Immediately after President Ho Chi Minh signed the Decree (October 10, 1945) establishing the Faculty of Literature, higher education administrators demonstrated a timely understanding of the training trends of the era and knew how to gradually adapt and apply them effectively, in accordance with the realities of the country at the time of the successful August Revolution. This can be clearly seen in the Decree.
(1)November 3, 1945, document from the Ministry of National Education regarding the regulations on training programs and training methods at the Faculty of Literature.
(3)To commemorate the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Faculty of Literature in Hanoi, we attempt to outline the educational philosophy of higher education during that period, its vision of integration, and its significance for today.
1. Training program
At that time, the curriculum consisted of 10 fundamental subjects, making it very concise. Specifically: - Eastern Philosophy - Western Philosophy - Sociology and Anthropology - Vietnamese Literature in Vietnamese and Chinese - Chinese Literature from antiquity to the Tang Dynasty - Chinese Literature from the Song Dynasty to the present - Western Literature - Eastern and Western Histories from antiquity to the 13th century - Eastern and Western Histories from the 13th century to the present - Geography To graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree (equivalent to today's Bachelor's degree), students had to have a high school diploma and study at a university with a Bachelor of Arts degree for at least 3 years. In the first year, they studied 2 subjects without taking exams; in the second year, they studied 2 subjects and took exams in the 2 subjects studied in the first year. In the third year, students take exams in two subjects from the second year. If they fail a subject, they are allowed to retake it. These are the four subjects for graduation exams, so in addition to attending one or two lectures, students must also independently research other topics related to the subject to prepare for that exam. Furthermore, these subjects are structured into four specializations. Graduating from one of these four specializations will earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature and qualify students to teach at high schools: * Bachelor of Philosophy: To graduate from this specialization, students must study and take exams in four subjects: Eastern Philosophy; Western Philosophy; Sociology and Anthropology; and one subject in either History, Sinology, Literature, or Western Literature. * Bachelor of Vietnamese Studies: To graduate from this specialization, students must study and take exams in four subjects: Vietnamese Literature in both Vietnamese and Chinese; Eastern and Western History from antiquity to the 13th century; Eastern and Western History from the 13th century to the present; and one subject in either Sinology, or Philosophy, or Western Literature. * Specialized Sinology for Bachelor of Arts: Graduates of this specialization must study and pass four subjects: Chinese Literature from antiquity to the Tang Dynasty; Chinese Literature from the Song Dynasty to the present; Vietnamese Literature in both Vietnamese and Chinese; and one subject in either Historiography, or Philosophy, or Western Literature. * Specialized Historiography and Geography for Bachelor of Arts: Graduates of this specialization must study and pass four subjects: Historiography of East and West from antiquity to the 13th century; Historiography of East and West from the 13th century to the present; Geography; and one subject in either Sinology, or Philosophy, or Sociology and Anthropology. The Bachelor of Arts degree or Specialized Literature degree clearly states the subjects passed for graduation. Those with one of these two types of degrees can continue their studies to take the doctoral degree in Literature (today's PhD). The program was initially planned for three years (1945-1946; 1946-1947; 1947-1948). By the 1948-1949 academic year, one-third of the curriculum was changed; another one-third was changed in the 1949-1950 academic year; the remaining one-third was changed in the 1950-1951 academic year, and so on, constantly innovating the training program. Thus, the policy of annually renewing one-third of the curriculum reflected a mindset of accelerating the access to and updating of new knowledge to meet the urgent demands of national reconstruction. Unfortunately, the outbreak of the resistance war against French colonialism brought the undergraduate humanities training program to a standstill.
2. Training methods
a/ The role of the lecturer - The professor in charge of the subject coordinates the course content with the Director of the Faculty of Literature and then submits it to the Director of the University Affairs Department for approval. This regulation affirms the rights and personal responsibility of the person directly teaching, especially respecting the professional expertise of the professor. - Each year, the professor in charge of the subject only selects one or two topics to lecture on and identifies a number of topics for students to research independently. Other topics of the subject are for students to research on their own if they intend to take an exam in that subject. Thus, the lecturer does not have to lecture on all the topics of the subject, but creates opportunities for students to research and explore independently, and if they want to take an exam in a particular subject, they must conduct deeper and broader research. Clearly, the training mechanism emphasizes the proactive and self-learning nature of the students. The teacher's role is primarily to guide. b/ Regulations for students - Students register at the Faculty of Arts and submit their birth certificate to confirm they were 18 years old by October 30, 1945. Students wishing to take the entrance exam for a Bachelor of Arts degree must also submit their high school diploma. This mechanism allows young people who, although not yet having a high school diploma, are 18 years old and wish to study at the Faculty of Arts to broaden their knowledge to still be admitted. - Students study under the guidance of professors for at least two years in each subject. However, to take the entrance exam for a Bachelor of Arts degree (in one of the four specializations in the program mentioned above), they must study for at least three years. c/ Examination system at the university level - Students are not required to take all the subjects they like to study, but only the four graduation subjects or the graduation subjects according to the specialization mentioned above. Students preparing for graduation exams in a particular subject, in addition to attending one or two lectures by the professor and conducting research on suggested topics, must also independently research other topics within that subject. - Each graduation exam consists of the following steps: + Written exam: Two essays. If the average of the two subjects reaches 50% of the required score, the student is eligible for an oral exam. + Oral exam: Answering two questions on topics related to the curriculum and giving a lecture on a topic within the curriculum (20 minutes of speaking, 2 hours of preparation). Achieving 50% of the required score qualifies the student to graduate for that subject. - To be awarded a university degree, in addition to the four exam subjects, students must take a foreign language exam. The university's Faculty of Literature Council determines the foreign languages that students can choose to take the exam in. d/ Regulations for Doctoral Training - Those with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature or a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature are allowed to continue their studies to take the doctoral degree in Literature (now called a PhD). - Students (now called research students) must register two research topics, which must be approved by the University's Faculty of Literature Professors Council before being registered in the University's register (to prevent others from choosing them). During the research process, students have the right to change to a different research topic. - Students must submit two printed dissertations to the University's Faculty of Literature and present those two dissertations to the examination board. The first dissertation must be a research dissertation in one of the following fields: Philosophy, Literature, Sociology, History, or Geography. The second dissertation may also be a study on a philosophical or literary, sociological, historical, or geographical issue, or a translation and interpretation of a publication or document in Chinese or Vietnamese printed in Vietnam or China before the 19th century. - Both dissertations must be submitted to the Director of the Faculty of Literature at the university. The Director appoints one or two specialized professors to review whether the dissertations meet the requirements for defense. If they meet the requirements, the Director recommends that the Director of University Affairs of the Ministry of National Education sign the permit for printing the dissertations. - Students must submit 60 copies of each dissertation to the Faculty of Literature at the university. The Director of the Faculty of Literature at the university signs the Decision to establish an examination board for both dissertations, consisting of 5 to 7 specialized professors and a number of specialists who are not professors of the university, after the University's Professor Council has agreed. e/ Regulations for Master's Degree Training: The Faculty of Literature may award Master's degrees in Literature to candidates regardless of age if they register in the university's register at least 6 months before the exam and can take the Master's degree exam in one of the following three fields: - Master's in Philosophy: Candidates must complete the following tasks: + Submit a research dissertation on a philosophical, sociological, or anthropological issue and have it accepted by the Faculty of Literature's professorial council at least 6 months before the exam. + Answer the council's questions on the chosen dissertation topic. + Interpret and discuss a passage by a philosopher, sociologist, or anthropologist that the university will inform the candidate of 3 months in advance. - Master's in History and Geography: Candidates must complete the following tasks: + Submit a dissertation on a historical or geographical issue of the candidate's own choosing and have it approved by the university's professorial council 6 months before the exam. + Discuss a historical or geographical issue chosen by the candidate three months prior to the exam and approved by the university. However, the issue to be presented must be outside the historical or geographical time period of the chosen dissertation topic. + Answer a question related to geography or supplementary subjects of history (archaeology, epigraphy, textual studies) at the candidate's discretion, approved by the university three months before the exam. - Master's in Literature Candidates must complete the following tasks: + Present a dissertation on a literary issue chosen by the candidate and approved by the university's professorial council six months before the exam. + Explain and discuss a lengthy passage of Chinese, Vietnamese, or European/American literature of the candidate's choice, approved by the university three months before the exam. + Answer a question on a literary history issue chosen by the candidate and approved by the university three months before the exam. Thus, the method of awarding master's degrees is primarily based on the student's self-selection of a specialization to research and take exams, rather than attending lectures. The management of the training is evident in the requirement that thesis topics must be approved by the Faculty Council at least six months before the exam; and any exam-related content chosen by the student must be approved by the University at least three months before the exam.
3. Some thoughts
After studying the curriculum and training methods of the Faculty of Literature 65 years ago, we have the following thoughts: - Although the Revolution had just succeeded, President Ho Chi Minh skillfully selected individuals with sufficient talent, virtue, and knowledge to keep up with the educational trends of the era. Due to the country's circumstances at that time regarding resources (facilities, finances, human resources, etc.), the training program was limited to the most basic subjects, and importantly, there was a team of professors more than capable of implementing it.
(3), not including subjects that are not yet suitable for teaching. - The higher education philosophy of the Faculty of Literature 65 years ago emphasized the role of the teacher in determining the topics to be taught, with the main responsibility being to guide students' learning. At the same time, students were given autonomy in determining their specialization during their studies, and the learning mechanism fostered a high level of self-discipline in students, allowing them to independently determine their learning plans and paths, truly taking control of the learning process without being pressured by the training program. Now, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has shifted its training method from a semester-based system to a credit-based system, creating opportunities for students to proactively build their own learning paths, potentially completing their university studies early or late depending on their abilities and circumstances. However, it seems that the total number of credits that students need to accumulate in a particular field of study is still quite large. Should we continue research to integrate, first and foremost, fundamental subjects to reduce the current credit load, allowing students more time to independently research specialized topics in their chosen fields? Naturally, student self-research requires guidance and support from the department and academic advisor. - The doctoral and master's degree programs and processes at the Faculty of Literature further emphasized the high degree of student autonomy. There was no separate curriculum for doctoral or master's students. Students proposed research topics and subject areas for examination, which were then approved by the university. This was followed by self-research, and finally, a defense and oral examination before the examination board. Now, our postgraduate training process requires students to complete a master's degree before obtaining a doctoral degree. However, the graduate program is still demanding, with some topics directly related and others merely expanding on existing knowledge. Therefore, students spend a considerable amount of time pursuing a system of topics in class, leaving little time for research. Furthermore, most are civil servants and public employees who also have work responsibilities at their agencies. Perhaps research is needed to integrate the topics into a single course and reduce the number of credits, or within the graduate program, it is necessary to identify which topics require in-class lectures, while the rest are left for lecturers to guide graduate students in independent research and submit research reports.
Note
(1)Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Vietnam. No. 9, November 17, 1945
(2)In Decree 45, dated October 10, 1945, Article 1 states, "A Faculty of Literature is hereby established in Hanoi," but the word "school" was crossed out and superimposed with "board." It is unclear whether President Ho Chi Minh replaced "school" with "board" before signing the decree (this was perhaps inconsistent with his style, or the circumstances at the time demanded simplicity). The official gazette also uses "board" (see Vietnam National Official Gazette, issue 4, October 20, 1945). A question arises: all documents issued by the Ministry of National Education (MOE) after Decree 45 refer to it as "Faculty of Literature University." For example: In the Decree dated November 3, 1945, Article 1 states: “The Faculty of Literature in Hanoi will teach the following subjects: Eastern Philosophy, Western Philosophy…”. This Decree also clearly specifies the study and research program that students wishing to obtain a Bachelor of Arts or Doctor of Arts degree from the Faculty of Literature must follow. (See: Vietnam National Gazette No. 9, November 17, 1945). Another Decree of the Ministry of National Education, signed on the same day, November 3, 1945, and published in the same Gazette No. 9, November 17, 1945, states in Article 1: “Open a College class at the University teaching subjects related to politics and sociology… This class will be temporarily dependent on the Faculty of Literature and will be supervised by a Secretary-General.” From this, a question arises: if President Ho Chi Minh had signed the decree designating it as the Faculty of Literature, why did the Ministry of National Education later issue decrees calling it a school? Was it because the Faculty lacked the authority to award degrees from bachelor's to doctoral level like a school, or was the replacement of "school" with "Faculty" not President Ho Chi Minh's idea? Here are a few points of concern…
(3)Based on the opinion of the Government Council, the Minister of National Education signed a Decree appointing 25 professors to teach at the Faculty of Literature, including professors and intellectuals such as: Dang Thai Mai, Dao Duy Anh, Cao Xuan Huy, Nguyen Van Huyen, Nguyen Duc Nguyen, Nguyen Manh Tuong, Tran Van Giap, Cu Huy Can, Ngo Xuan Dieu, Tran Khanh Giu, Pham Duy Khiem, Bui Ki, Nguyen Dinh Thi, Doan Phu Tu... Notably, President Ho Chi Minh and Comrade Pham Van Dong taught constitutional science, and Comrade Vo Nguyen Giap taught economics.
