East Asian Studies MPhil
The object of this new option is to provide a focused but also flexible grounding in the history, culture, politics and international relations of the region. The schedule is distinctive in approaching the study of the region from a consciously integrated perspective and via the small seminars and highly personalised and tailored instruction that is the hallmark of Cambridge's traditional supervision system. You will be taught in small groups by most of the staff in the department, and you will have access to a wide range of expertise and the superb East Asian resources in the University Library for your dissertation.
Students taking the course will be expected to have at least BA IIi level command of Chinese or Korean or Japanese. Many will have completed a BA in one of these subjects; academically qualified native speakers of any one of those languages will be welcome, provided of course that they have a sufficient command of English. In the current year there are students from Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan and Korea on the course.
Students who complete the proposed option to a sufficient standard will be ready to undertake doctoral work at Cambridge or elsewhere with a greater or lesser East Asian dimension. Those not intending to continue their studies will have not only the high-level communication skills required by employers but also a broad knowledge of the East Asian region and a range of analytical skills that, given the rising importance and prominence of East Asia in world affairs, is much sought after.
The course convenor for 2012-2013 will be Dr Mike Shin (mds71@cam.ac.uk).
