Individualized Major in Chinese Studies

Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world, with over a billion speakers.

 

With over 1 billion speakers, you will likely meet a native Chinese speaker. An individualized major would give you the language and understanding to make connections and experience a new culture firsthand.

The major in Chinese Studies provides you with an immersive learning experience that contextualizes Chinese language in diverse cultural settings. You will design a major in Chinese Studies through the Individualized Major Program which requires a minimum of 34 credit hours. Two courses are required of all students:

  • I360 Individualized Major Plan (1 credit hour)
  • I460 Individualized Major Senior Project (3 to 6 credit hours)

An Individualized Major allows you to schedule your courses with a flexible degree map that will suit your academic goals. Work with the Director of the Program in Chinese, Jing Wang, to plan your degree path.

Required Courses

EALC-C 131 Beginning Chinese I (4 credits) Introductory language course in Chinese with emphasis on comprehension and oral expression, grammar, reading, script, elementary composition, and culture.

EALC-C 132 Beginning Chinese II (4 credits) Continuation of introductory language course in Chinese with emphasis on comprehension and oral expression, grammar, reading, script, elementary composition, and culture.

EALC-C 201 Second-Year Chinese I (3 credits) Both spoken and written aspects stressed, completing major grammatical patterns.

EALC-C 202 Second-Year Chinese II (3 credits) Both spoken and written aspects stressed, completing major grammatical patterns.

Elective Courses

EALC-C 301 Third-Year Chinese I (3 credits) Emphasis on practice in understanding the difference between oral and written expression, building up discourse-level narration skills, and developing reading strategies for coping with authentic texts.

EALC-C 302 Third-Year Chinese II (3 credits) A further expansion on vocabulary and grammatical patterns focusing on reading and oral communication.

EALC-C 320 Business Chinese (3 credits) A study of the Chinese language in business contexts.

EALC-C 401 Fourth Year Chinese I (3 credits) A further improvement of language proficiency.

EALC-C 402 Fourth Year Chinese II (3 credits) A further improvement of language proficiency.

EALC-C 495 Improve Chinese Proficiency through Chinese Linguistics and Translation (1-3 credits) A study of Chinese grammar, Chinese pronunciation, and Chinese characters on the framework of Chinese thought patterns. Exploring common discourse patterns in Chinese and basic principles of translation between Chinese and English.

EALC-E 232 China Past and Present: Culture in Continuing Evolution (3 credits) Chinese culture and its modern transformations. Intellectual, artistic, and literary legacies of the Chinese people.

EALC-E 282 East Asian Calligraphy (3 credits) A study of the historical development of East Asian calligraphy, its cultural and social contexts, aesthetical values, and basic calligraphy skills.

EALC-E 301 Chinese Language and Culture (3 credits) The relationship of the Chinese language to Chinese culture and society.

EALC-E 331 Traditional Chinese Literature (3 credits) An introduction to Chinese historical and religious writing, narrative prose, and lyrical poetry from roughly 1300 BCE to 1300 CE.

EALC-E 333 Studies in Chinese Cinema (3 credits) Critical and historical perspectives on Chinese cinema from the 1930s to the 1990s, including Taiwan and Hong Kong.

EALC-E 334 Contemporary Chinese Cinema (3 credits) Cultural and social perspectives on representative films from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan since the 80s.

EALC-E 335 Chinese Martial Arts Culture (3 credits) Cultural and social perspectives on Chinese martial arts, their theoretical frameworks, and literary conventions of marital arts fictions.

EALC-E 351 Studies in East Asian Culture (3-6 credits) Selected issues and problems of importance to the understanding of East Asian culture, taught within one of the humanistic disciplines.  May be repeated once for credit.

EALC-E 396 East Asian Culture and Civilization: The I Ching (3 credits) A study of the I Ching system which influences every aspect of East Asian culture and civilization: thought patterns, different philosophical schools, Chinese language, traditional Chinese medicine, architecture, and society.

EALC-E 397 Traditional Chinese Medicine (3 credits) A study of theoretical foundation for traditional Chinese medicine, its perspectives on body, ailments, diagnoses, and treatments. Comparing and contrasting traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine.

More Info

Contact Jing Wang, Director of the Program in Chinese.