Chinese

The program of instruction in Chinese has three parts. The first two years are intended to introduce the student to the basic sentence patterns of Mandarin and to Chinese characters: the first year emphasizes the spoken language, the second year emphasizes the written language as it is used to transcribe the spoken language. The third year is

an introduction to the classical language through the study of classical grammar and classical texts. The fourth year provides the student with a selection of reading courses that reinforce the student’s experience with both the spoken and classical languages through the reading of dramas, essays, historical texts, and fiction. The reading selections from the second year on are intended to acquaint the student with the civilization of China through the study of secondary and primary materials. See the box on this page for the requirements for the major and minor in Chinese.

Course Placement

Students with no background in the Chinese language begin with CHIN 101. Students who have learned Chinese characters through their study of Japanese or Korean may enter CHIN 250 with the permission of the instructor. All others, whether native speakers or not, should consult the department for correct placement.