The minor in the interdisciplinary Chinese Studies programme is designed to foster an in-depth understanding of China, both as a historical tradition and as a modern nation with a wide-ranging sphere of influence. Central to the programme is the belief that an informed knowledge of Chinese language, literature, culture and history is essential to a proper understanding of the Chinese world today. Conversely, educated cognisance of the political, economic, environmental and demographic issues currently facing the Chinese world are no less vital to us in our roles as informed global citizens. While strategically capitalising on Yale-NUS College’s location in Singapore, an historically important hub within China’s sphere of regional influence, the programme offers a range of coursework in both the Humanities and Social Sciences Divisions. It is designed to expose students to a wide array of disciplinary vantage points from which to study China and the greater Chinese world, both past and present, and to provide them with the necessary skills to do so with competence and a growing level of expertise.