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Singapore
is a small, modern island state, accessible from anywhere
in the world. The country offers rich opportunities for
the student of language or literature. It has four official
languages, as well as many other smaller language communities.
This makes it an ideal place to study important linguistic
topics such as language contact, language variation, and
language planning. Singapore also has a significant literary
tradition within the broader context of the literatures
and cultures of the Asia-Pacific. Its location, its modernity
and its history fit it for the study of the region’s writing
and cultures, of diaspora and of postcoloniality.
The Department offers graduate degrees in three areas, Language
Studies, Literary Studies and Theatre Studies, at three levels:
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MA
by coursework (in Language Studies and Literary Studies) |
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MA
by research (in Language Studies, Literary Studies, and Theatre Studies) |
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PhD (in Language Studies, Literary Studies, and Theatre Studies) |
Both the research MA and the PhD have a taught component,
organized in modules which last one semester, all of which
combine focused study, disciplinary rigor and some interdisciplinary
breadth. All the degrees can be taken either full-time
or part-time.
Philosophy and Structure
Although our three areas of study
are quite different in some respects, there are common
assumptions behind the design of each program. We believe
that graduate students should acquire three qualities:
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they
should develop a specialized expertise in one defined
area; |
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they
should become well grounded in the broader principles,
knowledge and skills of the discipline; |
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and
they should gain some understanding and experience
of other disciplines, especially those that intersect
with their own. |
Our programs reflect this belief.
Language Studies and Literary Studies degrees comprise
modules which belong to three identifiable but overlapping
groups.
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Firstly,
there are 'concentration' modules which reflect
our greatest strengths in terms of combined faculty
expertise. These allow students to pursue focused
and extended study in one domain of the discipline.
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Secondly,
there are 'foundation' modules. The word 'foundation'
here refers not to the level of study, since these
are advanced courses, but to their location in central
areas of the discipline. |
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Finally,
we have ‘interface’ modules that offer breadth and
the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary study.
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The
combination of these three interconnected kinds of study
offers our students the route to a genuinely advanced
level of knowledge and skill. It provides the basis for
future study and research, or for demanding, high level
work either within or outside the academy. |
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