ELTE Institute of East Asian Studies

1088 Budapest Múzeum krt. 4/F
411-6550
tavolkeletint@btk.elte.hu

 

Department of Chinese Studies

Teaching modern and classical Chinese language, as well as Chinese history and culture, is our main focus at the Department of Chinese Studies within the Institute of East Asian Studies. Programs at BA, MA and PhD levels provide our students with useful and up-to-date knowledge with a historical perspective.

History

The Institute of East Asian Studies, founded in 1924, already emphasized the teaching and research of Chinese language and culture. Our department within its successor, the Institute of East Asian Studies, is now the longest established university-level department of Chinese studies in Hungary.
Similarly to other university majors since 2006, the Chinese major can be chosen in the three-level higher education system (BA, MA, PhD).

Education

At BA level (3 years), Chinese can be chosen within the BA in Oriental languages and cultures. Potential students must specify their choice already upon applying. Our BA program offers courses in two major fields. Firstly, it provides rather intensive training in modern Chinese language, with the help of which students “starting from scratch” achieve at least intermediate proficiency in both written and spoken Chinese. Secondly, the BA also comprises training in classical Chinese language, as well as Chinese history, culture, history of ideas, economics and politics.

The Chinese BA can also be completed as a minor. For students with another major, a program of 50 credits in Chinese studies enables them to master modern Chinese language and the basics of Chinese culture.

For students with a Chinese major, it is highly advisable to complete the specialization in Chinese translation and interpretation. After completing this 50–credit program, students can be officially acknowledged as interpreters and translators.

For BA students, there are several opportunities to study in China on state or other scholarships. With the help of various extra-curricular activities, such as lectures, films, and language competitions, organized in cooperation with the ELTE Confucius Institute, our Department helps our students to become more familiar with Chinese language and culture.

After obtaining a BA degree, students can choose between starting their professional careers and embarking on master’s level Sinology studies (2 years), which include both modern Chinese language and cultural studies, as well as classical fields of Sinology such as philology, linguistics, or history of ideas.

After obtaining an MA degree, those with scholarly ambitions can enrol for a doctoral program in Sinology (3 years), where they can concentrate on their scholarly research and obtain a PhD degree.

Main research fields

Main research fields of the lecturers of the Department are
* the history and characteristics of Chinese Buddhism
* history of ideas in China
* Chinese linguistics
* classical and modern Chinese literature
* Chinese history

btk.elte.hu/kinai