Chinese Courses

Program | Faculty | Master's | Courses

All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise specified.

526 Readings in Modern Chinese Literature I

Selected expository and critical essays, short stories, and poems by contemporary authors. Prerequisite: Chinse 427 or consent of instructor.

527 Readings in Modern Chinese Literature II

Selected essays, short stories, and poems in baihua by such authors as Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren, Mao Dun, You Dafu, Shen Congwen, and Ding Ling. Prerequisite: Chinse 427 or consent of instructor. (Chinse 526 is not a prerequisite to Chinse 527.)

528 Chinese Language in Contexts

Explores aspects of Chinese language as studied in traditional Chinese linguistics, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and Chinese dialectology. Topics include historical sources, traditional divisions, formation of the standard dialect (Mandarin), social variations and geographical distributions. Prerequisites: Chinse 375 and 427 or consent of instructor. Conducted in Chinese.

536 Pre-Modern Vernacular Literature

Extensive reading in major pre-modern works written in the vernacular language, including short stories and novels. Difficult grammatical patterns and lexical items explained. Prerequisite: Chinse 427 or consent of instructor.

537 Contemporary Chinese Writers

Readings in Chinese literature since 1950, with emphasis on socially concerned writers from both the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. Includes selections in the original Chinese, and, for comparison, works written in, or translated into, English. Prerequisite: Chinse 427 or consent of instructor.

552 Readings in Chinese Historical Texts

Advanced readings in pre-modern historical texts. Content, convention, and styles of various types of Chinese historical writings introduced. Thorough analysis of texts and Chinese historiographical and philological problems emphasized. Participation in reading, translation, and interpretation. Prerequisite: Chinse 451 or consent of instructor.

555 Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Poetry

Critical reading and appreciation of selections from major anthologies and authors of various poetic genres written in Classical Chinese from the Zhou dynasty to the present. Prerequisite: Chinse 451 or consent of instructor.

556 Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Prose

Critical reading and appreciation of selections from the major literary language prose forms written in pre-modern China. Includes historical and philosophical writings, rhymed prose (fu), literary criticism, the short story (chuanqi), and neoclassical essays. Prerequisite: Chinse 451 or consent of instructor.

570 Research in Chinese Source Materials

Introduction to basic research tools necessary for the study of Chinese primary sources, including dictionaries, biographical and geographical references, indices, bibliographies, calendars, etc. Includes philological problems and exercises in use of source materials. Prerequisite: Chinse 450 or consent of instructor.

575 Syntactic Structures of Chinese

The general nature of Chinese syntax: Mandarin in particular. Analysis of major syntactic constructions of Mandarin. Issues in Chinese linguistics. Topics of controversy on Mainland China before the Cultural Revolution. Prerequisites: two years of Mandarin or Cantonese and Chinse 375 or consent of instructor.

576 History of the Chinese Language

Historical survey of the nature and development of Chinese grammatical and phonological structures in three stages: Archaic, Ancient, and Modern. Ability to use source materials in Chinese linguistics developed. Prerequisite: Chinse 375 or consent of instructor.

577 Chinese Dialectology

Introduction to Chinese dialectology, focusing on geographical distribution and historical development of modern Chinese dialects. Systematic survey of phonological, lexical, and syntactic structures of the seven major Chinese dialectal groups. Reconstruction of the phonological systems of old Chinese, ca. 10th century B.C. and Middle Chinese, ca. 7th century A.D., based on comparative study of modern Chinese dialects. Prerequisite: Chinse 375 or consent of instructor.

580 Methodology: Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language I

Introduction to theory and research related to Chinese and other foreign language teaching methods with the emphasis on their application to Chinese teaching. Other topics include language pedagogy, lesson planning, teaching techniques, material development, testing, and teacher development. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

581 Methodology: Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language II

Examines research and significant issues concerning Chinese language teaching and learning, and their implications for classroom instruction. Topics include language acquisition, inter-language and error correction, testing and assessment, culture and language learning, heritage learners, learning strategies, use of technology. Prerequisite: Chinse 580 or consent of instructor.

626 Expository Writing

Intensive study of the basic principles of composition in Chinese, and training in the writing of expository essays for practical purposes. Closely supervised writing of weekly compositions, which may include translation of English texts into Chinese. Clarity, precision, correctness, and good organization emphasized. Topics selected by students in consultation with the instructor. Prerequisite: Chinse 526 or 527 or the equivalent, or consent of instructor.

660 Problems and Methods in Translation

Training in the translation of Chinese literature; familiarization with appropriate translation theories, reference works, dictionaries, and other translator's tools. Selections from various literary genres, including classical poetry, modern fiction, ethnic minority folktales; theory and practice of English translators of Chinese. Discussion of specific problems in Chinese-English translation. Emphasis varies according to individual needs and interests. Prerequisite: Chinse 427 or consent of instructor.

691 Graduate Seminar in Chinese

Topic determined by fields and interests of enrolled students. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

699 Master's Thesis

Credit, 6.