Chinese Classes

A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101.

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A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101.

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Course Materials

A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203.

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A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203.

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This collaboratively taught course examines the literature and arts of two empires in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: Ming China, an ancient empire sitting at the apogee of its influence yet soon to be crushed by rebellion and invasion, and Tudor-Stuart England, a nascent empire clamoring to assert its dominance as a global superpower through mercantile capitalism, racialized enslavement, and cultural supremacy. Using a literary and comparativist approach, we analyze the function of literature in the winning and losing of empire. We focus, in particular, on the literary writer’s role in shaping the public understanding of law and justice, race and ethnicity, barbarity and civility. We will read courtly literature written for the Chinese and English literati as well as popular texts (plays, songs, poems) aimed at popular audiences. We will visit the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Bell Museum to study Chinese and English material objects (including houseware, furniture, and maps), and practice holding conversation with scholars specializing in early modern China and England. No knowledge of Chinese (let alone classical Chinese) is needed. This course counts for the English Major period requirement (Renaissance).

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

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Humanities

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In Chinese, writing is synonymous with culture: word for writing is synonymous with civilization itself. This course explores the central role of writing – especially the cultural history of Chinese characters – both in and beyond China from ancient times to the present. How did this unique writing system develop? How have the graphs changed over time? What binds Chinese characters to other art forms – like painting, poetry, calligraphy, sculpture, and dance – or to ethical or spiritual self-cultivation? How do characters, incised in stone or brushed onto paper, transmit meaning? And how did they become the predominant writing system used throughout East and Southeast Asia in premodern times? What myths have been told about their origins, how have they been misconstrued, and what accounts for their extraordinary longevity? No knowledge of Chinese is required.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

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Humanities

Course Materials

A continuation of Third Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 305 .

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Humanities

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A continuation of Third Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 305 .

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

A continuation of Third Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 305 .

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

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Course Materials

What is Chinese in news reporting? How is Chinese used differently in TV reality shows and sitcoms? How is Chinese employed and manipulated online and in virtual reality? The aim of this course, which is equivalent to Fifth Year Chinese, is to learn about Chinese society and culture in different contexts: students will watch Chinese sitcoms and reality shows, read original Chinese novels, and communicate through Chinese Weibo. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 407 or equivalent.

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Humanities

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This class is designed for beginners. Students will study Mandarin pronunciation, master pinyin, learn how to hand-write roughly 200 Chinese characters, and conduct simple conversations about dates and times, birthdays, family, hobbies, etc.

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This class is designed for beginners. Students will study Mandarin pronunciation, master pinyin, learn how to hand-write roughly 200 Chinese characters, and conduct simple conversations about dates and times, birthdays, family, hobbies, etc.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This class is designed for beginners. Students will study Mandarin pronunciation, master pinyin, learn how to hand-write roughly 200 Chinese characters, and conduct simple conversations about dates and times, birthdays, family, hobbies, etc.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This class is designed for beginners. Students will study Mandarin pronunciation, master pinyin, learn how to hand-write roughly 200 Chinese characters, and conduct simple conversations about dates and times, birthdays, family, hobbies, etc.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This class is designed for beginners. Students will study Mandarin pronunciation, master pinyin, learn how to hand-write roughly 200 Chinese characters, and conduct simple conversations about dates and times, birthdays, family, hobbies, etc.

General Education Requirements:

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Course Materials

This course introduces students to masterpieces of Chinese poetry, drama, philosophy, and history. We begin with ancient folk songs and poems and progress historically to the twentieth century. The Chinese word for "literature" - "wenxue" -  literally means "the study (xue) of patterns (wen)." In class we will search for thematic, rhythmic, stylistic, and philosophical patterns that structure individual texts. We will also discover broader social patterns that transcend individual works and bind the tradition together. All texts will be read in English translation; no knowledge of Chinese language or literature is expected. There will be frequent writing assignments.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is offered in the Fall semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 203, students should be able to read, speak (in accurate tones), understand, and write by hand and all the characters in chapters 1-14 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 1 and Integrated Chinese, Volume 2. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 102

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This course is offered in the Fall semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 203, students should be able to read, speak (in accurate tones), understand, and write by hand and all the characters in chapters 1-14 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 1 and Integrated Chinese, Volume 2. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 102

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Course Materials

This course is offered in the Fall semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 203, students should be able to read, speak (in accurate tones), understand, and write by hand and all the characters in chapters 1-14 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 1 and Integrated Chinese, Volume 2. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 102

General Education Requirements:

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Course Materials

This course is offered in the Fall semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 203, students should be able to read, speak (in accurate tones), understand, and write by hand and all the characters in chapters 1-14 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 1 and Integrated Chinese, Volume 2. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 102

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course is offered in the Fall semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 203, students should be able to read, speak (in accurate tones), understand, and write by hand and all the characters in chapters 1-14 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 1 and Integrated Chinese, Volume 2. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 102

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This course is an overview of China on the silver screen. Adopting the "nation" as its primary structuring device, the course examines how Chinese films represented the national identity, national issues, and the national past. The topics under discussion include how women's virtues became emblems of a nation that strived for modernity in the early 20th century; how films were politically appropriated for socialist purposes; how the revolutionary past was cinematically constructed, remembered and critiqued in the post-Mao era; how the national legacy and tradition were consciously or unconsciously re-created and revised as a spectacle to meet the curious gaze of the global market; and how Taiwan and Hong Kong cinema constantly reflected cultural and national identities. The course starts from the silent film period and extends to the fifth generation directors, underground filmmaking, and the revival of the martial arts genre in greater China. Feature films from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong will be screened and discussed. Secondary articles and books are also assigned in conjunction with the films. The course is organized thematically and moves chronologically. No prior knowledge of China or Chinese is required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is offered Fall semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 305, students should be able to read, speak (with standard, accurate tones), understand, and write from memory the characters in chapters 8-10 of Integrated Chinese, Vol. 3 and chapters 11-15 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 4. This amounts to roughly 700-900 characters. This course is conducted entirely in Chinese. From the start, students should be able to tell a simple story in Chinese, summarize a passage, and begin to formulate and express opinions on a wide variety of topics, including travel, Chinese holidays, education, and the environment. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 204.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is offered Fall semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 305, students should be able to read, speak (with standard, accurate tones), understand, and write from memory the characters in chapters 8-10 of Integrated Chinese, Vol. 3 and chapters 11-15 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 4. This amounts to roughly 700-900 characters. This course is conducted entirely in Chinese. From the start, students should be able to tell a simple story in Chinese, summarize a passage, and begin to formulate and express opinions on a wide variety of topics, including travel, Chinese holidays, education, and the environment. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 204.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is offered Fall semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 305, students should be able to read, speak (with standard, accurate tones), understand, and write from memory the characters in chapters 8-10 of Integrated Chinese, Vol. 3 and chapters 11-15 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 4. This amounts to roughly 700-900 characters. This course is conducted entirely in Chinese. From the start, students should be able to tell a simple story in Chinese, summarize a passage, and begin to formulate and express opinions on a wide variety of topics, including travel, Chinese holidays, education, and the environment. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 204.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is offered in the Fall semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 407 students should be able to read, speak (with accurate tones), understand, and write by hand most of the characters in chapters 1-4 of Reading Into a New China, Volume 1 and should be able to discuss and write essays on intellectually and linguistically challenging topics such as social issues and current events. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 306.

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Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials