Chinese
What is Chinese?
Mandarin Chinese is the official language of China. It is also known as Standard Mandarin or Putonghua. Mandarin Chinese is the standard form widely used in government, education, media, and everyday communication in mainland China.
Why study Chinese?
⍟ China is one of the oldest countries in the world and became the second largest economy since 2010. It has one of the world' s oldest and richest cultures - over 5,000 years!
⍟ Chinese is spoken by over 1 billion people around the world, about one fifth of the global population. It is one of the six official languages in the United Nations.
⍟ Chinese proficiency creates opportunities to work for the U.S. government and multinational companies with highly competitive salaries.
⍟ Speaking Chinese opens the gateway to a deeper understanding of Chinese history, culture, and philosophy, to become smarter.
⍟ Chinese grammar is easier, more economic than what you think (no verb tenses; the same word order "subject-verb-object" to English!)
-According to Bloomberg Rankings, Chinese is the most useful business language after English.
Our Faculty
Students interested in Chinese language and the study abroad program can contact our faculty who are scholars of Chinese language and linguistics as well as experienced teachers of Mandarin Chinese.
Chinese Courses Offered
(3-2) 4 hours credit. Fundamentals of Chinese offering the opportunity to develop basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Introduction of Chinese characters and Chinese culture.
(3-2) 4 hours credit. Prerequisite: CHN 1014, an equivalent, an appropriate placement test score, or consent of instructor. Fundamentals of Chinese offering the opportunity to develop basic speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Further study of Chinese characters and Chinese culture.
(3-1) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: CHN 1024, an equivalent, an appropriate placement test score, or consent of instructor. Continued opportunity to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through structural analysis of the Chinese language. Continued exposure to Chinese culture.
(3-1) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: CHN 2013, an equivalent, an appropriate placement test score, or consent of instructor. Continued opportunity to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through structural analysis of the Chinese language. Continued exposure to Chinese culture.
(3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: CHN 2023, the equivalent, the appropriate placement test score, or consent of instructor. Offers the opportunity to develop advanced-level oral and written communication skills in the Chinese language, along with enhanced comprehension skills in listening and reading.
(3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: CHN 2023, the equivalent, or consent of instructor. Selected topics in Chinese culture, such as festivals, marriage, medicine, tourism, religion, philosophy, cuisine, education, film, and art.Chinese Language Placement Test
The purpose of the Chinese Placement Test is to assess students’ preparation for taking Chinese language courses. There are 60 minutes for students to answer 30 questions and to write a short essay in Chinese. Please contact the instructor Dr. Xiaolong Lu before taking the test.
The Chinese Language and Culture Club
The Chinese Language and Culture Club is an organization dedicated to those who are interested in learning more about the Chinese Language and Culture. Our club focuses on introducing the many arts of Chinese culture, such as Calligraphy and Water Painting. Additionally, we seek to aid those interested in speaking Mandarin Chinese at a basic level.
Our Study Abroad Program (2025)
(Taiwan)
(China)
