Chinese

Naoko Nemoto, 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:

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

Satyananda Gabriel, Professor of Economics

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

Kavita Khory, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics; Carol Hoffmann Collins Director of the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives

Susanne Mrozik, Professor of Religion

Naoko Nemoto, Professor of Asian Studies

Joshua Roth, Professor of Anthropology, Teaching Fall Only

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

Ying Wang, Felicia Gressitt Bock Professor of Asian Studies

Elif Babul, Associate Professor of Anthropology

Amina Steinfels, Associate Professor of Religion, Teaching Spring Only

Lan Wu, Associate Professor of History, Teaching Fall Only

Lisha Xu, Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies, Teaching Fall Only

Jinhwa Chang, Lecturer in Japanese

Kyae-Sung Park, Five College Lecturer in Korean

May George, Five College Lecturer in Middle East Studies

Alice Kao, Teaching Associate in Chinese

Requirements for the Minor

A minimum of 16 credits:

As prerequisites, if needed: ASIAN-110, ASIAN-111
At least two 300-level Chinese language courses8
At least two additional Chinese language courses at the 200 level or higher8
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: 6

Asian 212 is the first semester of the second-year Chinese course. This is an intensive course to 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 Resource Center Question and Answer sessions and the Chinese Language Table.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Language
L. Xu
Prereq: ASIAN-111 or equivalent. Coreq: ASIAN-212L.
Advisory: Contact Lisha Xu, lxu@mtholyoke.edu, for placement.

ASIAN-213 Second Year Chinese II

Spring. Credits: 6

This course continues Asian Studies 212, Second Year Chinese I. A continuing emphasis on the 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, Y. Wang
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

Fall. 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.