Postgraduate courses and subjects 2000

Chinese studies

China, as the world's longest continuous civilisation, provides rich sources as well as case studies for wide varieties of research in the humanities and social sciences. The study of China covers a diverse range of research areas and uses several disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches. Chinese studies at Monash focus on cultural and political issues in 19th and 20thcentury China (including Taiwan), with specific emphases on the use of both Chinese and Western sources. Staff also engage in international collaborative research. There is an emphasis on the critical awareness of Sinology and Chinese studies as Western research enterprises in order to redress existing imbalances in China research approaches.
At present, Monash offers supervision of PhD and research masters candidates in Chinese studies. Areas of research supervision include Chinese politics and economics (with an emphasis on contemporary mainland China and Taiwan), traditional and modern Chinese literature, mainland and diasporic cultural issues, Chinese philosophy and intellectual history, contemporary Chinese intellectuality, Chinese linguistics (with an emphasis on cognitive and language teaching issues), and post-Mao Chinese society. Close links are maintained with several universities and research institutions in the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. Travel and field grants are also available on a competitive basis for postgraduate research projects. Also see the entry under 'Asian studies'.