Course information contained within the Bulletin is accurate at the time of publication in June 2025 but is subject to change. For the most up-to-date course information, please refer to the Course Catalog.
CHI 0868. World Society in Literature & Film. 3 Credit Hours.
Learn about a particular national culture - Russian, Indian, French, Japanese, Italian, for example, each focused upon in separate sections of this course - by taking a guided tour of its literature and film. You don't need to speak Russian, Hindi, French or Japanese to take one of these exciting courses, and you will gain the fresh, subtle understanding that comes from integrating across different forms of human expression. Some of the issues that will be illuminated by looking at culture through the lens of literature and film: Family structures and how they are changing, national self-perceptions, pivotal moments in history, economic issues, social change and diversity. NOTE: This course fulfills the World Society (GG) requirement for students under GenEd and International Studies (IS) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed any of the following: Arabic 0868/0968, Asian Studies 0868, Chinese 0968, English 0868/0968, French 0868/0968, German 0868/0968, Hebrew 0868, Italian 0868/0968, Japanese 0868/0968, Jewish Studies 0868, Korean 0868,
LAS 0868/0968, Political Science 0868/0968, Russian 0868/0968, or Spanish 0868/0968.
Course Attributes: GG
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
CHI 1001. Chinese Elements I. 4 Credit Hours.
First semester level of Mandarin Chinese. Assumes no prior knowledge.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
CHI 1002. Chinese Elements II. 4 Credit Hours.
Second semester level of Mandarin Chinese.
Course Attributes: LC
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 1001.
CHI 2001. Chinese Intermediate I. 3 Credit Hours.
Third semester of Mandarin Chinese.
Course Attributes: LC
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 1002.
CHI 2002. Chinese Intermediate II. 3 Credit Hours.
Fourth semester of Mandarin Chinese.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 2001.
CHI 2011. Pre-Modern Chinese Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to Chinese literature from its inception to the early 18th century. Some of the course's readings are drawn from works well known in the west like the "Book of Songs," "Zhuangzi," the poems of the Tang poets Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Bai Juyi, and the Song poet Su Shi, and short stories by the dramatist and novelist Li Yu. Other readings include works less well known in the west but long considered central to various literary and performance traditions by many Chinese. This course will present its readings with an emphasis on their cultural and historical contexts. Special attention will be paid to the place they have in various Chinese literary traditions and how these traditions have contributed to both Chinese ways of understanding their own cultural heritage and how they have influenced western understandings of that heritage. Note: This course is cross-listed with Asian Studies 2014. Students may only receive credit for one of these courses:
ASST 2014 or
CHI 2011.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
CHI 2013. Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature in Translation. 3 Credit Hours.
This course focuses on 20th- and 21st-century literature from China. Among the major themes of the course are socio-political and cultural upheaval and transformation, fiction and nation, and gender, race and class relations. Students will read representative short stories, novels, poetry, and essays. Selected documentaries and feature films will supplement the literary texts. The course will help familiarize students with major writers and with the cultural and historical contexts in which they produced their works. NOTE: Students will earn credit only once for either
CHI 2013 or
ASST 2013.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
CHI 2015. The Chinese Language. 3 Credit Hours.
This course provides a systematic introduction to the sound system and major grammatical structures of Mandarin Chinese. Readings will deal with topics ranging from the sounds of Mandarin and how they are organized into syllables and larger units to how the grammar expresses phenomena like the temporal ordering of actions with respect to each other, an action's duration, or a speaker's attitude towards an event. The course will be conducted in English and all examples will be transcribed into the Latin alphabet using Pinyin and will be provided with detailed English translations.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
CHI 2022. Contemporary Chinese Urban Film and Fiction in Translation. 3 Credit Hours.
This course looks at a selection of Chinese cinematic and literary texts by contemporary filmmakers and writers from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Through the study of film and fiction, we will examine how urban spaces and subjects have been delineated and imagined within the context of recent social and economic transformation and globalization. In particular, we will examine the different ways in which cinematic images and narrative structures celebrate the metropolis and convey the anxieties associated with it. We will explore a wide range of urban subjects as represented in film and fiction, and the ways in which they are shaped by and at the same time are shaping society and culture in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong today. Note: This course is cross-listed with Asian Studies 2022. Students may only receive credit for one of these courses:
ASST 2022 or
CHI 2022.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
CHI 2112. Chinese Literature: From Classical to Contemporary. 3 Credit Hours.
Students taking this course will have the opportunity to learn about China's long literary history by reading, discussing, and analyzing selected novels, short stories, poems, and literary essays. The first half of the semester will focus on work produced from around 1000 B.C.E. through the middle of the 19th century, with the second half covering the modern and contemporary periods. Ancient and classical writers (such as Zhuang Zi, Bai Juyi and Su Dongpo) and modern and contemporary writers (such as Lao She and Mo Yan) will be introduced. Class discussions and assignments will help students become acquainted with current theoretical and methodological approaches in the fields of Chinese. NOTE: Students can earn credit only once for either
CHI 2112 or
ASST 2112.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
CHI 3000. Chinese Special Topics I. 3 Credit Hours.
Arranged each semester. Please consult with the instructor and/or check the course schedule for specific topic.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
CHI 3001. Chinese Advanced I. 3 Credit Hours.
Fifth semester of Mandarin Chinese.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 2002.
CHI 3002. Chinese Advanced II. 3 Credit Hours.
Sixth semester of Mandarin Chinese.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 3001.
CHI 3021. Modern China in Fiction and Film. 3 Credit Hours.
Covering topics such as identity, gender, urban culture, revolution, and dissent, this course will focus on literary and cinematic representations of modern Chinese society. Texts will include novels, novellas, short stories, dramatic films, and documentaries. Knowledge of Chinese is not required. The course will be conducted in English. All readings will be in English translation, and the films and documentaries will be subtitled. Note: Students who have already taken
ASST 3021 will not receive duplicate credit for
CHI 3021.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
CHI 3031. Women in Chinese Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
This course focuses on women writers and women as characters in premodern, modern, and contemporary Chinese literature. Texts will include poetry, novels, short stories, and drama. Gender, representation, and women's roles in the history of Chinese literature are among the topics that will be covered. Knowledge of Chinese is not required. The class will be conducted in English, and all readings will be in English translation. Note: This course is cross-listed with Asian Studies 3031 and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies 3031. Students may only receive credit once for these courses:
ASST 3031,
CHI 3031, or
GSWS 3031.
Course Attributes: SI
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
CHI 3900. Honors Special Topics. 3 Credit Hours.
Topics vary from semester to semester. Please check with the faculty advisor or course instructor for a description and topic.
Cohort Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Cohorts: SCHONORS, UHONORS, UHONORSTR.
Course Attributes: HO
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
CHI 4001. Chinese Culture and Civilization. 3 Credit Hours.
Seventh semester of Mandarin Chinese. This course covers topics and themes that are important to an understanding of Chinese culture and civilization. In addition, students will further develop their Chinese language skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The course will be conducted entirely in Chinese.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 3002.
CHI 4182. Chinese Independent Study I. 3 Credit Hours.
Arranged each semester. Please consult with the instructor.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 3002.
CHI 4282. Chinese Independent Study II. 3 Credit Hours.
Arranged each semester. Please consult with the instructor.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 3002.
CHI 4296. Chinese Composition. 3 Credit Hours.
Eighth semester of Mandarin Chinese. A writing-intensive course. This course focuses on developing advanced skills in writing standard Chinese. Assignments and class discussions will focus on material drawn from contemporary Chinese essays, fiction, and journalism. The course will be conducted entirely in Chinese.
Course Attributes: WI
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 3002.
CHI 4297. Chinese Capstone Seminar. 3 Credit Hours.
This variable content course will focus closely on selected texts and themes in Chinese literature and/or film. Students will be expected to identify a research topic and formulate a thesis early in the semester, develop the project in stages (aided by collaborative class discussions and seminar presentations), and to submit a 15- to 20-page paper by the end of the semester.
Course Attributes: WI
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHI 3002.
