Trinity’s front façade goes red to celebrate the Dublin Chinese New Year festival
Posted on: 04 February 2019
- Expansion of the university’s Chinese studies programme announced to mark the arrival of the Year of the Pig
Trinity College Dublin’s front façade was lit up red over the weekend to celebrate the Dublin Chinese New Year festival. Trinity also announced a major expansion of its Chinese Studies programme at the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies to mark the arrival of the Year of the Pig.
The Trinity Centre for Asian Studies is a flagship teaching and research centre that focuses on the study of contemporary East Asia. The centre will recruit a new professor in Chinese Studies, made possible by a generous donation by Dr Sam Lam, a Trinity medical graduate (1963) based in Hong Kong. This gift brings Dr Lam’s philanthropic contribution to his alma mater to the value of €1.4M, enabling this significant expansion of Trinity’s Chinese Studies programme.
The new professor will join the existing team of professors in Chinese political science, history and linguistics to oversee and implement what is now Ireland’s most extensive Chinese Studies programme at third-level. The Chinese Studies programme at Trinity College Dublin now includes:
- Taught Master’s degree in Chinese Studies, now available as a two-year part-time option as well as a one-year full-time degree
- Fully funded Master’s scholarships in Chinese Studies for EU/non-EU students including full fee waivers and monthly stipends (generously supported by TCD alumni Eoin & Cliona Murphy, engineering graduates)
- Funded doctoral and postdoctoral research projects in Chinese Studies
- New credit-bearing Chinese language and culture modules for all undergraduates as part of the Trinity Electives programme launching in Sept 2019
- Evening extramural programme in Chinese language and culture for the general public
- Active public lecture and seminar series including a full programme of events to celebrate the Year of the Pig (www.tcd.ie/Asian/events)
The Provost, Dr Patrick Prendergast said: “We look forward to appointing a world authority on China to provide the vision and experience necessary to expand Chinese Studies in Trinity. We could not have developed the field of Chinese Studies without the remarkable support of Dr Sam Lam, motivated both by his affection for Trinity and Ireland and his wish to do something substantive here, and his patriotism and wish to share the richness of Chinese language, history and culture with the world. Trinity already enjoys substantial research and education collaborations with universities and institutes in China, including with Peking, Tsinghua, Beihang, Fudan, and Tongji Universities. Investment in Chinese Studies here on campus can only enhance and expand these collaborations”.
The Director of the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies, Professor Lorna Carson said: “We are delighted to see this important expansion of our Chinese Studies programme. It is an endorsement for our mission to promote the understanding of China in Ireland, and underpins the ambition we have to become a leading international centre of scholarship. We really look forward to welcoming a new leading researcher to join our vibrant community of scholars dedicated to the study of modern China”.