The Chinese Major:
Language and Literature Track
The Chinese major at the University of Colorado is a combined major in language, literature, and culture. Chinese majors will learn to speak Chinese sufficiently for most situations in daily life, to read various types of texts in modern Chinese, to understand something of the Chinese literary and cultural traditions, and to express that understanding in written English. A total of 30 credit hours of courses is needed for the major, and at least 25 of these credits must be obtained in upper-division (3000-level or higher) courses.
A student without any previous knowledge of the Chinese language will be required to take at least 36 hours of language classes: CHIN 1010-1020 (5/5); CHIN 2110-2120 (5/5); CHIN 3110-3120 (5/5); and, as an option, CHIN 4110-4120 (3/3) or CHIN 4210-4220 (4/4). Only courses above CHIN 2110 will actually be counted towards the Chinese major, however, as the first three semesters fulfill the University’s language requirement. All these courses must be completed in sequence. All can be taken during the academic year, and first-, second-, and third-year Chinese can be taken, in some years, during intensive summer classes in which a year of Chinese is covered in ten weeks. Most of the other courses at the 3000 and 4000 level are taught on a rotating basis; not every course is offered in each academic year. Please sign up for as many of them as you are eligible for in each semester in order to ensure timely progress toward graduation.
Required Basic Language Courses
CHIN 1010-1020 Beginning Chinese 1/2 (5/5)
These courses are offered in sequence during the fall and spring semesters and intensively during some summer sessions. They provide a solid introduction to modern Chinese (Mandarin), emphasizing speaking as well as reading and writing. Students learn both traditional full-form characters and the simplified versions used in mainland China.
Upon completion of this course students should be able to perform at the following levels on the scale developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages:
Speaking: Novice High. Able to participate in basic communicative exchanges by relying heavily on memorized utterances and by expanding these through recombination. Can ask very simple questions or make statements involving learned material. Vocabulary centers on basic objects and activities.
Listening: Novice High/Intermediate Low. Able to understand short learned utterances, particularly when context strongly supports understanding and speech is clearly audible. Comprehends words and phrases from simple questions, statements, high-frequency commands and courtesy formulae. May require repetition or rephrasing. Content refers to basic personal background and needs, social conventions and routine tasks, such as getting meals and receiving simple instructions.
Reading: Novice High/Intermediate Low. Can read for instructional purposes standardized messages (where vocabulary has been learned), such as some items on menus, schedules, timetables, maps, and signs. Able to understand main ideas and/or some facts from the simplest, specially-prepared (semi-authentic) connected texts dealing with basic personal and social needs. Understands texts with high-frequency vocabulary and simple structure.
Writing: Novice High. Can write frequently used memorized material. Can at least partially supply basic information needed for some forms.
303-492-6639
Humanities 235, 279 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0279
United States
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Fax: 303-492-7272
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Phone: 303-492-6639
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Tuition fees: Please check website for details.
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