Engage with key aspects of Chinese Culture and Society
This programme offers you a unique opportunity to engage with key aspects of Chinese and Taiwanese culture, history, society, and politics. Expert scholars in the field will guide you as you explore aspects in Chinese Culture and Society that interest you.
In the first year, you will be introduced to advanced methodologies in China studies, giving you a solid foundation as you progress through your studies. You then have the option to immerse yourself in subjects related to Chinese culture and history. Or you may choose to expand your understanding of the Chinese and Taiwanese political system, their paths of development and current challenges, and the evolving position of China in the world. You can also broaden your perspective with a comparative East Asian angle or relate your studies to other disciplines relevant to your interest and thesis. Throughout your studies, you will use and further develop your language skills by reading and analyzing various types of Chinese sources.
Refine your academic skills
This programme encourages you to enrich your international experience, whether you’re aiming for an academic or non-academic career. We strongly recommend you spend a part of your master's studies abroad.
In your third semester, you can choose between three programme options: studying abroad at one of our many excellent partner universities around the world, undertaking an internship with an organization, business, or foreign affairs office in China or Taiwan, or combining data collection with training on how to communicate research results to a broader audience.
Altogether the programme will equip you with the skills necessary to understand an area of crucial importance. To that end, you will be trained in the use of relevant theories and methodologies in the field of contemporary Chinese Studies. Additionally, the programme emphasizes the active use of regional languages, thereby enhancing your language skills.
Dive deep into a topic that interests you
During your final semester, you write a master thesis on a topic of your choice. In dialog with professors at the institute, you’ll study and research one topic of Chinese Culture and Society comprehensively. Former students have researched topics such as facial recognition technology in the People’s Republica of China, aspects of Taiwanese cinema, the importance of guanxi in job seeking, and the last emperor’s eyeglasses. In DUO Research Archive you can find more examples of former topics. You will employ relevant theories and research methodologies ranging from fieldwork to philological studies and the use of libraries, archives, and databases.
Further studies and career opportunities
Finishing the programme will open doors to several possible career paths. A deep understanding of Chinese and Taiwanese culture, history, and society, as well as language skills make you well-prepared for a career in international and humanitarian organizations, diplomacy, business, journalism, education, the cultural sphere, and the public sector.
This programme also strengthens your general communicative skills that are important in any job, especially oral presentation and written discussion: how to summarize and refer to what others have written, how to evaluate different sources, and how to move from problem formulation to conclusion. In addition, it teaches you critical thinking and how to structure information as well as how to plan and organize your daily routine as preparation for a professional career.
The programme’s emphasis on critical thinking and advanced research methodologies also provides a strong foundation for further academic pursuits, such as pursuing a PhD in China studies or related disciplines.
Expand your expertise with an Honours Certificate
Do you seek additional academic challenges? As a student at the University of Oslo, you have the opportunity to supplement your master's degree with an Honours Certificate. The certificate accounts for 20 credits, which you take in addition to other courses in your master's degree. This is a unique opportunity to work interdisciplinarily, build networks, and gain new perspectives on your field of study.