Sociology

Sinology is a philosophical-historical field that focuses on Chinese culture and its development in its intellectual, artistic, and material manifestations. The field is based on the study of primary written and material sources and thus cannot be studied without sufficient skills in the Chinese language and its various stages of development. The individual areas of Chinese culture the field investigates through the study of sources include the language itself as well as history, literature, philosophy, religion, law, economy, society, geography, and ethnology. All of these areas of Sinology are held together by the study of the Chinese language and the acquisition of basic skills in history, literature, and philosophy. Students of the major field program acquire fundamental knowledge of Chinese culture and in-depth knowledge in a selected area of Sinology. In addition, students are expected to develop the ability to conduct independent academic research and acquire basic competencies for a profession with a bearing on China. The goal of the program is to provide students with a solid linguistic and academic basis and thus prepare them for a career or a continuation of their studies in a master’s program.