1. Principles of literary theories
- Introduction to the major theoretical concepts of literature; definition of the origin, the nature, the specific features and the functions of literature; the relationship between literature and other field of life.
- The characteristics and the process of literary creation;
- The characteristics and the process of literary reception, including the activities of literary criticism;
-The theoretical concepts of literature in relation with the practical life of literature; application of literary theories in analyzing literary works.
2. Literary works and genres
- Definition of literary work, its role and position and its relationship with other elements in literary life.
- Content and form of literary work, their mutual relationship, elements of literary work;
- Classification of literary works, major literary genres;
- Problems of the studies of literary work and literary genre.
3. Literary process
- Concept of process as aspect of literary theory;
- Major notions related with the study of literary process, such as: literary style, tendency, movement, school, methods, etc.
- Introduction to the major literary tendencies and movements in world literature and in Vietnamese literature: history, characteristics, prominent authors and works.
4. Vietnamese folklore
- Outline of the characteristics of Vietnamese folklore;
- Folklore of Viet people;
- Folklore of minor ethnicities in Vietnam..
5. Classical Vietnamese literature 1 (from 10th century to the middle of the 18th century)
The course provides the students with knowledge of the establishment and development of Vietnamese literature from the 10th century to the early 18th century; its periodization; its characteristics, major authors and works;
The students can improve their skills of reading, analyzing and commenting the literary work.
6.Classical Vietnamese literature 2 (from the late 18th century to the late 19th century)
The course gives the outline of Vietnamese literature from the late 18th century to the late 19th century, with its achievement and characteristics.
The students are provided with knowledge ofthe prominent authors and their works (Nguyễn Du, HồXuânHương, NguyễnKhuyến, NguyễnĐìnhChiểu)
The students can improve their skills of reading, analyzing and commenting the literary work
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7. Modern Vietnamese literature 1 (from 1900 to 1930)
The course gives the general picture of Vietnamese literature from 1900 to 1930, the process of literary modernization and the contribution of the major authors, such asPhanBộiChâu, Phan Chu Trinh, HồBiểuChánh, HoàngNgọcPhách, TảnĐà…
The students can improve their skills of reading, analyzing and commenting the literary work
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8. Modern Vietnamese literature 2 (from 1930 to 1945)
The course gives the historico-social and cultural background in which the revolution of Vietnamese literature took place. This was the process of modernization with the prominent literary phenomena such as the novels of “Self-Strengthening literary group" (Tựlựcvănđoàn), the poetry of ThơMới (“New Poetry”), the critical realism, the patriotic and revolutionary poetry by Ho Chí Minh, TốHữu and the others.
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9. Modern Vietnamese literature 3 (from 1945 to 1975)
The course provides the students with basic and systematic knowledge of the literary process in the period of 1945-1975. By introducing and analyzing the representative works of the prominent authors, the course helps the students in understanding the role and position of this period in the history as well as its contribution to the development of national literature and its influences to present day. The course also pays attention to the achievement of revolutionary literature during the Anti-French Resistance War and Anti-American Resistance War, as well as the literature in the cities of Southern Vietnam from 1954 to 1975.
10. Modern Vietnamese literature 4 (from 1975 to present day)
Characteristics of Vietnamese literary development from 1975, especially in DoiMoi (Renovation) period.
- Literature of 1975-1985 with post-war features;
- Literaturesince 1986 (DoiMoi period)
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11. Chinese literature
The course introduces the outline of the development of Chinese literature from pre-classical period to modern time.
The students are provided with basic knowledge of the periodization of Chinese literature, the characteristics, the most prominent tendencies, genres, authors and works of each period/dynasty.
The course also pays attention to the influences of classical Chinese literature to Vietnamese literature.
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12. French literature
The course provides students with fundamental and systematic knowledge of the history of French literature from Middle Age to the 20th century. The students are introduced with the major literary tendencies and movements (such as Renaissance, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, etc.) the major authors and their works.
The students can practice and improve their skills of reading, understanding and analyzing literary works during this course.
13. Russian and Slavic literature
During this course the students are provided with basic knowledge of:
- Russian literature in the Slavic geographical, historical and cultural context
- Development of Russian literature from its beginning to modern time;
- Most presentative authors and their works;
- Influences of Russian literature to modern Vietnamese literature.
14. Fieldwork trip
Field work and field trips are part of training for junior students, which are carried out in 2 weeks and funded by USSH. The students participate in compiling folklore in the provinces of Southern Vietnam and write the field work report when returningfrom the trip.
15. Poetics of folksong
- Traditional images/symbols in folksong
- Forms of folksong
- Elements of folksong (meters, rhythm, tone, etc.)
- Elements of performing arts in folksong
- Pratice: Students learn the skills for perceiving and analyzing several specific samples of Vietnamese folksong.
16. Poetics of folktale
The course provides students with knowledge of one of the folk narrative genres. It focuses in the following issues:
- Definition and classification
- Origin of folktale and its history
- Poetics of genre
The course also introduces several major schools of folklore and their approaches to folktale.
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17. Antique literature (Literature of ancient Greece and Roma)
- Outline of the ancient Greece and Roma: people, geography, history, culture;
- Introduction to prominent authors and works;
- Analyse of the successive character of the two literatures and the distinction between them;
- Influences of antique literature to development of the literature in the West
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18. English literature
- Introduction to English geography, people, history and culture.
- Outline of English literature from its beginning to modern time: periodization, achievement, specific features, major authors and works
- Position of English literature in general picture of European literature, its relationship with the literature of North America, of India and other former English colonial countries; reception of English literature in Vietnam.
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19. American literature
American literature is young but has gained many achievements and become one of the big, influental literatures in the world. Modernity and cosmopolism are basic features of American literature. At the same time the traditional elements, especially puritanist ideas have profound and long-term impacton its development.
The course helps students to understand those characteristics by providing them with knowledge of the major authors and their works. Puritanism and the settlement of English people in North America, Enlightment movement and the issues of national independence in the 18th century, Romanticism and Realism in the 19th century, Modernism and Post-modernism in the 20th century are the content of the course.
20. Indian literatures
The course provides students with basic knowledge of Indian literatures from ancient to modern time (characteristics, achievements).
21. Japanese and Korean literatures
The course helps students to have overview of Japanese and Korean literatures and have basic knowledge of major authors and works of those two East Asian literatures. Besides, the course also helps students to improve their thinking abilities and their taste for beauty through reading and analysing the masterpieces of Japanese literature (such as Genji monogatari, Basho’s haiku, Kawabata’s fiction etc) and Korean literature (such as Hwang Jinyi’s Sijo).
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22. Methods of literary criticism
- General issues: definition and terms,
- Major methods of literary criticism
- Application of those methods in studying the concrete works of Vietnamese and foreign literature.
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23. Introduction to art studies
-Methodology for art studies;
-Classification of art forms (music, painting, theatre, film) and their history, characteristics;
-Arts in the East
-Arts in the West
24. Poetry and modern Vietnamese poetry
- General theoretical knowledge of poetry;
- Modern Vietnamese poetry: overview
- “New Poetry” movement in the early 20th century (before 1945)
- Revolutionary poetry 1945-1980s
- Contemporary poetry (since 1990s)
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25. Short story and modern Vietnamese short story
- Short story: definition, origin, specific features, concepts of studies;
-Vietnamese short story from the beginning to modern time; its originality and elements of the influences from outside;
- Modern Vietnamese short story: characteristics, major authors and works.
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26. Novel and modern Vietnamese novel
- Novel as literary genre: definition, terms, specific features, novel in world literature
- Novel in Vietnam: its origin and historical development;
- Vietnamese novel in modern time: theoretical and practical issues
- Major modern Vietnamese novelists and their works
27. Modern Vietnamese literary criticism
- Definition of literary criticism; its tendencies in the world; position and rolr of literary criticism in literary life, its relationship with other fields of literary studies. .
- Vietnamese literary criticism in the 20th century: development, characteristics, tradition and influences of Western criticism; remarkable phenomena of Vietnamese literary criticism in the 20th century (the disputations on Nguyen Du’ Kiều, on ”art for art or art for life” etc.); major Vietnamese literary critics in 20th century; relationship between literary criticism and literary creation;
- Tendencies of Vietnamese literary criticism in present day.
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28. Poetics
The course helps students to understand the notions of poetics and improve their abilities of perceiving and analyzing literary works. The course consistes of the following parts:
- Poetics as aesthetical concepts and as system of artistic forms of literary work;
- Aethestic/artistic concepts of world and of human;
- Poetics of literary work;
- Poetics of author, movement, genre.
29. Introduction to comparative literature
The course is offered to senior students to help them to have an overview of the world literature, the relationship between the national literatures and the relationship “between literature and other fields of human expression” (such as religion, philosophy, different forms of art, sciences and so on).
The course also helps students to review some of their learning of literary theory and history, and to apply comparative method in studying literature.
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30. Vietnamese folksong
The course provides students with knowledge of following:
- Folksong: definition, terms
- Differents approaches to the studies of folksong;
- Characteristics and function of folksong in life
- Folksong consisting elements, their mutual relationship;
- Specific features of Vietnamese folksong; its classification; music and lyrics in Vietnamese folksong; folksong performance
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31. Culture of Southern Vietnam
Southern Vietnam isan area of Vietnam with geographic, historico-social and cultural specific features, at the same time is an unseparated part of the country.The course provides students with knowledge of literature, arts, religion of people in this area, which helps them to be prepared for the future job as well as to enhance their sense of country's sovereignty.
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32. Epics of Central Highlands
The course helps students to understand the nature and the characteristics of epics as specific genre in culture and literature of the people in Central Highlands of Vietnam. The epics of Central Highlands peoples (Bahnar, Ede, K’hor, Jarai) are studies in comparison with the ancient and medieval epics (such as Indian Mahabharata and Ramayan, Greek Iliad and Odyssee, French Song of Roland etc.).They are also compared with the epics of Southeast Asian nations (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia).
33. Nguyễn Trãi – his life and works
Nguyễn Trãi (1380-1442) was Vietnam national hero and great personality of culture. The course provides students with knowledge of his life and works as following:
- NguyễnTrãi’s lineage and family; contribution of NguyễnTrãi as politician to Lam Son uprising against Ming rule and the establishment of Le dynasty in Vietnam, his hard life as a mandarin of Le dynasty and his tragic end;
- NguyễnTrãi as writer and poet; his concepts of literature; characteristics of NguyễnTrãi’s literary legacy (poetics, style); his position and role in Vietnamese literature;
- Analyses of Nguyễn Trãi famous works: Quân trung từ mệnh tập; Bình Ngô đại cáo; Ức Trai thi tập; Quốc âm thi tập
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34. Nguyễn Du – his life and works
The course provides students with knowledge of the following issues:
Overview of the studies of Nguyễn Du;
NguyễnDu’slineage and family, his life, his concepts of literature,
Characteristics of NguyễnDu’s poetry written in classical Chinese;
Analyses of NguyễnDu’s major works written in Nom: The Tale of Kieu, Oration for Wandering Souls
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35. HồChí Minh – his life and works
The course provides students with knowledge of HồChí Minh as the great revolutionary as well as the writer and poet of Vietnam.
HồChí Minh’s literary works are introduced in 3 parts: essays, fiction and poetry.
Analyses of his major works (ideas, poetical style).
36. Humanism in literature
The course provides students with basic knowledge of humanism as the achievement of human thinking,andu helps them to define the humanism in Vietnamese literature.
The course introduces humanism as historical and theoretical categoria, gives an overview of the significant periods of humanism in world literature, such as Renaissance, or Marxist humanism
The course also pays attention on the relationship between humanism and patriotism, between nationalist and humanist values expressed in the literary works.
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38. Near and Middle Eastern literatures
The course helps students to have premilinary knowlege of Near and Middle Eastern literatures almost unknown but very important for them in widening the understanding of literature of the East and of the world as a whole.
Introduction to literature of Egypt, of Mesotamia, of Persia, of Arabia (origin, history, characteristics, major achievements with concentration on ancient and medieval periods).
39. Southeast Asian literatures
The course provides students with basic knowledge of Southeast Asian geographical, socio-historical and cultural background and the literature of the countries in this region.
The course introduces major traditional achievements of the literatures of Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, and their relationship with the cultures and literatures of India.
The course also pays attention on the relationship between Vietnamese literature and the literatures of other Southeast Asian countries.
40. History of Western aesthetics
- Background of Western aesthetics, development of aesthetic thingking in the West from ancient to modern time, major movements and schools, remarkable disputations of aesthetics; relationship with aesthetics of the East;
- Introduction to life, concepts, legacy and influences of the greatest aestheticians of the West;
- Western aesthetics in Vietnam, reception of Western aesthetic concepts in the literary studies. .
42.Post-modernism in literature
Outline of post-modernism in literature: definition and terms, socio-historical and cultural context, characteristics of post-modernism as literary contemporary movement;
Analyse of several representative phenomena of post-modernism in literature of the West and the East;
Post-modernist elements in the works by Vietnamese authors.
43. Introduction to theatre
The course provides students with fundamental knowledge of theatre and its relationship with literature.
44. Introduction to film art
The course provides students with fundamental knowledge of film art, its mutual relationship with literature
- General issues: definition, specific features, concepts of film art;
- Outline of film art history
- Introduction to several masterpieces;
- Film art in the relationship with literature and other arts.
45. Techniques of writing film scripts
The course provides students with basic theoretical knowledge of film scripts and helps them with several practical experiences of scripts writing through the representative works by the famous authors.
The students also practice their writing under the consultance of the teacher and the writers.
46. Literary translation and translated literature
Theories of translation
Role of tranlated literature in national literature;
Translation of Chinese, French, Russian, American (English) literature in Vietnam
47. Perceiving and writing poetry
Specific features of poetry
Poetry classification, versification
Verse with consistent meter
Free verse
Writing poetry (practice)
48. Perceiving and writing short story and novel (Creative writing)
General issues: short story and novel as literary genres, their characteristics, their development in history of world literature;
Introduction to the famous authors and analyse of their works
Methods of writng short story and novel (theory and practice)
49. Perceiving (classical) music
The course provides students with basic knowledge of classical music;
Musical work, musical language, musical performance (organization of the orchestra, types of musical intruments), famous compositors and their works.
50. Perceiving fine art
Introduction to fine art: specific language of fine art, major styles and schools, major painters and their works;
Introduction to fine art studies
Analyses of concrete painting works
51. Traditional performing arts in the South of Vietnam
The course provides students with basic knowledge of historical and cultural atmosphere and several types of the traditional performing arts in the South of Vietnam, such as cảilương, hátbội, đàncatàitử, etc.
52. Theatre in the East (except Vietnam)
Outline of the traditional theatre in the East: history, characteristics;
Classical Indian theatre (Sanskrit drama);
Chinese opera (xiqu)
Japanese noh, kabuki
Korean pansori
53. Art and media
Introduction to applied arts;
Public speech (oration);
Master of ceremony;
Event management