Introduction of the Department of Chinese Literature National Chengchi University
Purpose
The purpose of the Department of Chinese Literature is developing academic researchers, Chinese teachers of high schools, literary authors, Chinese language teaching teachers, and cultural experts.
Feature
A. The Department was found in 1956. The Undergraduate Program was set up first and then the M.A. Program, Ph.D. Program, as well as M.A. Program for on-the-job Chinese Teacher of High School were established continually. For more than half century after the foundation, all faculty and students have worked hard to constitute a substantial, open, and cheerful teaching and learning environment.
B. The Department not only attaches importance to the academic tradition of textual research, implication, and rhetoric, but also pays attention to the development and progress of the epoch. All in all, the framework of our courses is diachronic and complete.
C. The Department attaches importance to interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning. Besides the professional courses of Chinese literature, culture, and language, we also cooperate with other departments and academic institutions on campus and have great achievements.
D. All departments at National Chengchi University pay much attention to Chinese instructions and all faculty of our department are responsible for it. The University also holds exhibition of Chinese compositions every year. The Department created the way of seminar in 1996 and there have been abundant courses, such as classical literature, contemporary literature, philosophy, linguistics, and etc. Students can choose the courses by themselves freely.
E. The number of foreign students at the University is the highest among others. The plan for exchange professors and students provides abundant resources, which are useful for native students to help foreign students to know Chinese traditional culture as well as reinforce their own international viewpoints.
F. The University built up and implemented the system of tutor spontaneously decades ago. Tutors all devote themselves to guide students’ studies and take care of their daily lives. This system makes the Department harmonious and everyone here cheerful.
Course
There are three fields of the courses in the Department: literatures, thoughts, and linguistics. The field of literatures includes classical literature, contemporary literature, literary theory, Taiwan literature and etc. It covers various eras, areas, genres, as well as sects, and we attach importance to both theory and practice.
The field of thoughts includes Philosophy of Classic, Philosophy of Schools, Buddhism, academic transformation and etc. It covers Confucianism, various schools of thoughts, important canons in every dynasty, and the disciplines such as the history of thoughts, history of academics, and history of Philosophy of Classic.
The field of linguistics includes philology, phonology, exegesis, and the disciplines such as collection, rhetoric, practical essay, arts of calligraphy and etc. The basic subjects are compulsory; the specialized subjects are part optional, while other derivative subjects are elective. The courses are suitably set to the schedule of class in every grade. In order to give students chances to take their interesting courses, we offer the part-optional courses and elective courses by turns.
Faculty
There are dozens of full-time and part-time teachers in the Department. Their specialties includes contemporary literature, classical literature, literary theory, popular literature, Philosophy of Classic, Buddhism, Philosophy of Principle in the Song and Ming Dynasty, the academic thoughts in the Ming and Qing Dynasty, philology, phonology, exegesis, unearthed documents, School of Dunhuang, Japanese Sinology…. The faculty in the Department not only has professional expertise but also is public-spirited, approachable, and responsible since we recruit the specialists without sectarianism. Moreover, we invite overseas eminent scholars to be visiting professors to deliver lectures in the Department.
Academic Events
The Department holds international symposium once or twice a year. For example, “Symposium of Han Literature and Thought” has been held since 1990. Moreover, we set up a research group of unearthed documents in 2007 and published the research achievements of the selected documents every year. Moreover, the Department has held “Forum of Professor Wang Meng-Ou” annually since 2005 and “Forum of Pan Huang Ya-Sian” annually since 2009 and widely invited eminent scholars to join the forums.
The graduates host “DaoNan Lun Hen: National Graduate Conference on Sinology in the Department of Chinese Literature at NCCU” and publish an anthology once a year.
The Department publishes the “Bulletin of the Department of Chinese Literature, NCCU”, which is selected by “Taiwan Humanities Citation Index Core” and provided a subsidy from Center for Humanities Research in the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is a principle academic journal in Taiwan.
Extracurricular Activities
The Department holds “Orientation Party,” “Orientation Camping,” “Forum of Minor or Double Majors,” “Singing Contest,” “Week of Chinese literature,” “Night of Drama,” “Forum of Career,” “Party of Graduating Seniors,” and etc. Besides, we also join the activities on campus, such as “Exhibit of all Departments,” “Choral Competition,” “Anniversary Games,” “Cheerleading,” “Marathon,” and etc. Moreover, we participate in many national ball games and get wonderful grades every time.
On the other hand, the Department holds “Art Camp for Senior High School Students” and “Art Camp for Children” in summer vacation every year. Students of the Department are responsible to plan a theme and invite relative famous authors and literary critics to give their speeches in the camp. These two camps are both highly acclaimed.
Alumni
The Alumni of the Department has reached five thousand so far and they all have outstanding achievements. Most alumni are teachers at universities, senior and junior high schools. Others work at cultural and creative industries, mass communications industries, as well as publishing companies. Parts of them had minor or double majors and therefore enter the government, financial banks, law firms, or computer industries after graduation. They are esteemed and become brilliant people in the society because of their humanistic attainments.
Conclusion
There are brilliant and earnest professors, positive and aggressive students, outstanding alumni, substantial basic subjects, abundant elective subjects, and balanced learning environment in the Department. Our hard works has formed the admirable tradition. We ardently expect more and more aspiring youths to join us. Everyone in the Department strives to study and develops great morality in order to use the humanistic spirit to irrigate the withered society and make the state and world more peaceful and harmonious.
