Chinese Department

Studying Chinese Language and Culture at Reed: General Resources

• Language Laboratory
  • One invaluable resource for the study of Chinese language and culture at Reed College is the Language Laboratory, located on LL1 of the Hauser Library in the Instructional Media Center (IMC). The language lab is designed to augment language competence at all levels through drop-in tutoring, language-specific software and online resources, and facilities to watch and listen to the materials provided by the IMC. Currently equipped with iMacs and MacBook Pros, the lab is open to students approximately 15 hours daily during the academic year.

• Chinese Language Learning
  • Tutoring is available for all levels of Chinese language study, and offer students the chance to get help with assignments, practice one's speaking and listening comprehension, and learn more about contemporary China.  
  • Chinese Pronunciation Practice, UCSD
  • Hacking Chinese (the post on Pinyin Traps and Pitfalls is especially useful for beginners)

• Chinese Apps and Online Dictionaries
  • There are a number of excellent Chinese learning apps and dictionaries available. For students working on the language at any level, the Chinese dictionary app Pleco is highly recommended. For language learners, Skritter has been a useful tool for many students to learn to read and write Chinese characters. Other useful online dictionaries include the MDBG Dictionary and the Handian 漢典 Chinese Dictionary.

• Research Help
  • Library Research Guide: The Reed Library maintains a Chinese Research Guide that can help you get started on background research with reference works, accessing primary texts, finding and evaluating scholarly books, and searching and accessing scholarly databases and articles in journals.

• Writing Help
  • The Reed College Doyle Online Writing Lab: The Writing Lab offers online resources as well as in-person support and tutoring for projects ranging from Hum 110 papers to senior theses.
  • Typing in Chinese: The language lab has compiled this helpful guide to typing in Chinese, whether on a Mac or PC. 

• Formatting and Citation Guide: The Chinese Department uses a common set of formatting and citation guidelines.

For Juniors

• An updated guide for the Junior Qual is currently being prepared and should be available soon.

For Seniors

• The Senior Thesis, a year-long research project on a topic of the student’s choice, is a challenging academic endeavor, but a rewarding one. Both the department and college offer plenty of support:
  • The full departmental requirements for the Senior Thesis will soon be available in the Chinese Department Senior Thesis Guide.
  • The Reed College Senior Handbook produced by the Registrar’s Office contains all the information, requirements, and deadlines for the Senior Thesis.
  • The Writing Center offers weekly one-on-one support for seniors writing theses.
  • Funding for research expenses for theses is available from Reed College’s Initiative Grants in Undergraduate Research.
  • Past theses can be a great source of inspiration and ideas. Chinese theses are housed in the Thesis Tower in the Reed Library and, for Reed community members, can also be browsed in the Reed Electronic Theses Archive.

• Become a tutor! Every year, the Office of Academic Support hires peer tutors for Chinese language courses as well as peer writing tutors.
• Occasionally, departmental job opportunities will come available. To ensure equity in hiring, these opportunities will be advertised on Handshake.

Original research and creative inquiry are central to the educational mission of Chinese at Reed. Our majors all complete two substantial research projects, the Junior Qual and the Senior Thesis, during their course of study. Students may also have other opportunities to work with faculty members on faculty-led or collaborative research projects depending on the availability of funding. Such work can come in various forms, from proof-reading and editing to bibliographic or archival work to shared research projects that produce jointly authored conference papers or publications. Students occasionally also assist faculty with syllabus and course material preparation over the summer.

In recent years, student-faculty projects have included published translations from the sixth-century jokebook, Tales to Crack a Smile (Qiyan lu 啟顏錄), using digital tools to analyze entombed epitaph texts, and several projects funded by the college’s the Ruby-Lankford Grant Program. Students can also pursue their own research questions and/or creative projects with funding from the college as well as from the external funding sources listed below under "Funding."

Research is also not the only way to apply your Chinese skills: students are encouraged to engage in any kind of further study or personal or career development that is useful to their academic trajectory or their plans beyond Reed, whether that is further language study, internships or career experience, or creative endeavors.

The Chinese Department wants to ensure equitable access to research and other development opportunities for its students. Funding and financial support is available from a range of sources to help Reed Chinese students undertake a variety of academic, creative, or career-development opportunities.

• College-Wide Funding Sources
• External Funding Sources

College-Wide Funding Sources

Funding for research projects, summer study, internships, and other opportunities, whether Chinese-related or not, is available from the college. Those of greatest utility and interest to Chinese students are listed below. For further information and further funding opportunities, see the Center for Life Beyond Reed’s Fellowships and Awards Page. For information about additional awards available for studying Chinese abroad, see the Chinese department's Study Abroad Programs and Resources Page. 

• Opportunity Grants support academically valuable and pertinent opportunities, which can include, but are not limited to activities such as presenting work at conferences or attending exhibitions, seminars, or workshops.
• Initiative Grants in Undergraduate Research provide funding for seniors undertaking research for their thesis.
• Student Opportunity Subsidy (SOS) Grants, administered by the Reed Student Senate, are intended to provide a more equitable college experience and can fund a range of needs and opportunities.
• Summer Internship Awards allow students to gain valuable career development experience by supporting students financially while they engage in unpaid or underpaid internship opportunities, or internships with not-for-profit or public sector organizations. 
• Summer Opportunity Fellowship Awards provide funding for a student to pursue academic work with a mentor at another institution or organization. 
• The Ruby-Lankford Grant Program funds student-faculty collaborative research projects in the humanities. They are often used to fund summer projects.
• The President’s Summer Fellowship funds 8-10 week academic, creative, and/or service-based summer projects.

External Funding Sources

The major professional and scholarly organizations in the discipline also offer some nationally-competitive sources of funding to support summer travel and study opportunities:

• The Boren/NSEP Scholarship awards funding to American undergraduate students for self-designed or pre-designed intensive study abroad programs in world languages and regions critical to U.S. foreign policy interests, including China. Undergraduates may be funded for one semester to one academic year of study.
• The Critical Language Scholarship Program is a fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students.
• Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) Scholarships offers scholarships of up to $5,000 to underrepresented American college students studying abroad in one of the Fund for Education Abroad's partner programs.
• Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants of up to $5,000 for U.S. citizen undergraduate students who have been traditionally under-represented in education abroad, including but not limited to, students with high financial need, community college students, students in underrepresented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, and students with disabilities, to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, career-oriented internships abroad.

The Student Life Office maintains The Reed College Student Hub, a one-stop shop that can help guide you to the resources you need.

Academic Support

• The Office of Academic Support offers online resources for developing study and time management skills, peer tutoring in a wide variety of subjects, one-on-one academic coaching, and resources for English-language learners.

• Disability and Accessibility Resources (DAR) can help customize a plan for accommodations for disability-related needs. Any student is welcome to consult with DAR to learn more about the accommodation process and whether DAR is an appropriate resource for them.

Health and Wellbeing

The Student Life Office offers a number of resources and services to ensure students’ academic success as well as health, safety, and overall well-being. 

Community and Solidarity at Reed

The Reed College Office for Inclusive Community offers a number of student-support initiatives, including the Multicultural Resource Center and a peer-mentoring program for incoming first-year students.

Financial Assistance

• The Reed College Financial Aid Office can help connect students experiencing financial hardship or constraints with emergency funds and other financial assistance.
• Reed College Students for Education, Equity, and Direct Service (SEEDS) maintains a Community Food Pantry open to all Reed community members.
• Reed community members whose needs cannot be met by the Financial Aid Office’s emergency funds can request aid from the Reed Community Mutual Aid Fund.