programme will equip you with an excellent command of Mandarin (and – in the case of certain specialisations – of Classical Chinese), a broad knowledge of China, insight into its internal and external dynamics, and starting points for contextualising China within Asia. An important part of your training and education you will get from your one year stay at a prominent Chinese university.


In addition, the programme utilises the resources of the world-renowned Leiden sinological library, one of the largest and most diverse collection in Europe and an important reference point for scholars from around the world.

Programme

The MA in Chinese Studies provides you with a large and varied selection of subjects. As a result, you have some freedom to create your own specialisation, which could range from carrying out research on Mandarin to researching specific cultural issues in Chinese society. You will be advised by your tutor on which topics are open to you.

The programme is divided into two parts, spread over a two-year period:

Year 1: Mainland China or Taiwan

This year will take place at a university in China or Taiwan. The purpose is to strengthen your language skills while developing your understanding of the country and its society. At these universities, programmes in Chinese language and civilisation for foreign students typically include courses such as conversation, writing, newspaper readings and translation, offered at various levels for each course. While most courses run throughout the academic year, some may be offered for one term only; and there is, obviously, variation across institutions. [Applicants who completed (the equivalent of) a year’s study in situ no longer than three academic years before their entry into the programme, and whose experience since justifies the assumption that they have maintained their command of Chinese, are encouraged to apply for exemption from the first-year courses and permission to enter the programme in its second year.]

Year 2: Leiden

In the second year you will study the following courses in Leiden:

  • A master class in Asian Studies, covering topics such as Asian worldviews or Asian concepts of modernity
  • A state-of-the-field seminar, e.g. on modern Chinese politics and government
  • Language Training in Modern Chinese, with the possibility of taking Classical Chinese as well, should your specialisation require it
  • Topical readings in Modern Chinese, Classical Chinese or Chinese Linguistics
  • Writing in Modern Chinese
  • MA thesis. Half of the programme’s final term is reserved for writing your MA thesis. The thesis is based on original research, and makes substantial use of primary material in Chinese and professional literature. It is written in English, and reflects the scholarly virtues of originality, focus and conciseness.

For the most up to date course overview, see the e-Prospectus.

Prof. Maghiel van Crevel

Maghiel van Crevel

We don’t tell students what they should do; we are educators, stimulating students to pursue their own cultural or linguistic interests.”

“Within our MA programme, all the lecturers rotate their activities: next year, for example, I will be giving individual supervision in literature and art. You coach students, of course, but at this level they themselves have to propose a subject. Like, for example, a Spanish student who is now completing her MA with a study of artistic depictions of forced evacuations because of that enormous dam across the Yangtze – an important and very interesting subject. We don’t want to tell students what they should do; we are educators, stimulating students to pursue their own cultural or linguistic interests.

Chinese Studies is expanding at a rapid pace, in part as a result of the growth of the Chinese economy. There are those who come in with a future business plan, but there are also students who are
interested in art, philosophy, literature, history and so on.

What is so special about this master’s is primarily that it is multi-disciplinary. I am a specialist in modern Chinese poetry; my colleagues include philosophers, political scientists, historians, economists, experts in material culture and religion etc. In addition, we offer a state-of-the-art language programme covering both modern and classical Chinese. We encourage students to extend their range of interest. The China-related library is one of the best in Europe and we have a very international team. It is this combination which makes this master’s programme so special.”