Chinese

Joshua Roth, Chair

Denise Falk, Academic Department Coordinator


112 Ciruti Center
413-538-2885
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/academics/find-your-program/chinese

Overview and Contact Information

The Chinese program offers four levels of courses. In addition to intensive training of skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, the program emphasizes the connection between curriculum and career and tries to create opportunities for students to use their acquired language skills in daily life and to learn other subjects. Fourth level Chinese courses are designed with the concept of “using Chinese to learn” and a specific subject to be studied in Chinese (such as film, journalism, and business).

Students can study abroad in China and Taiwan through fall, spring, or year-long programs. The McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives maintains a current list of programs offered.

Students who study Chinese may choose to complete the minor in Chinese or the major in East Asian Studies for which language study is a principal component.

See Also

Faculty

This area of study is administered by the Asian Studies Committee:

Elif Babul, Professor of Anthropology

Calvin Chen, Carol Hoffmann Collins '63 Professor of International Studies and Professor of Politics

Satyananda Gabriel, Professor of Economics, Teaching Spring Only

Sohail Hashmi, Professor of International Relations on the Alum Foundation and Professor of Politics

Kavita Khory, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics

Susanne Mrozik, Professor of Religion, Teaching Fall Only

Naoko Nemoto, Professor of Asian Studies, On Leave 2026-2027

Joshua Roth, Professor of Anthropology

Ajay Sinha, Julie '73 and Helene '49 Herzig Professor of Art History, Teaching Fall Only

Ying Wang, Felicia Gressitt Bock Professor of Asian Studies

Amina Steinfels, Associate Professor of Religion

Lan Wu, Associate Professor of History

Whitney Kite, Assistant Professor of Art History

Abhilash Medhi, Assistant Professor of History

Jinhwa Chang, Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies

Kyae-Sung Park, Five College Senior Lecturer in Korean

Lisha Xu, Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies

Alice Shin-Yi Kao, Lecturer in Asian Studies

Lingjia Xu, Visiting Assistant Professor in Asian Studies

May George

Nari Matsushima, Visiting Instructor in Asian Studies

Requirements for the Minor

A minimum of 16 credits:

As prerequisites, if needed: ASIAN-110, ASIAN-111
Two Chinese language courses at the 200 level or higher8
An additional two 300-level courses in Chinese language courses8
Total Credits16

Additional Specifications

  • Independent studies (ASIAN-295 or ASIAN-395) do not count toward the minor.
  • Language courses that are not taken at Mount Holyoke must be approved by the head of the Chinese program at Mount Holyoke College to count toward the minor.
  • Courses taught in English do not count toward the minor.

Course Offerings

The 100-level courses in Chinese (ASIAN-110 and ASIAN-111) are prerequisites to the intermediate and advanced courses below.

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
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
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
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-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
Prereq: ASIAN-310 or equivalent.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu (lxu@mtholyoke.edu) for placement.

ASIAN-312 Newspaper Reading and Journalistic Practice in China

Fall. 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
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
Prereq: ASIAN-311 or equivalent.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu (lxu@mtholyoke.edu) for placement.