Bulletin Summer 1977

Chinese Department of Chinese University The Department o f Chinese Language and Literature of the Chinese University has the following objectives: (1) To familiarize students with the characteristics, structure and development o f the Chinese spoken and written languages so as to increase their capabilities in the study o f Chinese language; (2) To increase students' capabilities in the under­ standing, appreciation and criticism of Chinese literature through a study o f its development, so as to promote their interest in research and creative writing; and (3) To provide them with basic knowledge o f Chinese philosophy and its development The Chinese Department is the largest depart ment in the University, with 31 teachers and 304 major students. All freshmen are required to take General Chinese, which provides them with basic training in Chinese writing and reading. The total number o f students taking General Chinese in 1976-77 is 996, representing 90% of the freshmen, the remain ing 10% having been exempted on account of special qualifications. The Translation Department has this year been incorporated into the Chinese Department, which will thus be able to contribute to cultural interflow be tween east and west. Q. The Chinese Department o f this University has always been the focus o f attention and much im portance is attached to it. Has it succeeded in achieving its objectives? A. We dare not say we are anywhere near success in achieving the objectives o f the department, but we are trying our best. We are faced w ith various difficulties, our teaching strength is unable to cope w ith the heavy teaching load, and the effect o f the implementation o f the newly revised pro gramme o f studies is still to be seen. We are de termined to improve the standard o f the Chinese Department, thereby contributing more to the promotion o f Chinese culture. Q. Does the teaching o f General Chinese account for the heavy workload o f the department's staff? A. Yes, teachers o f our department are responsible for the teaching o f General Chinese courses which make up about 30-40% o f the total workload. To improve the situation, more language instructors should be recruited to take up all General Chinese classes, so that other teachers o f the department may devote all their time and efforts to the teaching and planning o f undergraduate courses. Q. What is the philosophy behind the revision of the Chinese programme o f studies? A. Previously the Chinese programme o f studies was designed mainly for the training o f specialists and scholars, but actually only a small percentage of the students o f the Chinese Department furthered their studies after graduation. We have therefore revised the programme to give equal emphasis to general and special training. Elective courses are divided into two concentration areas: "General" and "Study o f Great Works", and students may take any o f the courses according to their interest and needs. The emphasis o f the former is on the training of students' writing ability to meet the needs o f society, while the latter aims to train students for independent research. Q. Has there been a shift o f emphasis at the graduate level also? A. The Division o f Chinese Language and Literature o f the Graduate School is sub-divided into the Chinese Linguistics Section and the Chinese Literature Section. Professor Chou Fa-kao was until last year in charge o f the Chinese Linguistics Section o f this graduate division and several students studied ancient Chinese bronze inscrip­ tions under him. In the next few years, more emphasis w ill be put on the study o f dialects in the field o f language, and on the study o f recently unearthed data in the field of paleography. For instance, a student is at present doing research on the borrowed characters o f Tao-Te-Ching un­ earthed from the Han Tomb. For the Chinese Literature Section, research efforts have mainly been on individual authors and literary works, and theses published by the University including Poetry o f Eastern and Western Chin and The View o f Literature o f Huang Shan-ku (in the press). More attention w ill now be paid to folk literature; in fact, we have a student studying the rhythmical scheme o f the