A student without any previous knowledge of the Chinese language will be required to take at least 36 hours of language classes: CHIN 1010-1020 (5/5); CHIN 2110-2120 (5/5); CHIN 3110-3120 (5/5); and, as an option,
CHIN 4110-4120 (3/3) or CHIN 4210-4220 (4/4). Only courses above CHIN 2110 will actually be counted towards the Chinese major, however, as the first three semesters fulfill the University’s language requirement. All these courses must be completed in sequence. All can be taken during the academic year, and first-, second-, and third-year Chinese can be taken, in some years, during intensive summer classes in which a year of Chinese is covered in ten weeks. Most of the other courses at the 3000 and 4000 level are taught on a rotating basis; not every course is offered in each academic year. Please sign up for as many of them as you are eligible for in each semester in order to ensure timely progress toward graduation.
Courses in Chinese literature, film and civilization (all taught in English translation) that count towards the major can be selected from among the following: The Dao and the World in Medieval China (CHIN 3311), Culture and Literature of Ancient China (CHIN 3321), Culture and Literature of Late Imperial China (CHIN 3331), Modern Chinese Literature in Translation (CHIN 3341), Reality and Dream in Traditional Chinese Fiction (CHIN 3351), Women and the Supernatural in Chinese Literature
(CHIN 3361), Topics in Chinese Film
(CHIN 3371), and Daoism
(CHIN 4750). It is suggested that students take one or more of these courses: Masterpieces of Chinese Literature in Translation (CHIN 1061), Boudoirs, Books, Battlefields: Voices and Images of Chinese Women
(CHIN 1061), Introduction to Traditional East Asian Civilizations (EALC 1011), East Asian Civilizations: Modern Period (EALC 1021) or Film and the Dynamics of Chinese Culture
(CHIN 2441). These courses count toward the Arts and Sciences Core requirements of Literature and the Arts or Cultural and Gender Diversity. Additionally, the Department offers Chinese Language and Society (CHIN 3441), an introduction to the interactions between language and culture, and Language and Gender in China (CHIN 3451), which can be included among courses for the major.
In addition, students completing the degree in Chinese are expected to acquire the ability and skills to:
communicate such interpretations competently in standard written English.
| Top | EALC Home
|
Required Basic Language Courses
CHIN 1010-1020 Beginning Chinese 1/2 (5/5)
These courses are offered in sequence during the fall and spring semesters and intensively during some summer sessions. They provide a solid introduction to modern Chinese (Mandarin), emphasizing speaking as well as reading and writing. Students learn both traditional full-form characters and the simplified versions used in mainland China.
Upon completion of this course students should be able to perform at the following levels on the scale developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages:
Speaking: Novice High. Able to participate in basic communicative exchanges by relying heavily on memorized utterances and by expanding these through recombination. Can ask very simple questions or make statements involving learned material. Vocabulary centers on basic objects and activities.
Listening: Novice High/Intermediate Low. Able to understand short learned utterances, particularly when context strongly supports understanding and speech is clearly audible. Comprehends words and phrases from simple questions, statements, high-frequency commands and courtesy formulae. May require repetition or rephrasing. Content refers to basic personal background and needs, social conventions and routine tasks, such as getting meals and receiving simple instructions.
Reading: Novice High/Intermediate Low. Can read for instructional purposes standardized messages (where vocabulary has been learned), such as some items on menus, schedules, timetables, maps, and signs. Able to understand main ideas and/or some facts from the simplest, specially-prepared (semi-authentic) connected texts dealing with basic personal and social needs. Understands texts with high-frequency vocabulary and simple structure.
Writing: Novice High. Can write frequently used memorized material. Can at least partially supply basic information needed for some forms.
CHIN 2110-2120 Intermediate Chinese 1/2 (5 credits each)
These courses are offered in sequence during the fall and spring semesters and intensively during some summer sessions. They focus on continued skills development, emphasizing reading, speaking, and writing modern Chinese, including continued study of both full-form and simplified characters, introduction to dictionaries, and principles of character formation and classification.
Upon completion of this course students should be able to perform at the following levels on the scale developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages:
Speaking: Intermediate Low/Intermediate Mid. Can engage in a simple conversation using past/nonpast, affirmative/negative forms. Can ask and answer questions, initiate and respond to simple statements and maintain face-to-face conversations related to a variety of basic, uncomplicated communicative tasks and social situations. Can talk simply about self and family members, personal history and leisure activities.
Listening: Intermediate Low/Intermediate Mid. Able to understand sentence-length utterances which consist of recombinations of learned utterances on a variety of topics, such as personal background and needs, social conversations, and somewhat more complicated topics such as lodging, transportation, and shopping. Can handle not only face-to-face conversations, but also short routine telephone conversations and some formal speech such as simple announcements and reports from radio and TV.
Reading: Intermediate Mid. Able to read simple connected texts dealing with a variety of basic and social needs, and descriptions of persons, places, and things written for a wide audience. Can understand, with the use of a dictionary, main ideas and facts in authentic materials. Can decode some handwritten notes and short letters for main facts.
Writing: Intermediate Low. Can write short messages, postcards, and elementary essays expressing personal opinions. Can create statements and questions based on learned material.
CHIN 3110-3120 Advanced Chinese 1/2 (5 credits each)
These courses are offered in sequence during the fall and spring semesters and intensively during some summer sessions. They survey a variety of authentic-language materials, including films, plays, newspaper articles, essays, and short stories. Extensive use of videotapes made from actual television programs, news broadcasts, commercials, and documentaries. Emphasizes proficiency-oriented approach to reading, writing, and oral communication.
Upon completion of this course students should be able to perform at the following levels:
Speaking: Intermediate Mid. Can engage in conversation on personal history, leisure activities, and daily life with increasing accuracy and fluency. Developing the ability to speak at length and to be an interactive conversational partner.
Listening: Intermediate Low/Intermediate Mid. Continued practice at the intermediate level (see 2110-2120).
Reading: Intermediate Mid. Continued development of intermediate reading skills (see 2110-2120).
Writing: Intermediate/Intermediate Mid. Able to write an increasing number of frequently occurring characters. Can write short messages, postcards, and essays with increasing accuracy.
CHIN 4210 Introduction to Classical Chinese (4 credits)
Systematic introduction to the classical language based on texts from the pre-Han and Han periods. Stresses precise knowledge of grammatical principles and exactitude in translation — the basis for all further work in classical Chinese.
CHIN 4220 Readings in Classical Chinese (4 Credits)
Close reading of selected texts of ancient and medieval literature. Readings in both prose and poetry. Emphasizes a disciplined, philological approach to the texts, with proper attention to diction, tone, and nuance.
(Note: Students in the Language and Civilization Track will take either 3110/20 or 4210/20.)
| Top | EALC Home
|
Other Courses That May Be Included in Either Major Track
CHIN 3311 The Dao and the World in Medieval China (3)
CHIN 3321 Culture and Literature of Ancient China (3)
CHIN 3331 Culture and Literature of Late Imperial China (3)
CHIN 3341 Modern Chinese Literature in Translation (3)
CHIN 3351 Reality and Dream in Traditional Chinese Fiction (3)
CHIN 3361 Women and the Supernatural in Chinese Literature (3)
CHIN 3371 Topics in Chinese Film (3)
CHIN 3441 Chinese Language and Society (3)
CHIN 3451 Language and Gender in China (3)
CHIN 4110/20 Advanced Readings in Chinese 1/2 (3/3)
CHIN 4300 Open Topics: Advanced Readings in Chinese Literature (3)
CHIN/RLST 4750 Daoism (3)
| Top | EALC Home
|
Other Recommended Courses That May Be Taken as Electives and/or Core Courses for the Language and Literature Track
EALC 1011 Introduction to Traditional East Asian Civilizations (4)
EALC 1021 East Asian Civilizations: Modern Period (4)
CHIN 1051 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature in Translation (3 credits)
CHIN 1061 Boudoirs, Books, Battlefields: Voices and Images of Chinese Women (3 credits)
CHIN 2441 Film and the Dynamics of Chinese Culture (3)
CHIN 4930 Internship (1-6)
Majors In both are strongly encouraged to expand their knowledge of China and the Asian region in general by taking courses in other departments. Academic units offering courses specifically related to China include the departments of Anthropology, History, Fine Arts, Religious Studies, Political Science, Economics, Theatre and Dance, and Film Studies, and the Leeds School of Business and the College of Music. In addition, Japanese studies courses offered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and courses offered in the Asian Studies program may be useful for Chinese majors in rounding out their understanding of the region and China’s role in it. For a listing of these courses, please consult the Asian Studies entry in the CU catalog.
| Top | EALC Home
|
Sample Program of Study: Language and Literature
Sample Program of Study: Language and Civilization
| Top | EALC Home
|
The Chinese Minor
The Chinese minor can be selected by students who wish to gain a basic understanding of the Chinese language and its literary tradition. A minimum of 18 hours must be taken. A minimum of 13 hours must be upper-division courses, including CHIN 3110 and 3120. All course work applied to the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better. Pass/fail work will not apply to the minor. For more information, see the College of Arts & Sciences website.
Course offerings that satisfy the minor:
EALC 1011: Introduction to Traditional East Asian Civilizations (4 hours)
EALC 1021: East Asian Civilizations: Modern Period (4 hours)
CHIN 1051: Masterpieces of Chinese Literature in Translation (3 hours)
CHIN 1061: Boudoirs, Books, Battlefields: Voices and Images of Chinese Women (3 hours)
CHIN 2120: Intermediate Chinese 2 (5 hours)
CHIN 2441: Film and the Dynamics of Chinese Culture (3 hours)
CHIN 3110: Advanced Chinese I (5 hours)
CHIN 3120: Advanced Chinese II (5 hours)
CHIN 3311*: The Tao and the World in Medieval China (3 hours)
CHIN 3321*: Culture and Literature of Ancient China (3 hours)
CHIN 3331*: Culture and Literature of Late Imperial China (3 hours)
CHIN 3341*: Modern Chinese Literature in Translation (3 hours)
CHIN 3351*: Reality and Dream in Traditional Chinese Fiction (3 hours)
CHIN 3361*: Women and the Supernatural in Chinese Literature (3 hours)
CHIN 3371*: Topics in Chinese Film (3 hours)
CHIN 3441*: Language and Chinese Society (3 hours)
CHIN 3451*: Language and Gender in China (3 hours)
CHIN 4110: Readings in Modern Chinese 1 (3 hours)
CHIN 4120: Readings in Modern Chinese 2 (3 hours)
CHIN 4210: Introduction to Classical Chinese (4 hours)
CHIN 4220: Readings in Classical Chinese (4 hours)
CHIN 4300: Open Topics: Readings in Modern Chinese Literature
(3 hours)
CHIN 4750: Daoism (3 hours)
CHIN 4900: Indpndt Study (1-3 hours)
*3000-level non-language courses
| Top | EALC Home
|
Study Abroad
The Department encourages its majors to spend either an academic year or a semester studying at a Chinese university. The University of Colorado is affiliated with study abroad programs based at Beijing, Nanjing, and East China Normal University. A maximum of 20 transfer credits may apply toward the major. Applications for study abroad should be obtained in the fall semester for attendance in the following academic year through the Office of International Education (ENVD 1B45, 123 UCB, 303-492-7741).
| Top | EALC Home
|
Student Organizations and Activities
EALC hosts many activities. There is also a wide range of extracurricular activities offered by the Chinese Student Association (CSA), the Hong Kong Student Association, and the Chinese Corner. The Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) also presents various China-related cultural events. Undergraduate majors may be selected to serve as departmental mentors to lower-division students.
| Top | EALC Home
|
Community Resources
In addition to University programs, the Boulder-Denver area offers numerous resources for students interested in China-related activities. Boulder is home to a number of cultural training opportunities. The Colorado China Council offers regular teaching opportunities in China. It is affiliated with the China Teachers Consortium, 4556 Apple Way, Boulder, CO 80301; tel. 303/443-1008; fax: 303/443-1107. The Denver Art Museum has a collection of Chinese art and periodically hosts special exhibits devoted to China.
| Top | EALC Home
|
Special Opportunities
Honors and Awards. Students with a GPA of 3.5 are encouraged to apply for Honors. In addition to the University Honors Program (LIBR M400L, 303-492-6617), which offers special opportunities to exceptional students at all levels, students may also apply for departmental honors. Prof. The University of Colorado has a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society, to which Liberal Arts majors may be elected in their junior or senior year. (Those who qualify will be notified by mail; no application is required.) One undergraduate Chinese major each year is awarded the Katherine J. Lamont Scholarship in recognition of outstanding academic performance.
B.A./M.A.. Exceptionally able students (particularly those who enter the University with significant preparation in Chinese studies from high school or with other background, or those who participate in study abroad opportunities at CU) may be eligible for the combined B.A./M.A. degree. Students on the B.A./M.A. program will complete both degrees during five years of study at CU. If you wish to apply for this option, you must consult the Undergraduate Advisor early in your career at CU to establish your program of study.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). UROP sponsors students who wish to work in partnership with a faculty member on a research or creative project. Consult with your instructors about opportunities they may have. If you agree on a project, you and your faculty mentor will submit an application to UROP to fund your research (LIBR S430, 303-492-2596).
Work-Study. EALC often has work-study opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students, for which we prefer to hire our own majors. These positions involve assisting in the EALC offices of the HUMN library for a certain number of hours per week. You must establish eligibility through application to the Office of Financial Aid.
Job Board. See the bulletin boards outside the EALC office (HUMN 240) for local employment opportunities. Your instructor may also announce opportunities in class from time to time. If you are an advanced student and your teacher endorses your language and translation skills, you may add your name to our file of potential translators/interpreters. When companies or individuals call seeking such assistance, EALC will give them names of qualified students from this list.
| Top | EALC Home
|
Library and Curricular Resources
East Asian Library. In Norlin Library, books in English and European languages about China are shelved among the regular collection. Books in Chinese are located in the East Asian Library (EAL) on the first floor near the Reference Room. Your instructor may take your class for an overview of the collection, or you may request a tour from the head library staff (LIBR E175). You are encouraged to begin browsing the shelves early, as the collection includes texts, dictionaries, and educational materials of interest even to those just beginning their studies, as well as academic and research materials. Note that magazines, journals, and newspapers in Chinese are shelved in the general Periodicals Room, not in the EAL.
Anderson Language Technology Center (ALTEC). Located in Hellems Hall on the first floor, ALTEC is a state-of-the-art facility supporting the study of foreign languages and cultures. It holds a large library of Chinese videotapes, videodiscs, computer programs, audiotapes, and reference books which you may use in the ALTEC facilities. The computing lab offers computers equipped for Chinese word processing, access to World Wide Web resources in Chinese, and doing email in Chinese script. You may use ALTEC for course assignments or for independent study and browsing. The campus also broadcasts Chinese-language television programs from the International Channel on the campus TV channel, and tapes of these programs are available for later viewing in ALTEC.
| Top | EALC Home
|
Where To Go For Help
Tutorial Services. Consult your teacher early for advice about the kind of tutoring that will be most helpful to you. In addition to the bulletin board outside EALC, which often has flyers from individuals offering language tutoring, tutoring is available from the Student Academic Services Center (Willard 386, 303/492-1416), through Tutorial Services (303/492-8761), the Academic Skills Program, and the Academic Excellence Program (Willard 313, 303-492-3842). We encourage you to explore these resources and the various programs they offer. It may also be helpful to find a conversation partner through the Chinese Student Association, the Taiwanese Student Association, the Hong Kong Student Association, or by contacting the International English Center (1030 13th St., 303-492-5547).
Advising. Please visit the Undergraduate Advisor to discuss the Chinese major, appropriate related area courses, study abroad opportunities, mentoring, or any other aspect of you undergraduate program. We also encourage you to stop in to visit all the China faculty during their office hours, so you can get to know them and their interests. If the faculty know you and your interests well, they can let you know of special study, work, or cultural opportunities as they arise. Students interested in the joint BA/MA should consult the Chinese Graduate Director.
Counseling and Career Services. Counseling Services offers a wide variety of assistance from individual counseling and therapy, groups and workshops, educational and career transition counseling, consultation, and testing (WLRD 134, 103 UCB, 303-492-6766). Career Services offers career planning assistance, a reference library, career planning programs, and information on Cooperative Education and Internships, as well as testing and assessment (WLRD 34, 133 UCB, 303-492-6541).
The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) offers programs and assistance particularly for returning students (UMC 412, 207 UCB, 303-492-5713).
Financial Aid. Applications for financial assistance are processed through the Office of Financial Aid, as are applications for work-study and other types of student employment and various scholarships (RGNT 175, 77 UCB, 303-492-5091).
| Top | EALC Home
|
What To Do With This Degree
As a Chinese major, you will have skills, information, and concepts that are relevant to careers in virtually every area. A knowledge of a foreign language in general, and Chinese in particular, is extremely useful in business, engineering, industry, commerce, the civil or foreign service, law, library science, the media, the natural sciences, economics, public administration, journalism, government, the social sciences, and teaching at all levels. Students are encouraged to consider combining their Chinese language training with courses in these or other fields.
A degree in Chinese from the CU-Boulder program will provide you with a strong background for advanced study and specialization in a variety of China-related disciplines and other related fields. Many majors elect to spend the first few years after graduation studying or working in China. There are many opportunities in this area, and EALC makes every effort to facilitate this transition for its students.
The Office of Career Services offers a number of programs and services designed to help you plan your career, including workshops, internships, and placement services after graduation. For an appointment with a career counselor or for more information, call 303-492-6541, or stop by Willard 34.
Students interested in advanced study of Chinese language or literature are encouraged to consider the Chinese Language and Literature or Chinese Language and Civilization tracks of the M.A. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations offered by the Department. For further information, see the EALC Graduate Director.
| Top | EALC Home
|
Appendix I
Levels of Proficiency. In the 1970s, the Foreign Service Institute, the Defense Language Institute, and other governmental bodies concerned with language learning established a scale of "Expected Levels of Absolute Speaking Proficiency in Languages." They divided all the languages taught at the institutes into four groups, based on the achievement level a student may expect after a certain period of study.
In Group I are languages that are relatively easy for native speakers of English: Afrikaans, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili, for example. Students of these languages can expect to achieve Advanced proficiency after about 720 hours of study.
In Group II are slightly more difficult languages, Bulgarian, Farsi, German, Greek, Indonesian, and Hindi among them. It takes about 1320 hours of study to reach the Advanced level in these languages.
In Group III are such languages as Bengali, Czech, Hebrew, Russian, and Thai. Students may achieve Advanced skills after about 1500 hours of study.
Group IV, the most difficult languages, includes Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. These languages require as many as 2760 hours of study of Advanced level competency.
You have embarked on a difficult undertaking and should not become discouraged if your progress seems slow at times. Determined, persistent effort will take you to your goal. The following chart shows why progress may seem rapid at first and then seem to level off: once you reach the Intermediate levels, you are broadening as well as deepening your knowledge—developing more vocabulary, learning kanji, and strengthening grammar skills for a variety of uses—and this takes time.
Stick with it!! We’re behind you. If you feel discouraged, please talk with your instructor and with EALC advanced students. They may be able to suggest "tricks" and new approaches that you haven’t thought of that will help you move to the next level of achievement.
|
Expected Levels of Absolute Speaking Proficiency
in Languages Taught at the Foreign Service Institute
(revised April 1973)
This chart was drawn up by the School of Language Studies of the Foreign Service Institute. It summarizes our experience with students as taught in our own classes rather than our judgments about the relative difficulty of these languages for speakers of English, though there is undoubtedly some correlation. The expected speaking proficiency for a student with a given background and a given aptitude, in a given language, after a given number of weeks will depend not only on the difficulty of the spoken language itself, but also on the amount of time and effort that the student has had to spend in concurrent study of the writing system. |
|
GROUP I: Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish |
|
Length of training* |
Aptitude for language learning
|
|
8 wks. (240 hrs.)
16 wks. (480 hrs.)
24 wks. (720 hrs.) |
Minimum
1
1+
2 |
Average
1/1+
2
2+ |
Superior
1+
2+
3 |
|
GROUP II: Bulgarian, Dari, Farsi, German, Greek, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Urdu |
|
Length of training* |
Aptitude for language learning
|
|
16 wks. (480 hrs.)
24 wks. (720 hrs.)
44 wks. (1320 hrs.)
|
Minimum
1
1+
2/2+ |
Average
1/1+
2
2+/3 |
Superior
1+/2
2+/3
3/3+ |
|
GROUP III: Amharic, Bengali, Burmese, Czech, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Khmer (Cambodian), Lao, Nepali, Philipino, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Sinhala, Thai, Tamil, Turkish, Vietnamese |
|
Length of training* |
Aptitude for language learning
|
|
16 wks. (480 hrs.)
24 wks. (720 hrs.)
44 wks. (1320 hrs.)
|
Minimum
0+
1+
2 |
Average
1
2
2+ |
Superior
1/1+
2/2+
3 |
|
GROUP IV: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean |
|
Length of training* |
Aptitude for language learning
|
|
16 wks. (480 hrs.)
24 wks. (720 hrs.)
44 wks. (1320 hrs.)
80-92 wks. (2400-2760 hrs.)
|
Minimum
0+
1
1+
2+ |
Average
1
1+
2
3 |
Superior
1
1+
2+
3+ |
|
*The number of hours is the theoretical maximum of 30 per week. |
|
Correspondence between FSI and
ACTFL/ETS Speaking Proficiency Scales |
|
FSI Scale |
ACTFL/ETS Scale |
|
0
no practical
proficiency |
novice – low |
|
novice – mid |
|
0+ |
novice – high |
|
1
elementary
proficiency |
intermediate – low |
|
intermediate – mid |
|
1+ |
intermediate – high |
|
2
limited working
proficiency |
advanced |
|
2+ |
advanced plus |
|
3
professional proficiency |
superior |
|
3+ |
|
4
distinguished proficiency |
|
4+ |
|
5
native or bilingual
proficiency |
|
From the ACTFL Language Proficiency Projects:
Update—Fall 1982 |
Appendix II
Seventeen Values of
Foreign Language Study
The study of a foreign language is valuable because it
- offers a sense of a relevant past, both cultural and linguistic.
- liberalizes one’s experience (helps expand one’s view of the world).
- balances content and skills (rather than content versus skills).
- contributes to the creation of a student’s personality.
- encourages critical reflection on the relation of language and culture, language and thought; fosters an understanding of the interrelation of language and human nature.
- contributes to cultural awareness or literacy (such as knowledge of original texts).
- contributes to achievement of national goals, such as economic development or national security.
- expands one’s opportunities for meaningful leisure activities (such as travel, reading, or viewing foreign language films).
- develops the intellect (includes learning how to learn).
- improves one’s knowledge of the native language (through comparison and contrast with the foreign language).
- exposes the learner to modes of thought outside the native language.
- builds practical skills (for purposes such as travel or commerce or as a tool for other disciplines).
- preserves (or fosters) a country’s image as a cultural nation.
- teaches and encourages respect for other peoples.
- enables the transfer of training (such as learning of a second foreign language).
- can be a point of integration of many areas of study.
- permits access to information unavailable in English.
Excerpted from "Seventeen Values of Foreign Language Study" by Alan C. Frantz, Assistant Professor of Foreign Languages and Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Idaho State University, published in the ADFL Bulletin 28.1 (Fall 1996): 44-46.
| Top | EALC Home
|
