Chinese Language & Culture

Overview

The Chinese Language and Culture program at New College offers courses at all levels of Chinese language as well as courses and tutorials on Chinese language, literature, and culture in English translation. Language courses are offered regularly, and cultural content courses change each year covering both surveys and special topics. Students with an Area of Concentration (AOC) in Chinese Language and Culture develop a high level of proficiency in all aspects of Mandarin Chinese, a broad historical and cultural knowledge of classical and modern Chinese culture, and in-depth knowledge of certain authors, genres, periods, or themes. Courses may explore visual and literary representation of landscape and environment, or heroes and heroines in literature and film, or contemporary literature from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan that take up contemporary issues of crisis and modernity.

In light of the interdisciplinary nature of the Chinese Language and Culture program, students are encouraged to take courses from related fields and disciplines, and/or complete a combined AOC with another discipline. Chinese has been combined with a wide range of other disciplines from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

Requirements for the AOC in Chinese Language and Culture

A minimum of twelve (12) academic units.

Course List
Code	Title
Six Semester-Long Chinese Language Courses
LANG 2510	First-Year Modern Chinese I
LANG 2520	First-Year Modern Chinese II
LANG 3510	Second-Year Modern Chinese I*
LANG 3520	Second-Year Modern Chinese II
LANG 4510	Third-Year Modern Chinese I
LANG 4520	Third-Year Modern Chinese II
Advanced Reading in Classical or Modern Chinese, Offered as a Tutorial
LANG 4525	Advanced Reading in Chinese
Survey Course in Classical or Modern Chinese Literature and Culture
LITR 2675	Modern & Contemporary Chinese Literature: A Survey*
or LITR 2680	Classical Chinese Literature: A Survey*
Special Topics Course in Classical or Modern Chinese Culture
Select one from the following examples:
LITR 2070	Landscape in Chinese Literature*
LITR 2075	Fantastic Tales and Idle Talks in Traditional China*
LITR 2080	Chinese Science Fiction in the Twenty-first Century*
LITR 2085	Chinese Martial Arts Film*
LITR 2185	Heroism in Classical Chinese Literature
LITR 2682	Through the Lens of the Auteur: Major Directors in Chinese “New Wave” Cinema*
Tutorial in a Subject of Student Interest
LITR 4540	Special Topics Tutorial in Chinese Literature or Culture Special Topics Tutorial Chinese Lit or Cul
China-/East Asia-Related Courses in Other Disciplines of Humanities and Social Sciences ¹
Select two from the following examples:
ANTH 3215	China, Africa, and Globalization
ECON 3200	Chinese Economy
HIST 4300	Women and Gender in China
HIST 4350	The Age of Openness: China Before Mao (1912-49)
HIST 3875	Chinese History Since 1800
HIST 3885	Environmental History of China
HIST 3800	Chinese History to 1800*
HIST 2200	East Asian Civilization*
HIST 4350	The Age of Openness: China Before Mao (1912-49)
POLS 3220	Politics of China: Communism and Change
RELI 3250	Chinese Religions: From Confucius To Mao
RELI 3700	Buddhist Meditation
RELI 3720	Monks, Oracles, and Lamas: Buddhism in the Himalayas*
RELI 2700	Buddhism for Beginners: The Buddha, his Quest for Enlightenment, and the Rise of a Global Religion*
PHIL 2210	Classical Chinese Philosophy*
Additional Requirement
Senior Thesis in Chinese Language and Culture and Baccalaureate Exam

¹: Including but not limited to political science, philosophy, religion, art, art history, history, gender studies, anthropology, or economics.

Requirements for the Joint AOC in Chinese Language and Culture

A minimum of eight (8) academic units.

Course List
Code	Title
Five Semester-Long Chinese Language Courses
LANG 2510	First-Year Modern Chinese I
LANG 2520	First-Year Modern Chinese II
LANG 3510	Second-Year Modern Chinese I*
LANG 3520	Second-Year Modern Chinese II
LANG 4510	Third-Year Modern Chinese I
LANG 4520	Third-Year Modern Chinese II
Special Topics Courses in Classical or Modern Chinese Culture
Select two from the following examples:
LITR 2070	Landscape in Chinese Literature*
LITR 2080	Chinese Science Fiction in the Twenty-first Century*
LITR 2185	Heroism in Classical Chinese Literature
LITR 2085	Chinese Martial Arts Film*
LITR 2682	Through the Lens of the Auteur: Major Directors in Chinese “New Wave” Cinema*
China-/East-Asia-Related Course in Other Disciplines of Humanities or Social Sciences
Select one from the following examples:
ANTH 3215	China, Africa, and Globalization
ECON 3200	Chinese Economy
HIST 4300	Women and Gender in China
HIST 4350	The Age of Openness: China Before Mao (1912-49)
PHIL 2210	Classical Chinese Philosophy*
HIST 3875	Chinese History Since 1800
HIST 3885	Environmental History of China
HIST 3800	Chinese History to 1800*
HIST 2200	East Asian Civilization*
HIST 4350	The Age of Openness: China Before Mao (1912-49)
POLS 3220	Politics of China: Communism and Change
RELI 3250	Chinese Religions: From Confucius To Mao
RELI 3700	Buddhist Meditation
RELI 3720	Monks, Oracles, and Lamas: Buddhism in the Himalayas*
RELI 2700	Buddhism for Beginners: The Buddha, his Quest for Enlightenment, and the Rise of a Global Religion*

Study Abroad

Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad at universities in China or Taiwan for at least one semester since studying abroad is essential to language mastery and cultural learning. Credits will be transferred to New College, and placement tests will be given so as to place students in courses at appropriate levels. Please consult with faculty members in the Chinese program for additional information.

Representative Senior Theses in Chinese Language and Culture

Are You Taiwanren or Taioanlang? A Study of Linguistic Hybridity and Identity Formation in Taiwanese Cinema
At the Liaison’s Gates: Spirit and Security in Hong Kong
Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement: Exploring Theories of Civil Disobedience in Chinese and Western Philosophy
China’s Avant-Garde Literature in Translation: Ge Fei
Distance Learning's Effect on Language Learning Anxiety
In Search of a Modern Chinese Theater: The Politics of Performance in the Twentieth Century
Examining Female Community Power in the Development of the Chinese Boys’ Love Genre
LGBTQ+ Taiwanese: Their History, Politics, and Films
The Historical Considerations, Social Benefits, and Environmental Impacts of Green Spaces in Shanghai
She's Sick of all the Drama: The Portrayal of Female Sickness in Chinese Literature and Television Drama
Self-Cultivation of the Monkey King: A Confucian Reading of Journey to the West
To Float Above Water: Mapping Modernity and Identity in Recent Chinese Ecocinema
Making It Real: Shanzhai Culture China