Chinese Department

2024-2025 Chinese Courses

The Chinese Department offers courses in Chinese language and in Chinese literature, media, and film, both in translation and the original.

All Chinese literature, media, and film courses are taught in English and are cross-listed as Chinese (Chin) and Literature (Lit). If you would like the opportunity to work with course materials in the original Chinese, you should enroll under the Chin designation and expect to take part in additional one-hour meeting weekly to read, discuss, and translate course-related materials with your professor and your peers. 

A full list of courses offered by the Chinese department can be found here. All classes are in-person unless otherwise specified. 

• Spring courses

Fall Courses

Chin 111 - First-Year Chinese

Two-unit yearlong course; one unit per semester. A beginner’s course in standard (Mandarin) modern spoken and written Chinese, aimed at building a solid foundation in all its aspects: pronunciation (especially the tones), syntax, and basic vocabulary. Attention is given to a balanced development of all the basic skills of the language: listening and reading comprehension, speaking, and writing. Pinyin is the romanization system used in this and all other Chinese language courses. Both the traditional and simplified characters are taught. Students are expected to read both and write one of the two versions. Lecture-conference.

Chin 211 - Second-Year Chinese

Two-unit yearlong course; one unit per semester. This course is designed to build the skills of students who have studied at least one year of Chinese (or equivalent) to achieve intermediate-level proficiency in the oral and written use of the language through speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Emphasis in the course will be placed on learning to recognize and reproduce the natural flow of the spoken language, expanding vocabulary, and learning to write short essays in Chinese. Prerequisite: Chinese 110 or acceptance through placement test. Lecture-conference.

Chin 311 - Third-Year Chinese

One-unit semester course. This course is designed for students who have completed at least two years of Chinese language (or equivalent). The course will focus on student acquisition of near-native fluency in spoken Chinese, competence in reading a variety of contemporary texts (with a dictionary), and employment of different registers and genres of Chinese in students’ writing. Prerequisite: Chinese 210 or acceptance through placement test. Conference.

Chin 334/Lit 311 - The Yijing: Text and Tradition of the Book of Changes

One-unit semester course. The Yijing, or Book of Changes, is a text of limitless possibilities. This course explores various strategies of reading the text and examines philosophical, religious, historical, and literary critical implications of the text and the tradition associated with it. The system and the language of the 64 hexagrams and various layers of attached verbalization are the focus of investigation. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. For Chinese credit, CHIN 212 or equivalent. Conference.

Chin 335/Lit 312 - Worlding Chinese Literature

Jing Jiang - T/Th 3:10-4:30 p.m.

One-unit semester course. This course examines Chinese literature through a comparative lens, exploring the translingual connections and interactions between Chinese literary works and world literature. One notable example is Lu Xun's portrayal of the Chinese national character in "The True Story of Ah Q," which engages in dialogue with Arthur H. Smith's Chinese Characteristics, a work by an American missionary that Lu Xun encountered during his student years in Japan. Another lesser-known example is Wu Jianren's creation of New Story of the Stone after reading the Chinese translation of Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward: 2000-1887. Whether these translated texts serve as conceptual or formal inspirations, our understanding of Chinese literary modernity is enriched when we redirect our critical attention to the dialogic nature of the modern Chinese literary enterprise, and remember that Chinese literary modernity has originated and thrived as a mode of reading, writing, and circulation that is fundamentally worldly in nature. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. For Chinese credit, CHIN 212 or equivalent. Conference.

Chin 380/Lit 320 - Story of the Stone and the Literary Traditions of China

Alexei Ditter - M/W 2:40-4:00 p.m.

One-unit semester course. This course will approach the Chinese narrative tradition through close reading of The Story of the Stone and its literary antecedents. First published in 1792, The Story of the Stone (石頭記, also commonly known as Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢) recounts the experiences of a magical stone from heaven reborn as the male heir of the immensely wealthy and aristocratic Jia family. Through reading and discussion of poetry, drama, short story, and longer works of fiction from earlier periods alongside selected chapters from the novel, we will explore the ways in which The Story of the Stone self-consciously adapts literary conventions, techniques, and motifs from the narrative tradition, and learn to appreciate both China's rich literary tradition and the unique artistic achievements of this novel. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. For Chinese credit, CHIN 212 or equivalent. Conference.

Spring Courses

Chin 112 - First-Year Chinese

Two-unit yearlong course; one unit per semester. A beginner’s course in standard (Mandarin) modern spoken and written Chinese, aimed at building a solid foundation in all its aspects: pronunciation (especially the tones), syntax, and basic vocabulary. Attention is given to a balanced development of all the basic skills of the language: listening and reading comprehension, speaking, and writing. Pinyin is the romanization system used in this and all other Chinese language courses. Both the traditional and simplified characters are taught. Students are expected to read both and write one of the two versions. Lecture-conference.

Chin 212 - Second-Year Chinese

Two-unit yearlong course; one unit per semester. This course is designed to build the skills of students who have studied at least one year of Chinese (or equivalent) to achieve intermediate-level proficiency in the oral and written use of the language through speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Emphasis in the course will be placed on learning to recognize and reproduce the natural flow of the spoken language, expanding vocabulary, and learning to write short essays in Chinese. Prerequisite: Chinese 110 or acceptance through placement test. Lecture-conference.

Chin 280/Lit 220 - Introduction to Hong Kong Cinema

Renowned for its dynamic storytelling, stylistic innovations, and rich tradition of genres, Hong Kong cinema stands as a unique cultural phenomenon that has long captivated both local and global audiences. This course introduces students to the pivotal themes, formal elements, and historical contexts that shape and define this vibrant cinematic tradition. From its inception as a colonial outpost to its present identity as a city on the edge increasingly under Chinese rule, Hong Kong has served as fertile ground for exceptional artistic creativity in film production. Meditations on time, identity politics, ethical codes governing the criminal underworld, and urban alienation are among the most salient themes explored, spanning a diverse range of genres, from martial arts and ghost/folkloric tales to triad films, socially conscious cinema, and works that defy easy categorization. The course delves into the works of influential filmmakers such as John Woo, Wong Kar-wai, King Hu, Ann Hui, Fruit Chan, Derek Tsang, and Wong Chun, among others. Conference.

Chin 316 - Classical Chinese

Hyong Rhew - M/W/F 11:00-11:50 a.m.

One-unit semester course. Intensive introduction to the grammar of classical Chinese through the study of selections from ancient literary, historical, and philosophical texts. Readings include the Analects, Mencius, Zhuangzi, Shiji, and Tang-Song prose essays. Conducted in Chinese. Prerequisite: Chinese 210 or equivalent. Conference.

Chin 327/Lit 327 - Chinese Inhumanities: Construction of the Other in Chinese Literature

This course explores the construction, preservation, and interrogation of class, race, and ethnicity within China's literary traditions. Through reading and analysis of narratives treating its alleged "others"-uncultured barbarians from the territories that surround the middle kingdom; the myriad undead who haunt the living; shape-shifting animals who beguile, seduce, and love hapless humans; or individuals who transcend humanity through alchemy, physical and mental inhumanity, monstrosity, or posthuman existence-who are used to define and exclude communities, to express or explore cultural fears, anxieties, or doubts, and to reinforce or undermine belief in China's cultural superiority. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. For Chinese credit, CHIN 212 or equivalent. Conference.

Chin 348/Lit 315 - Reading for Translation

One-unit semester course. This course examines theories of literary translation, including various ideas of equivalence, purposes, causes of uncertainty, and the formation of paradigms. Further, it will attempt to practice the theories, by exploring methods of reading particularly for translation and strategies of rendering such a reading into another language. Prerequisite: A reading knowledge of Chinese is necessary (for exceptional cases, students with a reading knowledge of Japanese and Korean can be permitted to join the class); sophomore standing or consent of the instructor; for students enrolling in Chinese credit, CHIN 212 or equivalent. Conference.

Chin 412 - Selected Topics in Chinese Literature

Hyong Rhew - M/W/F 1:10-2:00 p.m.

One-unit semester course. Topics vary, selected from Chinese literature. Readings and instruction in Chinese. Prerequisite: third-year level of Chinese proficiency. Conference. May be repeated for credit.