Chinese Major

Statement of Purpose

The Chinese major is a liberal arts program that is designed to develop competence in the Chinese language, literature, and culture. It is designed to serve students who wish to cultivate an appreciation for Chinese life and society through the language and culture and to nurture practical Chinese language skills that may be used for professional purposes. Students in this program develop a sensitivity for and understanding of the peoples of the Chinese speaking world. In so doing students also gain a greater understanding of their own language and cultural heritage. The program is also designed to broaden the thinking and perceptions of students as well as to better understand the contributions and diversity of other peoples.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Chinese major should be able to:

1. speak Mandarin Chinese at the ACTFL Advanced Level, demonstrating an ability to negotiate face to face interactions as well as other formal and informal speaking contexts.


2. explain the cultural and social implications of Chinese communication, including the many non-linguistic and behavioral aspects of communicating in Chinese.


3. listen to television and radio broadcast news identifying the basic topics and main points of the majority of items.


4. read at the ACTFL Intermediate High Level, a variety of written genres, including journalistic writing, essays, short stories, and other formal and informal writing.


5. read early classical literature on common themes and literary styles, demonstrating an understanding of basic grammatical patterns of modern literary Chinese.


6. write notes, correspondence, and short essays at the ACTFL Intermediate High Level, demonstrating an awareness of literary Chinese writing conventions.


7. explain the cultural context in which the Chinese language and literature developed in the modern era.


8. value Chinese cultural ideals and institutions past and present and explain how they relate to contemporary Chinese life.


9. examine the foundations of Chinese literary history.


10. examine the structure of the Chinese language and the evolution of the Chinese language including the phonological system, grammar, morphology, discourse conventions, the writing system, and dialects.

Undergraduate Courses in Cantonese

101. First-Year Cantonese. (4:5:0)

Basic language skills.

102. First-Year Cantonese. (4:5:0)

Basic language skills.

201. Second-Year Cantonese. (4:5:0) Prerequisite: Cant 102 or foreign residence experience.

Grammatical patterns and vocabulary of spoken and written Cantonese.

202. Second-Year Cantonese. (4:5:0) W Prerequisite: Cant 201 or equivalent.

Intermediate to advanced skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

211R. Second-Year Conversation. (2:2:0 ea.) Prerequisite: Cant 201 or foreign residence experience.

Intermediate listening comprehension and speaking skills.