ALL CHINA STUDIES CONCENTRATION STUDENTS TAKE:
Chinese I (3 credits)
This course in introductory Chinese focuses on acquiring survival fluency in spoken and written Chinese. The emphasis is on the spoken form of Mandarin Chinese, the national language of China. Students who already have studied Chinese may apply for a more advanced class. All students take the written exams for Chinese characters, vocabulary and grammar in the CSP Chinese I course.
Chinese Language Syllabus 2009-10
ELECTIVE COURSES (Choose 3-6 credits, as applicable):
Chinese II (3 credits)
This course focuses on acquiring low-intermediate fluency in spoken and written Chinese so that a student can handle situations such as travel planning, illness, making appointments, etc. The emphasis is on the spoken form of Mandarin Chinese, the national language of China. There will also be lectures on Chinese dialects, simplified v. traditional characters, and word radicals. As with Chinese I, any students in more advanced Chinese classes will take the written exams for Chinese characters, vocabulary and grammar for this course. Advanced Chinese Syllabus
Eastern Philosophy & Religions (3 credits)
This is an elective 3-credit hour course on the teachings, history, and development of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and folk religion. It also introduces concepts embedded in Chinese culture such as Yin & Yang, "the Five Phases," etc. The goal will be to understand these topics from an Eastern perspective, as well as to consider the extent to which they relate to Christian perspectives. Additionally, we will consider how the changing Chinese religious and political environment shaped the way Christianity was presented to the Chinese by 7th century Nestorians, 17th century Catholics, and 19th century Protestants. Field trips to relevant sites will occur throughout the program. Eastern Philosophy & Religions Syllabus 2009-10
Dimensions of East Asian Culture (3 semester credits)
This is an elective 3-credit hour course that introduces students to visual, physical, medical and culinary arts. The substantial majority of the course involves "hand-on" practice: though there are one or two lectures about the history & symbolism of Chinese art, the students will spend most of their time learning how to hold a brush, mix pigments, and paint water-colors in the Chinese manner. For Chinese cooking, though students will have explanations and guidelines about Chinese cooking & cuisines, they will spend most of their time preparing, and cooking ingredients into meals. Similarly, for Chinese medicine and in Tai Chi, students will have a few lectures on unifying Chinese philosophy that underlies these (and other) dimensions of Chinese culture, but most of their time will be spent practicing a standard Tai Chi routine. Dimensions of East Asian Culture 2009-10
Chinese Painting (1 credit; not available to "Dimensions" students)
Students will learn to paint from a Chinese artist. They will practice the basics of Chinese water-based brushwork, painting traditional pictures of bamboo, flowers, etc.
Tai Chi (1 credit; not available to "Dimensions" students)
This physical education course emphasizes traditional Chinese forms of stylized self-defense, which tones the body and concentrates the mind. Exercises may focus on either the gentler form of tai chi, or on the more vigorous wu shu, depending on who is teaching that semester.
