Chinese Studies

Professors: Berkey (Chair), Lozada, Rigger, Shen
Associate Professor: Bullock, Pang, Shao
Assistant Professor: Kyo, Mortensen
Lecturer: Tsai

Students can obtain a major in Chinese Language and Literature or a minor in Chinese Studies. These options prepare students linguistically and culturally for interaction with Chinese in the Chinese-speaking world or here in the West.

Foreign Language Requirement

Successful completion of Chinese 201 satisfies the foreign language requirement.

Cultural Diversity Requirement

Chinese 120, 121, 206, 207, 224, 225, 226, 228, 405, and 406 satisfy the cultural diversity requirement.

Chinese Language and Literature Major (A.B. Degree)

Prerequisites

These courses do not count toward the major.

CHI 101 - Elementary Chinese I
CHI 102 - Elementary Chinese II
CHI 201 - Intermediate Chinese I
CHI 202 - Intermediate Chinese II

Major Requirements

A total of 10 courses are required, 6 of which will be Chinese language courses above 202, allocated as follows:

Advanced Chinese Language (6 courses)

Advanced Chinese

Advanced Reading and Writing

CHI 351 - Advanced Reading and Writing
CHI 353 - Advanced Composition and Conversation

Advanced Composition and Conversation

Chinese language courses taken abroad and content courses taught in Chinese.

Chinese Literature (2 courses)

Students may transfer courses from abroad.

Literary Theory (1 course)

*To count for Chinese Language and Literature, the student’s translation work in the seminar should use Chinese sources.

Students may petition to substitute other courses in literary and cultural studies, or to transfer a course from abroad.

Study Abroad

A minimum of two semesters OR one semester plus a summer of study in China or a Chinese-speaking country is required. Students may combine a formal program with a summer of independent research. Intensive study in the US (Middlebury, Monterrey) may count toward this requirement. Coursework must include Chinese language study and/or courses taught in Chinese, but may include courses taught in English as well. Only language courses and courses on Chinese literature will count toward the major.

Capstone

A 400-level course in Chinese Studies.

Honors

Chinese Language and Literature majors who maintain a GPA of at least 3.5 in major courses and successfully complete an honors thesis will receive honors in Chinese Language and Literature.

In the case of an exceptional academic record, together with a thesis of the highest quality, the department may confer high honors.

Chinese Studies Minor

Satisfactory completion of six courses numbered above Chinese 102, including:

two Chinese language courses chosen from: Chinese 201, 202, 253, 301, 302, 303, 350, 351, 353, 354; and
two courses in Chinese literature, culture, or cinema, with at least one 400-level course chosen from: Chinese 120, 121, 122, 206, 207, 224, 225, 226, 228, 405, 406.
one of the following courses may be included in the minor: Art 128, 224, Anthropology 265, History 286, 287, 386, 387; Political Science 342, 343, or 453; Religion 280, 282, 288, 370, 382, or 383.
With the approval of the Chinese Studies Department Chair and the Registrar up to three Chinese language, literature, cinema, or cultural courses taken outside Davidson College (either from other American institutions or abroad) may be applied toward the minor.

It is strongly recommended that students study abroad in an approved program in a Chinese-speaking country.

Chinese Studies Courses

The numbers given the language courses are different from the numbers given to the culture, cinema and literature courses. Course numbers indicate difficulty, as follows:

(1) The 1st-year language courses are assigned numbers in the 100s, the 2nd-year language courses in the 200s, and the 3rd-year language courses in the 300s.

(2) For language courses within the same level, a higher value also indicates a more advanced course. For instance, Chinese 350: Advanced Reading and Writing is more advanced than Chinese 302: Advanced Chinese II. However, students may take CHI 303, 350, 351, 353, and 354 in any order.

(3) For literature and culture courses within the same level, a higher number represents a different rather than a more advanced course. For example, Chinese 120 and Chinese 121 are both introductory courses.