Course Information
Students with no experience of learning Chinese prior to USD will enroll in Chinese 101 (first semester Mandarin) and then Chinese 102 (second semester Mandarin). They will progress to Chinese 201 to complete the Core Curriculum requirement. Students with a strong background in Mandarin Chinese (having studied it previously or learned it in a non-academic setting) may be able to skip 101 and begin with 102.
Those students who have studied Chinese previously should take the Placement Exam to be placed in the right class. Students with a strong background in Mandarin Chinese may elect to take the Competency Exam in lieu of 201 to meet the Core requirement. Please check the Language Placement Guide before enrolling in your first Chinese studies class at USD or elsewhere.
Below are the approved courses offered by the Department of Languages, Cultures and Literatures for Chinese. Not all courses offered below will be available every semester. Make sure to check course offerings on the registration portal for each upcoming semester.
Course Descriptions
CHIN 101
First Semester Chinese
Units: 3
Essentials of Chinese language with emphasis on communicative proficiency and cultural awareness. Development of the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. This course is for students with no previous knowledge of Chinese. Students with some knowledge of Chinese must take the USD Language Placement exam (https://www.sandiego.edu/cas/student-resources/exams/language-placement/language-placement-exams.php) and register at the appropriate level. Every semester. Prerequisites: None or Placement Exam.
CHIN 102
Second Semester Chinese
Units: 3
Continuation of the skills developed in CHIN 101. Increased practice in reading and writing. Acquisition of new vocabulary consolidated through conversation stressing the relationship between language and culture. Prerequisite: CHIN 101 or equivalent, or Placement Exam. Every Semester.
CHIN 140
Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
Units: 3
This course provides an overview of modern Chinese literary texts and introduces major historical movements. Designed for students without prior background in Chinese culture, it explores historical and theoretical issues relevant to literary production and prepares students to analyze, write about, and compose literary texts through interactive class activities. As a core course that integrates literature and literary analysis with language instruction, it also includes Chinese-language readings and assignments appropriate for students with 200-level (or higher) Chinese proficiency who are completing the Chinese Minor.
CHIN 141
Topics in Chinese Literature, Film or Culture-Domestic Focus
Units: 3
Study at the lower-division level of a topic in Chinese literature, film and/or culture with a Domestic Focus. This course is taught in English and will not satisfy the Language Core requirement.
CHIN 142
Traditional Chinese Literature in Translation
Units: 3
This course provides an overview of major literary works from premodern China (from roughly 6th century B.C.E. to 19th century A.D.). “Literature” includes works of poetry, philosophical writings, classical tales, vernacular short stories, drama, and fiction. This course will equip students with the knowledge and analytical skills to engage with issues pertaining to contemporary society with a broader horizon and refined historical sensitivity. These issues range from selfhood, identity, social structure, virtue (reason and feeling), humanity (reality and the otherworldly), and especially, the literary envisioning of a just and inclusive society and one’s ethical stand—issues that have been explored continuously throughout history and continue to matter to the pursuit of a meaningful life today.
CHIN 194
Special Topics in Chinese
Units: 1 TO 3
Study at the lower-division level of a topic in Chinese literature and culture. This course is taught in English and will not satisfy the Language Core requirement.
CHIN 201
Third Semester Chinese
Units: 3
Further development of language competence. Practice in oral and written Chinese at the intermediate level, with an emphasis on reading and basic composition. Continued acquisition of new vocabulary consolidated through conversation stressing the relationship between language and culture. Prerequisite: CHIN 102 or equivalent, or Placement Exam. Every Semester.
CHIN 202
Fourth Semester Chinese
Units: 3
Further development of language competence. Practice in oral and written Chinese at the intermediate level, with an emphasis on reading and basic composition. Continued acquisition of new vocabulary consolidated through conversation stressing the relationship between language and culture. Prerequisite: CHIN 201 or equivalent, or PlacementEexam. Every Semester.
CHIN 210
Heroes, Villains and Ghosts: Traditional Asian Performing Arts
Units: 3
This course will introduce students to the major genres of traditional Asian theatre and and performance ranging from song and dance drama to ritual performance, from masked dance to puppetry. Geographic areas covered in this course include China, Japan, India, Indonesia, and Korea. The course will examine the dramatic literature, theatrical performance, and spectatorship of major genres, as well as the way in which performing arts engage historical experience and interact with significant social, political, and cultural issues. In doing so, the classes are categorized into four parts: Actors and Artistry, Religion and Morality, Gender Politics, Globalization and Interculturalism.
CHIN 247
Fantasy Film and East Asian Traditions
Units: 3
This course focuses on the ways in which contemporary fantasy films from the Chinese speaking world reemploy traditional folk, fairy and mythological tales to visualize the otherworldly (monsters, immortals, and the supernatural). A key question to ask is how the human and humane is understood in traditional tales as well as in digitally made fantasy films. It touches on issues such as the imaginative space of early China, the revamp of traditions for a modern and globalized world, the transformative power of popular culture in shaping collective sub-consciousness, and questions about the human species as reflected in eco-cinema.
CHIN 294
Special Topics in Chinese
Units: 1 TO 3
Study at the lower-division level of a special topic in language, literature, or culture. When offered, selected subjects will be announced on the MySanDiego portal. If taught in English, this course will not fulfill the Core Curriculum language requirement. Consult with instructor or the department chair. Prerequisites: CHIN 202 or equivalent.
CHIN 299
Independent Study
Units: 3
Independent study at the lower-division level. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor, chair and dean.
CHIN 301
Advanced Composition in Chinese
Units: 3
This course strengthens students’ language foundation in all aspects of modern standard Chinese, with a focus on improving their writing skills while developing a more engaged understanding of contemporary Chinese society and culture. It features a model-based and process-oriented (drafting, feedback, revision and editing, and final drafts) approach that covers a variety of common genres. Each unit of the course includes authentic examples used in daily life and/or professional settings that allow students to apply their knowledge of written expressions, grammar patterns and format to compositions featured in similar occasions. It aims for more advanced and sophisticated written literacy through frequent writing tasks with consistent instructor feedback and prepares students to write with clarity and cogency as analytical readers of texts in the field of their major or in other disciplines. Prerequisite: CHIN 202
CHIN 302
Contemporary China: Culture, Politics and Society
Units: 3
This course introduces students to multiple aspects of Chinese culture and society that are considered timely and will have a lasting social impact. Students will gain intermediate to advanced listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in standard Chinese. Prerequisites: CHN4 or CHIN 202.
CHIN 303
Media Chinese: Internet, Television and Film
Units: 3
This course uses popular TV series and canonical Chinese films as background to discuss contemporary social issues. Students will discuss topics such as China’s real estate market, economy and investment, Internet and technology, modernization and urban migration, consumer culture, and young people’s perspectives on love and gender. This class will also teach up-to-date vocabulary and idioms created by netizens that have gained national popularity. Prerequisites: CHIN 301.
CHIN 304
Professional Chinese: Language and Culture
Units: 3
This course aims to enhance students’ language skills in a formal context, including giving professional presentations and writing correspondence suited to different business or academic occasions. It is designed for students at a high intermediate or beginning advanced level of proficiency, developing both fluency and accuracy though a topic-based syllabus. Centering on issues of population, education, family, gender, environment, business and technology, this course helps students understand contemporary China and prepares them for reading authentic written materials. This course is taught in Chinese and specialized knowledge of business and economics is not required. Prerequisites: CHIN 301 or 302
CHIN 317
Business Chinese: Real Cases from Real Companies
Units: 3
Designed for students who have learned Chinese for two or three years or learners with equivalent language proficiency, this course aims to enhance students’ language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and prepare them to function with more confidence in the Chinese business environment. Students will study cases of multinational companies that have successfully responded to the specific needs of the Chinese market and also learn of Chinese companies that have grown their global impact, focusing on business issues such as marketing, branding, mergers and acquisitions, OEM, international expansion, government relations, and product localization. It features a task-based teaching that prepares students to use the language for communicative purposes, including giving professional presentations and writing correspondences and project papers suited to different business occasions. Prerequisites: CHIN 301 or CHIN 302
CHIN 320
Fables and Idioms: Classic Chinese
Units: 3
This course introduces students to classical Chinese, the written language of China from the sixth century B.C to the early twentieth century, by studying expressions and stories taken from masterworks of literary and cultural traditions (short proverbs, philosophical writings, and historical literature) created in early China. These stories will help students gain literacy and familiarity with Chinese written texts that are at the heart of Chinese culture. Through reading historical texts, students will learn basic syntax, grammar, and vocabulary that are unique to classical Chinese while identifying issues that have been explored continuously throughout history. Prerequisites: CHIN 301 or CHIN 302.
CHIN 347
Chinese Cinema:Postsocialism and Modernity
Units: 3
This course helps students attain a sophisticated understanding of China’s modern history through the study of cinema as critical texts that respond creatively, aesthetically, and constructively to issues such as nationalism, transnationalism, representation, realism, self-identity (gender, class, region, etc.) and history. Films analyzed in this course articulate the political and social transformations in the pan-China region over the past decades that are direct result of the impact of globalization and a century-long aspiration for modernity.
CHIN 394
Special Topics in Chinese
Units: 1 TO 3
Study at the third-year level of a special topic in language, literature, or culture. When offered, selected subjects will be announced on the MySanDiego portal. If taught in English, this course will not fulfill the Core Curriculum language requirement. Consult with instructor or the department chair. Prerequisites: CHN4 or CHIN 202.
CHIN 493
Field Experience
Units: 1 TO 3
Placement in a community agency where advanced Chinese language skills will be utilized. Elective credit only (does not count toward the minor). Prerequisites: Junior or senior class standing and approval of the department chair.
CHIN 494
Special Topics in Chinese
Units: 1 TO 3
Study of special topics in Chinese literature, language, or culture. When offered, selected subjects will be announced on the MySanDiego portal. If taught in English, this course will not fulfill the Core Curriculum language requirement. Consult with instructor or the department chair.
CHIN 499
Independent Study
Units: 1 TO 3
A program arranged between the advanced student and the instructor to provide intensive study in a particular area of interest. Extensive reading and consultation are required, as well as preparation of reports to be assigned by the instructor. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic changes. Prerequisites: Approval of the instructor and the department chair. May be taken for credit each time topic changes.