Chinese - Major

The purpose of this major program is to educate students to think and perceive rationally and critically. This education includes reading and thinking; learning about literary and cultural movements; and making connections between the primarily aesthetic literary artifacts of the culture and its political, social, and economic history.

Through the Emerson Foreign Language Laboratory, students are trained to use new learning and technology media at all language levels to allow them to communicate effectively in the world. Likewise, they are encouraged to prepare themselves philosophically and practically to make linkages between the major and other academic disciplines.

The students majoring in Chinese will learn about the world of ideas and letters, past and present. This training requires at least one semester of study abroad; one year is recommended. The cohesive, integrated program of foreign language, culture, and literature courses ensures maximum proficiency in the target language.

The 2.0 GPA required for graduation is the same as the College’s general requirements.

 The program consists of:

• A minimum of 14 courses in total;
• 7 courses including 6 language course (from beginning to advanced level) and 1 literature course are required;
• 10 courses taught in Chinese at the 100/200/300 levels taken on campus and at Shandong Normal University, our partner school in China;
• A hybrid (taught either in Chinese or in English) set of 4 courses at the 300/400 level at Nazareth;
• At least one semester of study abroad, though two semesters are strongly encouraged due to the complexity of Chinese language for Western students.