25 courses with the subject CHIN, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
CHIN 101Elementary Chinese6
Introduction to Chinese sentence structure and writing system, together with the development of basic aural/oral skills, with attention to the cultural context. Students who have learned spoken Mandarin Chinese at home or in another context, but who are unable to read or write, are encouraged to register for Chinese 280. Offered: Fall 2025 Liberal Arts Requirements: No Exploration requirements of CHIN 101. Tags: ASST Language CL: 100 level Faculty: Lin Deng
Not open to students whose previous Chinese language experience exceeds the
CHIN 102Elementary Chinese6
Continuation of Chinese 101. Offered: Winter 2026 Liberal Arts Requirements: No Exploration or better or received a score of 102 on the Carleton Chinese Placement exam. Tags: ASST Language CL: 100 level Faculty: Xuping Sun
Student has completed any of the following course(s): CHIN 101 with a grade of C-
CHIN 103Elementary Chinese6
Continuation of Chinese 101, 102. Offered: Spring 2026 Liberal Arts Requirements: No Exploration or better or received a score of 103 on the Carleton Chinese Placement exam. Tags: ASST Language CL: 100 level Faculty: Lei Yang
Continuation of Chinese 204. Completion of this course with a C- or better fulfills the language requirement. Offered: Winter 2026 Liberal Arts Requirements: LP Language Requirement No Exploration or better or received a score of 205 on the Carleton Chinese Placement exam OR CHIN 280 with a grade of C- or better. Tags: ASST Language CL: 200 level Faculty: Lin Deng
Student has completed any of the following course(s): CHIN 204 with a grade of C-
CHIN 206Chinese in Cultural Context
This course advances students’ proficiency in oral and written Chinese, at the same time integrating elements of traditional Chinese civilization and modern Chinese society. Emphasis is on cultural understanding and appropriate language use. Offered: Spring 2026 Credits: 6 Liberal Arts Requirements: LP Language Requirement or better or received a score of 206 on the Carleton Chinese Placement exam. Tags: ASST East Asia ASST Language CL: 200 level EAST Supporting ASST
CHIN 252The Chinese Language: A Linguistic and Cultural Survey
This course offers a unique introduction to the Chinese language for anyone curious about its defining characteristics and how they shaped, impacted, or relate to certain social, political, and cultural practices and traditions in China, present and past. This course will prepare students with the knowledge to make informed judgment on common misconceptions or prejudices, by non-Chinese and Chinese speakers, concerning the Chinese language or its writing system. Students are expected to learn about some general linguistic concepts and notions in regard to structural features of human language and its relationship with mind, society, and culture through this course. No prior knowledge of Chinese or linguistics is required. Not offered in 2025-26 Credits: 6 Liberal Arts Requirements: HI, Humanistic Inquiry Tags: ASST East Asia CL: 200 level EAST Supporting LING Related Field
CHIN 258Classical Chinese Thought: Wisdom and Advice from Ancient Masters
Behind the skyscrapers and the modern technology of present-day China stand the ancient Chinese philosophers, whose influence penetrates every aspect of society. This course introduces the teachings of various foundational thinkers: Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Sunzi, Zhuangzi, and Hanfeizi, who flourished from the fifth-second centuries B.C. Topics include kinship, friendship, self-improvement, freedom, the art of war, and the relationship between human beings and nature. Aiming to bring Chinese wisdom to the context of daily life, this course opens up new possibilities to better understand the self and the world. No knowledge of Chinese is required. Offered: Fall 2025 Credits: 6 Liberal Arts Requirements: HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies Tags: ASST East Asia CL: 200 level EAST Supporting MARS Core Course MARS Supporting PHIL Interdisciplinary 1 PHIL Pertinent PHIL Traditions 2 ASST
This course is aimed at fluent Mandarin speakers who have not learned to read and write. Students will intensively study the same characters as taught in Chinese 101, 102, 103, and 204. Successful completion will allow students to register for Chinese 205 in the winter term. Not offered in 2025-26 Liberal Arts Requirements: No Exploration Tags: CL: 200 level
This course selects a range of popular comics as primary reading materials. Through these multimodal materials, students will gain important cultural and historical knowledge about China, expand vocabulary on a variety of cultural and societal topics, and most importantly, develop proficiency in producing descriptions and third-person narratives, both orally and in writing. Offered: Fall 2025 Credits: 6 Liberal Arts Requirements: IS, International Studies LA, Literary/Artistic Analysis or better or received a score of 300 on the Carleton Chinese Placement exam. Tags: ASST East Asia CL: 300 level EAST Supporting ASST Literary Artistic
This course introduces to students the essentials of classical Chinese through a close reading of authentic materials. A wide range of genres, including prose, poems, idioms, and short stories, will be introduced to enrich students’ understanding of various writing conventions and styles. The historical, cultural, and literary forces that shape these cultural works also will be examined. Offered: Spring 2026 Credits: 6 Liberal Arts Requirements: LA, Literary/Artistic Analysis LP Language Requirement or better or received a score of 300 on the Carleton Chinese Placement exam. Tags: ASST East Asia CL: 300 level EAST Supporting ASST Literary Artistic
