27 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.
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. Every fall.
This course is offered in Spring semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 102, students should be able to read, speak (in accurate tones), understand, and write by hand and all the characters in chapters 1-7 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 1
Cross-Listed as ASIA 123 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.
Cross-Listed as JAPA 125 This translation-focused course allows students direct access to classical Chinese texts in several genres of poetry and prose. The readings differ every time the courses is offered, so it may be taken up to four times for credit.
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.
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
This course is offered in Spring semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 204, students should be able to read, speak (in accurate tones), understand, and write by hand and most of the characters in chapters 1-7 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 3
Cross-Listed as ASIA 251 and EDUC 251 China is known for its grueling examination culture. How did this culture evolve? This course examines the imperial civil service examination system, the benchmark of social and political success in imperial China. We will read the core texts of the Confucian curriculum - the Four Books and the Five Classics - to examine the values these texts promoted. We will also study frustrated scholars’ fictional accounts of the unfairness of the exam system, Europeans’ praise of it as a model meritocracy, and women’s struggles to participate in a system that explicitly excluded them. The course invites reflection on contemporary educational practices, and culminates in a recreation of the civil service exam. Offered occasionally.
Cross-Listed as ASIA 255 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.
Cross-Listed as ASIA 258 and WGSS 258 How are masculinity and femininity defined and transformed in modern and contemporary Chinese culture? How is the social construction of gender related to a larger social context? Through a rigorous analysis of the content and structure of modern and contemporary novels and films, this course examines the literary representation of gender and sexuality and its relation to tumultuous social transformations. Themes to be explored include: May Fourth enlightenment, anti-Japanese war, Socialist construction, the Cultural Revolution, and the liberalization of the post-Mao era. This course seeks to help students develop critical views of Chinese society and culture from a gendered perspective and gain familiarity with major authors, genres, and literary movements. This course assumes no prior knowledge of China or Chinese, and all reading materials are in English.
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.
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 course is offered in the Spring semester only. As a prerequisite for entering Chinese 306, students should be able to read, speak (with accurate tones), understand, and write by hand most of the characters in Chapters 8-10 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 3 . and chapters 15-20 of Integrated Chinese, Volume 4
Cross-Listed as ASIA 352
Cross-Listed as ASIA 353
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
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.
Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Chinese Language and Culture faculty member.
Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Chinese Language and Culture faculty member.
Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Chinese Language and Culture faculty member.
Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Chinese Language and Culture faculty member.
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required.
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required.
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required.
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required.
Source: Macalester College's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
