Chinese Courses

CHIN 101 | FIRST SEMESTER CHINESE

Units: 3

Prerequisites: Passing the appropriate departmental placement test within the previous year

An introduction to the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with an emphasis on oral skills.

CHIN 102 | SECOND SEMESTER CHINESE

Units: 3

Prerequisites: CHIN 101 or Passing the appropriate departmental placement test within the previous year

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.

CHIN 140 | TOPICS IN CHINESE LITERATURE AND CULTURE

Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Repeatable if topic differs)

Core Attributes: Literary Inquiry area

Study at the lower-division level of a topic in Chinese literature and culture. This course is taught in English and This course is taught in English and satisfies the core requirement for Literary Inquiry but does not satisfy the core Second Language requirement.

CHIN 141 | TOPICS IN CHINESE LITERATURE, FILM OR CULTURE-DOMESTIC FOCUS

Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Repeatable if topic differs)

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 | TOPICS IN CHINESE LITERATURE, FILM OR CULTURE-GLOBAL FOCUS

Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Repeatable if topic differs)

Study at the lower-division level of a topic in Chinese literature, film and/or culture with a Global Focus. This course is taught in English and will not satisfy the Language Core requirement.

CHIN 194 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN CHINESE LITERATURE AND CULTURE

Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Repeatable if topic differs)

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

Core Attributes: Second language competency

Prerequisites: CHIN 102 or Passing the appropriate departmental placement test within the previous year

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.

CHIN 202 | FOURTH SEMESTER CHINESE

Units: 3

Prerequisites: CHIN 201 or Passing the appropriate departmental placement test within the previous year

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.

CHIN 292 | TUTORING

Units: 1 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)

Core Attributes: Law - Experiential

Prerequisites: CHIN 201 or CHIN 202

Supervised participation as a tutor of students enrolled in our Chinese courses. The course entails tutoring one hour per week, completion of homework (readings and responses, maintaining a journal, etc.) as well as mandatory attendance at two group meetings per semester. Course does not satisfy the second language requirement. It counts as elective credit, not toward the minor.

CHIN 293 | LANGUAGE TUTORING OR FIELD EXPERIENCE IN CHINESE

Units: 1-3 Repeatability: Yes (Repeatable if topic differs)

Core Attributes: Law - Experiential

Supervised participation in the department’s Tutoring Program or placement in a community organization in which the student’s skills in Chinese are developed.

CHIN 294 | TOPICS IN LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, OR CULTURE

Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Repeatable if topic differs)

Prerequisites: CHIN 202

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.

CHIN 299 | INDEPENDENT STUDY

Units: 3

CHIN 301 | CONVERSATION AND COMPOSITION

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Prerequisites: Passing the appropriate departmental placement test within the previous year or CHIN 202

This course strengthens students’ language foundation in all aspects of modern standard Chinese, including speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The course is project based and students will apply what they learned from the teaching materials, including vocabulary, grammar, and cultural knowledge, to different verbal or written assignments that lead to the completion of group projects. Authentic materials will be introduced during the course as auxiliary materials to help students analyze issues.

CHIN 302 | CONTEMPORARY CHINA: CULTURE, POLITICS AND SOCIETY

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Core Attributes: Oral communication competency

Prerequisites: Passing the appropriate departmental placement test within the previous year or CHIN 202

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.

CHIN 303 | MEDIA CHINESE: INTERNET, TELEVISION AND FILM

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Core Attributes: Literary Inquiry area

Prerequisites: CHIN 301

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.

CHIN 304 | PROFESSIONAL CHINESE: LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Core Attributes: Oral communication competency

Prerequisites: CHIN 301 or CHIN 302

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.

CHIN 320 | FABLES AND IDIOMS: CLASSIC CHINESE

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Core Attributes: Literary Inquiry area

Prerequisites: CHIN 301 or CHIN 302

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.

CHIN 325 | FABLES AND IDIOMS: CLASSIC CHINESE

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Core Attributes: Literary Inquiry area

Prerequisites: CHIN 301 or CHIN 302

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.

CHIN 347 | CHINESE CINEMA:POSTSOCIALISM AND MODERNITY

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Core Attributes: Literary Inquiry area

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 LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, OR CULTURE

Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Repeatable if topic differs)

Prerequisites: Passing the appropriate departmental placement test within the previous year or CHIN 202

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.

CHIN 493 | FIELD EXPERIENCE

Units: 1-3 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)

Core Attributes: Law - Experiential

Placement in a community agency where advanced French language skills will be utilized. Elective credit only (does not count toward the minor).

CHIN 494 | TOPICS: CHINESE LANGUAGE III

Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Repeatable if topic differs)

Study of special topics in Chinese literature, language, or culture. When offered, selected subjects will be announced on the MySanDiego portal.

CHIN 499 | INDEPENDENT STUDY

Units: 1-3 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)

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.