(Nhan Dan Newspaper) "Pulling" young people closer to Literature: Upgrading training to avoid falling behind

More broadly, the issue is still relevant: How should we value Literature and the field of literature in schools? How can we make Literature more attractive to students? What should we do to make the literature training industry more attractive to young people? Through this topic, we hope that the opinions from the direct teaching staff can suggest some things for the above expectations.
Looking deeper into the current training trends and career movements, it can be seen that the training industry in the field of Literature is quietly opening up a new “map of opportunities” - where people who know how to write, tell stories, have cultural depth and linguistic creativity are highly valued in many areas of the knowledge economy and cultural industry.
The strong development of the economic, technical and technological sectors in recent years has made many people ask the question: What is the purpose of studying Literature? The proportion of candidates choosing Literature and Humanities in university entrance exams tends to decrease, while highly practical and easy-to-get-a-job majors quickly "take the throne". In that context, the training and development of human resources in the field of Literature is facing the need to renew itself and find a direction suitable for modern society.
Intensive training, interdisciplinary expansion
At the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, the Faculty of Literature is gradually changing to adapt to new trends. “Taking academia as the foundation, taking modernity as the trend”, that philosophy is helping the training program expand to application and interdisciplinary. Traditional subjects such as theory, literary history... are renewed and connected with subjects on popular culture, art criticism, literary and film adaptation, screenwriting...
An “open” sign is the birth of the Cinema and Popular Arts training program. Students learn film theory, script writing, practice filming and editing, and organize events in a creative space right at the school. “Not repeating existing training programs related to cinema or art, but opening a new direction, supplementing human resources for the gaps while focusing on exploiting internal cultural resources to build a cultural industry according to the Party and State's policies”, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thu Hien - Head of the Faculty of Literature shared.
In the same spirit, the Faculty of Writing and Journalism (Hanoi University of Culture) also focuses on building an open training environment. In particular, with the Literary Writing (LT) major, which has a special role, according to Dr. Do Thi Thu Thuy, Head of the Faculty, the goal is to train professional writers who are capable of multidisciplinary interaction, flexible between LLT and the fields of journalism, communication, publishing, and editing. It is known that this program has been streamlined, increasing practicality with creative writing, applied writing, editing - communication modules. The form of admission is also expanded, in addition to the entrance exam, there is also a search for talent from universities across the country with support from the project to discover and foster literary talents of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
According to experts, training today's learners is not only limited to the classroom but also extends to the living space and professional space. At some training institutions, students majoring in Literature are being given the opportunity to participate in experiential models such as the Film Club, Folklore Club, Drama Night of the Faculty of Literature... In addition, there are discussions with writers, researchers, internships at newspapers, publishing houses, media units... along with many opportunities for scholarships, studying abroad, and participating in international projects.
It can be seen that the strategy of developing cultural industries and encouraging content creation is opening up great opportunities for the fields of Literature, Han Nom, Writing, etc. The important question today is not only "What is the purpose of studying Literature?" but also "How to study Literature to create value?".

After more than a year of graduation, Ms. Tran Thuy Dung, a former student of the Faculty of Literature, confided: "In addition to professional knowledge, it is necessary to have soft skills such as effective communication, document drafting... Especially foreign languages to increase career opportunities."

New career map
There was a time when, with talent, passion and a certain amount of literary knowledge, after graduating, students could not easily and quickly find a job. But now, the Literature and Arts majors are showing a new “career map” being shaped with many dynamic positions in society. From “traditional” groups of occupations such as: teaching in general education, teaching at universities and colleges, editing books, researching, writing literature (of course, to follow research and writing, the number is not much)... to more “modern” groups of occupations: writing scripts, producing content, creative writing, writing scripts for communication activities, programs, events...
Observing and evaluating the training results over many years, according to Dr. Do Thi Thu Thuy, the outstanding point of creative writing students is the ability to tell stories in their own way, rich in creativity and personalization. "This is very necessary in the current media environment, requiring quality and different content," Ms. Thuy shared. In fact, Literature students are not only renewing themselves but also contributing to recreating and reshaping contemporary cultural values through their roles in media, art, publishing, appraisal and criticism.
At the Faculty of Literature, with the viewpoint of "Basic knowledge - Independent thinking - Proactive adaptation", managers and lecturers are aiming for a generation of dynamic, integrated learners with solid foundation knowledge. In particular, the Han Nom major, which has long been thought to be "selective of learners", has also undergone a significant shift. With its interdisciplinary nature and the ability to connect ancient culture with modern languages, many Han Nom students after graduation have worked at the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism, museums, relics, tourism units, translation, editing of traditional cultural content for mass media activities... In addition, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thu Hien shared: "We always try to maintain the alumni network as a career bridge for current students. You are introduced to internships at prestigious places such as Nhan Dan Newspaper, VOV, Women's Publishing House, Literature Publishing House, Thieu Nien Tien Phong Newspaper... to soon get acquainted with practical work".