Two seminars - One vision

At the first seminar (October 2015), the main theme that the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language focused on was the perspective on curriculum development, content innovation, and teaching methods for the courses.Vietnamese folk literature,Medieval Vietnamese LiteratureDelegates from the Institute of Literature, such as Associate Professor Nguyen Huu Son and Dr. Bui Thi Thien Thai; from Hanoi Pedagogical University, such as Associate Professor Duong Tuan Anh; and from Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, such as Associate Professor Tran Nho Thin and educator Nguyen Hung Vi, all shared a common proposal to resolutely innovate the approach to Vietnamese literature for students in the Vietnamese Studies program; accordingly, the focus should be on teaching the following groups of issues:Human beings – tradition and modernity – history and cultureThis serves as the guiding principle for selecting materials and developing curricula for the aforementioned courses. A crucial element is to avoid teaching Vietnamese literature solely from a literary perspective, instead opting for a broad, career-oriented framework. Furthermore, the choice of which genres to introduce in Vietnamese folk literature (proverbs, legends, humorous stories, fairy tales, folk songs, etc.) is also a key academic point of discussion at the seminar.

At the second seminar (November 2015), educators and experts focused on two follow-up modules:Modern Vietnamese LiteratureandGeneral Vietnamese LiteratureMany strong, frank, and bold proposals were also put forward by the community of philology scholars during the exchange, creating a clear pedagogical and research atmosphere. Dr. Pham Xuan Thach, Head of the Department of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi, suggested that a literature program for Vietnamese studies students should not be built with a "monocentric," one-sided perspective on in-depth specialization, but should combine other channels such as music and film; Dr. Thach also emphasized the criteria for selecting authors and works to obtain a picture of Vietnamese culture through literature for students. Associate Professor Ly Hoai Thu, Associate Professor Nguyen Ba Thanh, and educator Bui Viet Thang all focused on the academic aspects and pedagogical standards necessary in the training of Vietnamese studies students; meanwhile, Associate Professor Pham Thanh Hung (Department of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities), Dr. Nguyen Duc Mau, and Dr. Do Hai Ninh (Institute of Literature) were more concerned with unconventional thinking in teaching, avoiding the beaten path in the transmission of Vietnamese literary knowledge. The study emphasizes the importance of knowledge generation and independent thinking about Vietnamese literature among students from a regional studies and cultural studies perspective. Researcher Pham Xuan Nguyen advises faculty members of the Department of Vietnamese Studies on how to select periods and works with international relevance for teaching.

The seminars created a truly academic atmosphere, along with debates and suggestions on curriculum development, highlighting the urgent need for a separate Vietnamese Literature textbook for undergraduate students in Vietnamese Studies. These "public opinion polls" within the framework of the linguistics and literature academic community, conducted by the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language for the Literature department, signal a strong shift in pedagogical thinking and the commitment of personnel to ensuring that this thinking is guided by a clear vision and effective implementation plan.

These seminars are also practical activities to celebrate Vietnamese Teachers' Day on November 20th this year at the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language.