Since the 2017-2018 school year, Master’s Studies in China Studies at the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University (MU) has become a ‘dual degree’ programme in cooperation with the Institute of Chinese Studies at Zhejiang University (ZJU) (Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China).
The Master’s Studies programme: the first year is spent at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, the second year is spent at ZJU. Students are nominated by the Chinese Studies Seminar at the beginning of the spring semester. Subsequently, they need to pass through the admissions procedures of ZJU.
The study culminates with gaining of two Master’s titles (from MU and ZJU) based on the defence of one joint diploma thesis written in English and the fulfilment of other requirements (the state exam at FF MU).
Studying at the ZJU includes:
1) the compulsory part of the curriculum in English
2) the optional possibility of enrolling for any subjects across Zhejiang University, as long as the internal rules of the individual institutes allow (i.e. any subjects apart from those that are, for various reasons, open only to students of the particular field of study, as is the case at MU)
3) Intensive advanced language course in Modern Chinese
The mandatory part of the ZJU curriculum includes the following:
Students are required to choose a compulsory set of subjects from three blocks according to their professional interest.
1) History and civilization
This module focuses on extensive reading of key texts of Chinese culture and their contemporary interpretation. Students will gain knowledge of key aspects of traditional Chinese civilization and a comprehensive understanding of contemporary trends in Chinese thought. Students will be able to analyze the role of tradition in contemporary Chinese life and culture by means of lectures, excursions and field research.
2) Society and life
This module focuses on gaining competencies in empirical research methods and critical analysis of sources in anthropology and sociology. Students are encouraged to carry out empirical research in the preparation of their diploma theses in various institutions of urban and rural China.
3) Transformation and development
This module introduces the political and economic changes that have been shaping China since its reforms in 1978. Students gain knowledge about the functioning of the Chinese political system in different areas of social life. Students are encouraged to research mainly in the form of case studies analyzing the consequences of Chinese economic development from an interdisciplinary perspective.
The Dual Degree programme of The Chinese Studies Seminar at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University and the Chinese Studies Institute (ZJU) allow for a variety of options to combine the curricula of both departments. It is important to emphasize one of them, which will be particularly supported. Namely, it allows for the systematic implementation of research into themes that cannot be carried out in standard studies in the Czech Republic, i.e., conducting field research in the Chinese environment. During the course of their studies at the Faulty of Arts, students will start to prepare for subjects on which they will be able to collect material from the field under the guidance of experts from the ZJU.
However, any topics that connect the offers of the two institutions may be chosen and will be supported.