Department of Asian Studies

Chinese

Chinese is the most widely spoken language, and the language with the longest continuous written legacy, in the world. It exists in both classical and modern forms and has exerted a strong influence on other East Asian languages, most notably Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. It is one of the world's major literary, commercial, scientific, and political languages. Chinese is tonal and tends to be monosyllabic in the sense that most of its syllables have an independent meaning even when they are part of multisyllabic words. In the Chinese writing system, each symbol, commonly called a "character" or "ideograph," stands for one syllable. Most characters have an element, called a radical, that gives a clue to the meaning of the syllable, and another element, called a phonetic, that gives a clue to its pronunciation. Modern standard (or Mandarin) Chinese is based on the speech of Beijing. Chinese also has many important dialects. such as Cantonese, Hakka, Taiwanese, and so on, that are not automatically intelligible to a speaker of the standard dialect. Written Chinese, however, tends to be uniform in vocabulary and structure, regardless of the dialect of the speaker.

The Department of Asian Studies offers Chinese language courses, advanced literature and culture courses in Chinese, and Chinese cultural studies courses taught in English. Students can major or minor in Chinese, or simply choose Chinese to satisfy their foreign language requirements.

In the Chinese language program, there is a special track for "heritage students," or those who have learned some Chinese at home or elsewhere and already have knowledge of the spoken but not the written language. CHIN 111 is the first course of an accelerated sequence, focused on written Chinese. Students who place into CHIN 111 can satisfy the foreign language requirement with only two courses, CHIN 111 and CHIN 212.

Major concentration in Chinese
Within the major in Asian Studies, students may take a concentration in Chinese, which requires eight courses, in addition to CHIN 101, 102, 203, and 204 (Elementary and Intermediate Chinese) or CHIN 111 and 212 (Elementary and Intermediate Written Chinese). Upon completion of CHIN 204 (Intermediate Chinese II) or CHIN 212 (Intermediate Written Chinese), students can pursue the concentration along one of two tracks:

Track A: For students who have completed CHIN 204, the following seven language courses are required:

CHIN 305: Advanced Chinese
CHIN 306: Business Chinese
CHIN 307: Chinese Conversation
CHIN 407: Readings in Modern Chinese I
CHIN 408: Readings in Modern Chinese II
CHIN 490: Topics in Chinese Literature and Language
CHIN 510: Introduction to Classical Chinese

Track B: For students who have completed CHIN 212, the following six language courses are required:

CHIN 313: Advanced Written Chinese
CHIN 414: Advanced Reading and Composition
CHIN 490: Topics in Chinese Literature and Language
CHIN 510: Introduction to Classical Chinese
CHIN 462: Studies in Chinese Language
CHIN 590: Advanced Topics in Chinese Literature and Language

Students on both language tracks must complete two additional courses, chosen from the following:

ASIA 52: First-Year Seminar: Food in Chinese Culture
ASIA 55: First-Year Seminar: Kung-fu: The Concept of Heroism in Chinese Culture
ASIA 56: First-Year Seminar: Writing Women in Modern China
ASIA 453: Global Shangri-La: Tibet in the Modern World
ASIA 692H: Senior Honors Thesis II
CHIN 150: Introduction to Chinese Civilization
CHIN 252: Introduction to Chinese Culture Through Narrative
CHIN 253: Chinese Language and Society
CHIN 354: Chinese Culture through Calligraphy
CHIN 361: Chinese Traditional Theater
CHIN 451: Chinese Literature in Translation Through the T'ang
CHIN 452: Chinese Literature in Translation Since the Sung
CHIN 463: Narrative Ethics in Modern China
CHIN 464: The City in Modern Chinese Literature and Film
CHIN 544: Chinese Cinema
CHIN 551: Chinese Poetry in Translation
CHIN 552: Topics in Chinese Prose
CHIN 562: Post-Mao Chinese Urban Culture and Arts
CHIN 563: Post-Mao Chinese Literature in Translation
And for students on track A only: CHIN 462: Studies in Chinese Language

Approved courses taken in UNC-Chapel Hill—sponsored study abroad programs may count in the concentration. No more than one first-year seminar or senior honors thesis course may be included among the two additional courses.

Students taking a concentration in Chinese are strongly encouraged to choose from the following courses that are crosslisted with Asian Studies to fulfill some of the general education requirements or as electives:

ANTH/ASIA 545: The Politics of Culture in East Asia
ANTH/ASIA 574: Chinese World Views
ANTH/ASIA 578: Chinese Diaspora in the Asia Pacific
ANTH/ASIA 682: Contemporary Chinese Society
GEOG/ASIA 265: Eastern Asia
HIST/ASIA 133: Introduction to Chinese History
HIST/ASIA 134: Modern East Asia
HIST/ASIA 282: China in the World
HIST/ASIA 283: Revolutionary Change in Contemporary China
POLI/ASIA 226: Government and Politics of East Asia
RELI/ASIA 183: Asian Religions
RELI/ASIA 284: The Buddhist Tradition: East Asia

With the approval of the associate chair of Asian Studies, a course in directed readings (ASIA 496 or CHIN 496) may also count toward the concentration. Before registering for ASIA 496 or CHIN 496, a student must obtain the approval of the associate chair and of the faculty member who will supervise the independent study project.

Of the eight or nine concentration courses, at least six must be passed with a grade of C (not C-minus) or better. No course in the concentration may be taken pass/fail.

Minor in Chinese
The minor in Chinese consists of five courses. At least three of the courses must be language courses beyond CHIN 203 (the first semester of Intermediate Chinese), chosen from among the following:

CHIN 204: Intermediate Chinese II
CHIN 212: Intermediate Written Chinese
CHIN 305: Advanced Chinese
CHIN 306: Business Chinese
CHIN 307: Chinese Conversation
CHIN 313: Advanced Written Chinese
CHIN 407: Readings in Modern Chinese I
CHIN 408: Readings in Modern Chinese II
CHIN 414: Advanced Reading and Composition
CHIN 462: Studies in Chinese Language
CHIN 490: Topics in Chinese Literature and Language
CHIN 510: Introduction to Classical Chinese
CHIN 590: Advanced Topics in Chinese Literature and Language

The other two courses may be chosen from the preceding list or from among the following:

ASIA 52: First-Year Seminar: Food in Chinese Culture
ASIA 55: First-Year Seminar: Kung-fu: The Concept of Heroism in Chinese Culture
ASIA 56: First-Year Seminar: Writing Women in Modern China
ASIA 453: Global Shangri-La: Tibet in the Modern World
CHIN 150: Introduction to Chinese Civilization
CHIN 252: Introduction to Chinese Culture Through Narrative
CHIN 354: Chinese Culture through Calligraphy
CHIN 361: Chinese Traditional Theater
CHIN 451: Chinese Literature in Translation Through the T'ang
CHIN 452: Chinese Literature in Translation Since the Sung
CHIN 463: Narrative Ethics in Modern China
CHIN 464: The City in Modern Chinese Literature and Film
CHIN 544: Chinese Cinema
CHIN 551: Chinese Poetry in Translation
CHIN 552: Topics in Chinese Prose
CHIN 562: Post-Mao Chinese Urban Culture and Arts
CHIN 563: Post-Mao Chinese Literature in Translation

No more than one First-Year Seminar course may be counted toward the minor.

Courses in Chinese

CHIN 101: Elementary Chinese I (4). Introduction to Mandarin Chinese, focusing on pronunciation, simple conversation, and basic grammar. Reading and writing Chinese characters is also taught. Five hours per week, three for lectures and two for oral practice. Fall, Summer I. FL.
CHIN 102: Elementary Chinese II (4). Prerequisite: CHIN 101 or permission of instructor. Continued training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing on everyday topics. Five hours per week, three for lectures and two for oral practice. Spring, Summer II. FL.
CHIN 111: Elementary Written Chinese (3). Designed for students who already understand and speak some Chinese. The training in the course centers on reading and writing. This course is taught in Chinese. CHIN 111 is equivalent to CHIN 101 and 102. CHIN 111 does not count toward the Chinese minor. Three hours per week. FL.
CHIN 203: Intermediate Chinese I (4). Prerequisite: CHIN 102 or permission of instructor. Second-year level of modern standard Chinese. Five hours per week, three for lectures and two for oral practice. Fall. FL.
CHIN 204: Intermediate Chinese II (4). Prerequisite: CHIN 203 or permission of instructor. Second-year level of modern standard Chinese. Five hours per week, three for lectures and two for oral practice. Spring. FL, FI.
CHIN 212: Intermediate Written Chinese (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 111 or permission of instructor. Designed for students who already understand and speak some Chinese. The training in the course centers on reading and writing. This course is taught in Chinese. CHIN 212 is equivalent to CHIN 203 and 204 . Three hours per week.Spring. FL, FI.
CHIN 305: Advanced Chinese (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 204 or CHIN 212 or permission of instructor. This course emphasizes the development of conversational skills with readings on everyday topics and vocabulary buildup. Three hours per week. Fall. FI.
CHIN 306: Business Chinese (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 313 or CHIN 305 or permission of instructor. This course provides training in advanced conversation and composition with readings that cover a wide range of topics on Chinese society, economics, history, politics, etc. Three hours per week. Spring.
CHIN 307: Chinese Conversation (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 305. Chinese language course at third-year level for non-heritage students. Designed to further practice and develop speaking proficiency. Three hours per week. Spring. BN.
CHIN 313: Advanced Written Chinese (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 212 or CHIN 204 or permission of instructor. This is the third course in modern written Chinese for heritage students. The material covered is comparable to the material dealt with in the fifth semester of the regular Chinese language sequence. Three hours per week. Fall. FI.
CHIN 407: Readings in Modern Chinese I (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 306 or permission of instructor. Readings selected from high quality authentic texts of modern Chinese, including newspaper articles and published writings of literary, cultural, and social interest relating to modern Chinese society. This course is taught in Chinese, with further training in speech and writing. Fall. BN, LA.
CHIN 408: Readings in Modern Chinese II (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 407 or permission of instructor. Readings selected from high quality authentic texts of modern Chinese, including newspaper articles and published writings of literary, cultural, and social interest relating to modern Chinese society. This course is taught in Chinese, with further training in speech and writing. Spring. BN, LA.
CHIN 414: Advanced Reading and Composition (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 313 or permission of instructor. Fourth course for heritage students, comparable to fourth year of the regular sequence. Focuses on reading and writing skills in modern Chinese, using authentic reading materials. Three hours per week. FI.
CHIN 462: Studies in Chinese Language (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 306 or permission of instructor. Overview of the Chinese language - sociolinguistic aspects, history, standard vs. dialects, spoken vs. written language, language reform, and contrastive analysis of Chinese and English. Taught partially in Chinese. Fall. Li. BN, FI.
CHIN 490: Topics in Chinese Literature and Language (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 408 or permission of instructor. Readings in Chinese literature and language on varying topics. May be taken more than once for credit as topics change. Fall.
CHIN 496: Independent Readings in Chinese (1-3). By departmental permission. For the student who wishes to create and pursue an independent project in Chinese under the supervision of a selected instructor. Maximum three credit hours per semester.
CHIN 510: Introduction to Classical Chinese (3). Prerequisite: CHIN 490 or permission of instructor. This course provides introductory training in classical Chinese, followed by the study of selected excerpts from Chinese classical literature. The course is conducted in Chinese. Spring. Henry, Hsiao. FI.
CHIN 590: Advanced Topics in Chinese Literature and Language (3). This is an advanced topics course in Chinese literature and language, culture and society. The instruction is entirely in Chinese with the use of authentic materials. Three hours per week. Spring.

For related courses taught in English, please see the complete list of courses.