China News Service, Beijing, March 23 (Reporter Gao Kai) The Ministry of Education of China recently announced 24 new undergraduate majors in general colleges and universities on its official website. The newly established Chinese Classics major at Renmin University of China is among them, attracting a lot of attention. focus on.
What are the main study and research contents of Chinese Classics? How will talent be developed? In response to the above questions, Wu Yang, deputy dean of the School of Chinese Studies at Renmin University of China, recently accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service to reveal the secrets of the new major.
Chinese Studies Museum, Renmin University of China. (Photo provided by interviewee)
Regarding the question of "what to study" in the Chinese Classics major, Wu Yang said that Chinese Classics is a new major established with the study of ancient Chinese classics as the main teaching and research subject and the ontology research of ancient China as the goal.
He specifically pointed out that, unlike Western classics, Chinese classics places more emphasis on inheriting traditional Chinese academic methods in research methods, starting from “elementary school” and referring to “Sinology” and beyond “university”. It is based on traditional Chinese philology. to strengthen the interpretation of ancient classics. At the same time, Chinese classics also attaches great importance to the study of the history, language and culture of ancient China's multi-ethnic groups, and is committed to imparting excellent traditional cultural concepts under the concept of the Chinese nation's community.
Wu Yang said that compared with professional fields such as ancient literature and ancient philosophy, a very important point in the professional study of Chinese classics is to return to the classics themselves, even to the "original version" as much as possible. Relevant extensive and in-depth research is of great significance to building China's independent knowledge system and establishing an independent academic system.
Information Room of the School of Chinese Studies, Renmin University of China. Photo by China News Service reporter Gao Kai
Talking about the curriculum, Wu Yang introduced that there are a large number of original study courses including "Book of Changes" study, "Shang Shu" study, "Book of Songs" study and so on, as well as the study of writing books such as "Xiaoyu Xue", that is, using ancient books As the center, we study the edition, collation, writing and dissemination of ancient books and other documentary issues.
In their professional studies, students will also be exposed to the course "Ancient Chinese Arithmetic". Wu Yang introduced that this course mainly talks about the basic knowledge of ancient magic and its ideological evolution. Magic is a long-standing knowledge system and belief model in Chinese society, such as astronomy, calendar, astrology, divination, Kanyu, spells, etc. , they jointly constructed and supported the ancient Chinese cosmology and worldview.
"Arithmetic is a special gene of traditional Chinese culture and is closely related to social life. It is an effective way for us to examine and understand ancient Chinese thought and culture." Wu Yang said.
In addition, the training system of the new major will also include corresponding practical learning, including study tours, reading classes, joint research projects, guqin and other traditional cultural acquisitions, etc., so that students can fully understand the connotation of China's excellent traditional culture and have the ability to appreciate the excellent Chinese culture. The ability of traditional culture to carry out creative transformation and innovative development.
Wu Yang said that Chinese classics is actually an interdisciplinary subject, not only within the humanities, but also between the humanities and social disciplines, and can also intersect with science and engineering. "For example, how to understand ancient Chinese mathematical concepts and scientific consciousness, and how to reflect the vitality of China's excellent traditional culture in digital humanities, these will be the disciplinary characteristics of Chinese classical studies."
It is reported that the Chinese Classics major will be able to enroll students for the college entrance examination starting in 2024. Looking forward to talent training, Wu Yang said that Renmin University of China hopes to achieve vertical integration of undergraduate, master's and doctoral knowledge and courses through new subject planning and professional training plans. "We hope that the new discipline can cultivate scholars who specialize in Chinese classics. Even if some students later choose to study in other directions, I believe that the foundation laid by this discipline will add points to their future development."
He particularly emphasized that Chinese classics is by no means a "closed-door" subject. Instead, it is necessary to study not only the origin and development of Chinese classics and culture in the country, but also their development and influence after they went overseas in their early years. The new major will actively encourage students to study abroad, participate in joint training projects, participate in international conferences, and publish international papers. "The talents we train need to master traditional Chinese academic paths, be familiar with the Chinese classical knowledge system, and have a world humanities academic vision." (End)