I. Cultivation Objectives
With the in-depth development of education in China, the teaching status of ancient world history has become increasingly prominent. Based on the characteristics of the discipline itself and the current situation of academic research, theInstitute for the History of Ancient Civilizations (IHAC)of Northeast Normal University adheres to the academic tradition of cultivating students with an international perspective and the ability to master one or two ancient languages. Through the master's degree, the graduate students should have a preliminary mastery of ancient texts of relevant disciplines, be familiar with the history and culture of relevant regions, be familiar with relevant academic theories and research methods, and be able to complete a standardized dissertation independently based on what they have learned. This stage of study can be regarded as a preparation for further study or independent specialized research tasks at the doctoral level.
II. Research Direction
1. Assyriology
2.Hittitology
3. Egyptology
4. Western Classical Studies (Ancient Greek / Ancient Latin)
5. Byzantine studies
III. History
The Institute for the History of Ancient Civilizations (IHAC) is a research institute on ancient history, ancient languages, and archaeology. Founded in 1984 by the Chinese professor Lin Zhichun (Northeast Normal University) in cooperation with Zhou Gucheng (Fudan University) and Wu Yujin (Wuhan University), the IHAC was the first Chinese institute to establish chairs and academic research positions for Assyriology, Egyptology, Hittitology and (Western) Classics, and has contributed substantially to the development of these fields in China.
The inspiring academic atmosphere is due to the unique combination of mainly Chinese faculty staff, highly motivated students and annually renewable research and teaching positions for foreign visiting professors. Besides long-term visiting professors, the IHAC regularly invites scholars around the world to give lectures, contribute to the workshop as well as conferences, and do research in the up-to-date library. IHAC offers degree programs for both Chinese and International students (MA and Ph.D.) during which our students acquire an effective understanding of one or two ancient languages, the history and culture of the specific field and develop their knowledge of academic English and other modern languages (e.g. German, French or Italian).
Since 1986, the IHAC publishes the Journal of Ancient Civilizations(JAC) which became a double-blind peer-reviewed journal. JAC provides a forum for the discussion of various aspects of the cultural and historical processes in the Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean world, encompassing studies of individual civilizations as well as common elements, contacts and interactions among them.
IV. Features
1. All courses are taught in Chinese and English.
2. IHAC brings together the disciplines of Classic Studies, Egyptology, Assyriology and other ancient civilizations, which are uncommon in China and abroad.
3. A rational curriculum for the specialization, with the first year focusing on basic language studies, respectively Latin, Greek, hieroglyphics, cuneiform, etc., the second year on literature reading, and the third year on specialized research.
4. IHAC currently has six foreign professors，so IHAC has a strong international atmosphere.
