Postgraduate Programmes and Admissions

Admissions to the M.Phil. Programme in English (Literary Studies)

The long-range goals of the Programme include those appropriate to literary studies in English as well as those of most Comparative Literature programmes throughout the world: to encourage critical and systematic studies of English and other literatures in the fullness of their mutual relationships. It attempts to develop in the students an understanding of advanced literary studies in English as well as a critical sense of perceiving resemblances and differences in literatures with various cultural and philosophical backgrounds.

The programme is organised to focus on both literary & cultural study, since at the graduate level, literary research often converges with other disciplines. Comparative Literature, apart from cross?cultural studies of literature in influence and reception studies, genre, structure, period and movement, etc. also embraces such recognized topics as the relations between literature and the other arts (e.g., painting, music and film), between literature and sociology (e.g., socio?cultural approaches, sociology of literature, critical theory), between literature and philosophy (e.g., aesthetics, phenomenology, analytic philosophy, hermeneutics), between literature and history (e.g., historicism, new historicism, Marxist criticism), between literature and language (e.g., semiotics, stylistics and literary discourse analysis), and between literature and culture (e.g., history of ideas, cultural analysis).

The Chinese University of Hong Kong's bicultural environment aims to provide an ideal context for English and Comparative Literature studies which, in turn, will reinforce and strengthen the special efforts the University is making towards better East-West relations.

Requirements

Candidates for the M.Phil. in English (Literary Studies) should normally possess an honours degree in English or a literature?related field. Candidates with good honours degrees in subjects other than English may also be considered. Candidates for the M.Phil. in English (Literary Studies) have two specialisation options:

(A) English Studies. Candidates for this option must satisfy the Graduate Panel that they have achieved a strong background in English language and literature.

(B) Comparative Literature/Cultural Studies. Candidates for this option must satisfy the requirements as stated in (A) and have a strong background in Chinese language and literature.

Local applicants are required to submit an 800 word research plan and attend an interview, during which they are required to describe their research interests and goals for postgraduate study. The interview aims at assessing the applicants' analytical ability, their command of the English language, and their knowledge of basic concepts and issues in literary studies. For applicants from overseas, PRC and Taiwan, GRE (Literature in English Test) score is preferred, in addition to the research plan and TOEFL results. (If test results are not available, then an interview and/or test may be required.)

Applicants must also meet the general requirements as defined in the most recent Graduate School brochure, published in Chinese and English, by The Chinese University of Hong Kong.