Note: The Department Waitlist policy for all courses is 2 – Go
to the department office to get on a waitlist, and then attend the first class meeting. Policies and procedures for handling the waitlist will be explained there.
Students wanting to begin language study, at a level other than first year, must take a placement exam to be held on January 6.
Culture Courses/Literature Courses
452. Literary Chinese. Chinese 202 or 362. (4). (Excl).
This is a course primarily
for specialists, requiring knowledge of modern Chinese at least through the second-year level. Through the use of Shadick's A
First Course in Literary Chinese and selected handouts, the
styles of written Chinese of imperial China from prose to poetry
are selectively introduced. Class is taught in small recitation
groups requiring constant preparation by the student. Quizzes, tests, and hand-in exercises on a weekly basis, plus a final exam, are used to measure progress. Emphasis is on understanding of the texts, as well as the ability to render them clearly into
English. This course is the second half of a two-term sequence that is prerequisite to more advanced Chinese courses. In this
term, we continue to read in a variety of texts covering all pre-modern
periods. Further practice is aimed at improving understanding
of the structure of literary Chinese, introducing the practice
of using dictionaries and other aids for interpretation, and increasing
familiarity with important grammatical particles. Supplementary
areas of concern include policies and problems in using literary
Chinese in research, problems of translation, and the general
evolution of styles in the literary tradition. WL:2 (An)
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Times, Location, and Availability
472. Traditional Chinese Drama and Fiction
in Translation. No
knowledge of Chinese required. (3). (HU).
The focus of this course
is the development of drama and fiction in pre-modern China. Written
in vernacular Chinese, these works expand the permissible subjects
and modes of literary expression giving the reader an intimate
"backstage" view of traditional Chinese culture unavailable
elsewhere. Course requirements are several short papers, a final
exam, and participation in class discussion. Readings include, depending on availability, plays: Chinese Theater in the Days
of Kublai Khan, The Lute, and The Peach Blossom
Fan; short stories: Stories from a Ming Collection, Silent Operas; autobiography: Six Records of a Floating
Life; and novels: The Plum in the Golden Vase (cc. 1-20), The Tower of Myriad Mirrors, The Story of the Stone
(v. 1), and The Travels of Lao Ts'an. WL:2 (Rolston)
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Times, Location, and Availability
475/Asian Studies 475/Hist. of Art 487/RC
Hums. 475/Philosophy 475. The Arts and Letters of China. (4). (HU).
This interdisciplinary
course is taught jointly by faculty specialists in Chinese philosophy, religion, history of art, drama and literature. It is not a survey
course. Instead the main task will be the sustained and critical
study of a number of significant and representative works in order
to present some major themes of the distinct and complex civilizations
of China. In spite of inner tensions, this is a cultural tradition that can be seen as a highly integrated system composed of mutually
reinforcing parts, making such an interdisciplinary and multimedia
approach particularly effective. Toward the end of the term we
will observe the system's collapse as it struggles to adapt to the modern world, consider how our themes continue, persist, or
change. Background lectures on history, language, and cosmology
will be followed by topics and readings that include: Confucianism
(Mencius) and Taoism (Chuang-Tzu); themes in Chinese religiosity, Ch'an (Zen Buddhism); classical narratives; lyricism and visual
experience in poetry and landscape painting; traditional storyteller
tales; poetic-musical theater; fiction of modern "revolutionary"
and post-Mao China. Course format: lectures and discussions by
Crump (theater); Feuerwerker (modern fiction); Lin (poetry); Rolston
(traditional fiction); Sharf (religion). In the fourth hour class
will divide into two discussion sections. No prerequisites. Requirements: three short papers and final exam. WL:2 (Feuerwerker)
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Times, Location, and Availability
Language Courses
102. Beginning Chinese. Chinese 101. (5). (LR). Laboratory fee
($10) required.
In Chinese 102, we do
longer readings and question-answer sheets twice a week. Students
are also required to memorize short dialogues. Toward the end
of the term, students have to write a skit together with other
students and their performance will be videotaped and their pronunciation
will be graded. We have a test or quiz each week on Thursdays.
In general the workload in Chinese 102 is much heavier than in
Chinese 101. For both courses, we recommend that students listen
to tapes one hour per day. Attendance is taken everyday, and no
audits are allowed. Textbooks: (a) John DeFrancis, Beginning
Chinese (Yale Univ. Press) and (b) John DeFrancis, Beginning
Chinese Reader, Parts I and II (Yale Univ. Press). No visitors
are allowed. WL:2 (Tao)
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Times, Location, and Availability
202. Second-Year Chinese. Chinese 201. (5). (LR).
This course is a continuation
of work begun in Chinese 201. Students electing the course should
have mastered the material presented in the first 10 lessons of Intermediate Reader of Modern Chinese (Princeton University
Press, 1992); Lessons 11-22 from that text constitute the focus
of the winter course. The primary goals are (a) achievement of
a basic level of reading competence and (b) continued improvement
of aural understanding and speaking competence. These goals are
approached through classroom drills, oral presentations/skits, out-of-class exercises, and work in the language laboratory. Daily
class attendance is required. Students who are native or near-native
Mandarin Chinese speakers are not eligible for this course; they
should enroll in Chinese 302 (Reading and Writing Chinese), which
covers all of the material presented in Chinese 201/202 and is
offered in the Winter Term. WL:2 (Grande)
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Times, Location, and Availability
225. Calligraphy. Chinese 101. (1). (Excl). May be repeated
for a total of three credits.
To explore the richness
of Chinese calligraphy, this class is designed to include a series
of fundamental introductions to the history of Chinese calligraphy, and a brief theoretical framework for evaluation and appreciation;
in addition, a practice session will be held in each class to
facilitate a hands-on learning process. WL:2 (Shyu)
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Times, Location, and Availability
302. Reading and Writing Chinese. Permission of instructor. No credit granted
to those who have completed or are enrolled in Chinese 201, 202, or 362. (4). (LR).
This course is designed
for students with native or near-native speaking ability in Chinese
and who know approximately 400 characters. Meeting four hours
per week, Chinese 302 focuses on reading and writing Chinese and covers the regular 201-202 reading material except for the movie
script A Great Wall. Students will be graded on the basis
of daily classroom performance, daily quizzes, periodic tests, and homework assignments. The text is Intermediate Reader
of Modern Chinese. WL:2 (An)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
378. Advanced Spoken Chinese. Chinese 202 or 362. (1). (Excl). May
be repeated for a total of four credits.
This course is designed
as a spoken language supplement to the post-second year Chinese
reading courses. The prerequisite is two years of modern Mandarin
Chinese (UM courses Chinese 101 through 202, or equivalent courses
at another institution). The purpose of this course is to continue
building on the foundation of spoken competence laid down in first-
and second-year Chinese by providing two hours a week for students
to talk, talk, and talk. This is accomplished through presentation
of brief speeches and discussions on topics selected by the class.
The role of the instructor, who serves as a coordinator for the
class, is not to teach students how to speak Chinese, but to encourage
and coach them in speaking Chinese. Vocabulary lists will be provided
before and after each discussion session. The grades will be determined
by students' attendance, participation in discussion, oral presentations, and vocabulary quizzes. This course is not for native speakers, auditors, or sit-ins. WL:2 (Liang)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
406. Third-Year Chinese. Chinese 405. (5). (Excl).
All four basic skills
- reading, writing, listening, and speaking – are stressed. In this course, students learn to read various styles and genres
of modern Chinese, including fiction, essays, and occasionally
poetry. Course readings are selected from a large variety of genuine
Chinese materials; there is no textbook. On completing third-year
Chinese, students should (with the aid of a dictionary) be able
to read and discuss most non-technical subjects in modern Chinese.
This course meets five hours per week. Of these, three hours are
devoted to understanding and discussing the reading material.
The fourth hour is reserved for oral presentations, discussions, and skits. The fifth hour is used for taking quizzes or tests.
Student work is evaluated on the basis of daily attendance, exercises, one dictation every second day, and one quiz or test per week.
The class is conducted mainly in Chinese. Cost:2
WL:2 (Liang)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
416. Chinese for the Professions. Chinese 406. (3). (Excl).
Chinese for the Professions
( i.e., Business Chinese) focuses on practical language
skills that are most helpful in actual business interactions with
Chinese-speaking communities. Classroom activities, largely in the form of real world simulation, will be based on authentic
documents and correspondence as well as a textbook. Some highlights
are: business negotiation in international trade, business letter
writing, business documents comprehension/translation, business
oral presentation, commercial language, and word processing. Through
intensive practice in the listening, speaking, reading, and writing
of the Chinese language for business purposes, students will enhance their cultural awareness and acquire vocabulary, phrases, and sentence patterns commonly used in typical Chinese business contexts.
WL:2 (Chen)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
418. Oral Mandarin for Cantonese Speakers.
Chinese 406.
(2). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of four credits.
The course is specifically
designed to help Cantonese-speaking students who have advanced
Chinese reading and writing skills but lack oral Mandarin (Putonghua)
competence. Classroom activities, based on intensive pinyin
drills, are exclusively guided oral practice and corrections.
Cantonese native speakers without an advanced level in reading
and writing are encouraged to attend Chinese core courses or, if qualified, Chinese 378. WL:2 (Chen)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
452. Literary Chinese. Chinese 202 or 362. (4). (Excl).
This is a course primarily
for specialists, requiring knowledge of modern Chinese at least through the second-year level. Through the use of Shadick's A
First Course in Literary Chinese and selected handouts, the
styles of written Chinese of imperial China from prose to poetry
are selectively introduced. Class is taught in small recitation
groups requiring constant preparation by the student. Quizzes, tests, and hand-in exercises on a weekly basis, plus a final exam, are used to measure progress. Emphasis is on understanding of the texts, as well as the ability to render them clearly into
English. This course is the second half of a two-term sequence that is prerequisite to more advanced Chinese courses. In this
term, we continue to read in a variety of texts covering all pre-modern
periods. Further practice is aimed at improving understanding
of the structure of literary Chinese, introducing the practice
of using dictionaries and other aids for interpretation, and increasing
familiarity with important grammatical particles. Supplementary
areas of concern include policies and problems in using literary
Chinese in research, problems of translation, and the general
evolution of styles in the literary tradition. WL:2 (An)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
462.
Readings in Modern Chinese. Chinese
461. (5). (Excl).
Chinese 461-462 is a two-term
Chinese language course sequence with graded readings at an advanced
level. Texts chosen from a variety of sources in both Mainland China and Taiwan include 20th-century fiction and essays on various
topics. While students are helped to further improve command of
structure and vocabulary in a range of language styles, the primary
emphasis of the sequence is on reading comprehension with the
aim of enabling students to read original materials with less
reliance on a dictionary. Development of speaking and writing
skills will also be stressed through discussions on the readings.
In this term, longer texts will be used and efforts will be made
to improve reading skills and speed. Weekly assignments such as, but not limited to, composition in Chinese and translation into
English are required. Classes are conducted largely in Chinese.
(Chen)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
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