ASIAN-212 Second Year Chinese I

Fall. Credits: 4

ASIAN-212 is the first semester of the second-year Chinese course. This course will consolidate and expand students' competencies in the four fundamental areas of language learning--speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students will improve their oral fluency, study more complex grammatical structures, and enlarge their vocabulary. Emphasis on facilitating daily-life interactions will be supplemented and expanded by increasing discussion of broader issues in society. Students will develop a deeper and broader understanding of relevant aspects of Chinese culture. This course is conducted mostly in Chinese. Learning is supplemented by online learning resources, out-of-class language partner sessions, Language and Culture Commons Question and Answer sessions and the Chinese Language Table.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Language
A. Kao, L. Xu
Prereq: ASIAN-111 or equivalent.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu, lxu@mtholyoke.edu, for placement.

ASIAN-213 Second Year Chinese II

Spring. Credits: 4

ASIAN-213 continues ASIAN-212 Second Year Chinese I. A continuing emphasis on facility in daily life interactions will be supplemented and expanded by increasing discussion of broader issues in society, including education, employment, etc.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Language
A. Kao, L. Xu
Prereq: ASIAN-212 or equivalent.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu, lxu@mtholyoke.edu, for placement.

ASIAN-310 Third Year Chinese I

Fall. Credits: 4

This course helps students to build linguistic and communicative competence in Mandarin Chinese through reading, discussing, and writing about authentic texts. Newspapers, essays, and short stories will be the teaching materials for the course. An interactive approach will be incorporated into the curriculum to improve students' conversational skills. The class will be conducted mostly in Chinese, and class hours will be supplemented by individual work in the Language Resource Center.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Language
A. Kao
Prereq: ASIAN-213 or equivalent.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu, lxu@mtholyoke.edu, for placement.

ASIAN-311 Third Year Chinese II

Spring. Credits: 4

This course continues Asian Studies 310, Third Year Chinese I, in helping students build linguistic and communicative competence in Mandarin Chinese through reading, discussing, and writing about authentic texts. Newspapers, essays, and short stories will be the teaching materials for the course. An interactive approach will be incorporated into the curriculum to improve students' conversational skills. The class will be conducted mostly in Chinese, and class hours will be supplemented by individual work in the Language Resource Center.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Language
A. Kao
Prereq: ASIAN-310 or equivalent.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu, lxu@mtholyoke.edu, for placement.

ASIAN-312 Newspaper Reading and Journalistic Practice in China

Not Scheduled for This Year. Credits: 4

This course advances students' Chinese reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills by studying journalistic reports on the most pressing issues in China and the U.S. It also introduces the formal expressions, writing styles, and terminology commonly used in Chinese media. In addition, the course intends to help familiarize students with various media channels and agencies, understand the challenges of journalistic practice in the internet age, and enhance students' critical thinking and analytical stills by broadening their perspective and comparing Chinese and English media sources. Conducted mainly in Chinese with the addition of relevant English materials.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Language
Other Attribute(s): Speaking-Intensive, Writing-Intensive
L. Xu
Prereq: ASIAN-311 or equivalent.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu, lxu@mtholyoke.edu, for placement.

ASIAN-314 Learning Chinese Through Film

Not Scheduled for This Year. Credits: 4

This course advances students' Chinese reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills by studying contemporary Chinese films. The selected movies are mostly lighthearted comedies on youth, love, and aspirations, with discussions on relationships, immigration, elder care, education, and social justice. The class will watch the films and use the synopses and selected dialogues from the scripts as reading materials to facilitate linguistic and cultural learning. Students will also watch several prize winners/nominees by internationally acclaimed Chinese directors such as Yimou Zhang, Zhangke Jia, Kar-wai Wong, Xiaogang Feng, and Kaige Chen in the "Chinese Movie Night" activity. The class will be conducted mainly in Chinese.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Language; Multicultural Perspectives
Other Attribute(s): Speaking-Intensive, Writing-Intensive
L. Xu
Prereq: ASIAN-311 or equivalent.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu, lxu@mtholyoke.edu, for placement.

ASIAN-315 Business Culture and Communication in China

Not Scheduled for This Year. Credits: 4

An advanced speaking- and writing-intensive Chinese course focusing on Chinese business communication and culture. Will further improve students' Chinese proficiency and oral communication by using Chinese as a tool to investigate topics in business and business culture in China. As well as the textbook, the course will make use of a variety of supplementary materials, including some in English. Through lectures and other activities, students will gain experience and comfort in reading and discussing business news, producing analytic and technical forms of business writing, translating business-related documents, and other skills for future work in China.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Language; Multicultural Perspectives
Other Attribute(s): Speaking-Intensive, Writing-Intensive
L. Xu
Prereq: ASIAN-311 or equivalent.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu, lxu@mtholyoke.edu, for placement.
Notes: Taught entirely in Chinese.