Chinese & Japanese Major/Minor Requirements

The Department of Chinese and Japanese provides students with a coherent study of a cultural region. This region primarily encompasses China, Japan, and Korea—countries that spring from a common historical experience and share many common values and traditions. Though language forms an important part of this study, the focus of the curriculum remains as much cultural as linguistic. Courses are thus taught in English as well as in East Asian languages.

Students who complete the major in Chinese will demonstrate proficiency in the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) at the intermediate-high to advanced-low level according to the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) guidelines. They will also demonstrate the ability to read classical Chinese texts and translate appropriately into the vernacular and to work with complex fictional, non-fictional, and filmic texts in Chinese culture, history, and institutions.

The major in Chinese requires the following:

1. Completion of beginning and intermediate Chinese language courses:
   1. CHJA 101: Beginning Chinese I
   2. CHJA 102: Beginning Chinese II
   3. CHJA 201: Beginning Intermediate Chinese
   4. CHJA 202: Intermediate Chinese I
   5. CHJA 203: Intermediate Chinese II
   6. CHJA 301: Advanced Intermediate Chinese
2. Three six-unit courses in advanced Chinese, taught in Chinese: Participation in the Lawrence-affiliated study-abroad program at Associated Colleges in China and successful completion of its fourth-year level courses will fulfill this category. Participation in other off-campus Chinese language programs is to be evaluated for this category by the department faculty.
   1. CHJA 401: Advanced Communicative Chinese
   2. CHJA 402: Advanced Readings in Chinese
   3. CHJA 590: Tutorial Studies in Chinese or CHJA 598: Internship in Chinese
3. Three six-unit courses in Chinese literature and linguistics, taught in English, selected from the following. The third course may be substituted by an additional course in category 4.
   • CHJA 255: Introduction to Chinese Language and Culture
   • CHJA 310: Introduction to East Asian Linguistics
   • CHJA 350: Modern Chinese Literature and Cinema in Translation
   • CHJA 355: History of the Chinese Language
   • CHJA 360: Chinese Contemporary Film in English
   • CHJA 370: Traditional Chinese Literature and Thought
4. One six-unit courses in Chinese culture, taught in English, selected from the following:
   • HIST 308: Half the Sky: Chinese Women’s History
   • HIST 360: Contemporary China: 1949-2000
   • HIST 361: Western Encounters with China: Perceptions and Misperceptions
   • HIST 482: The Art of Healing: A History of Chinese Medicine
   • ARHI 430: Topics in Asian Art
5. One senior-level independent study, CHJA 699 (6 units), for the Senior Experience in Chinese.

CHJA 699 is a senior-level one-term independent study (6 units) culminating in the completion of a substantial paper or project derived from previous coursework in the discipline or related fields or field experience in consultation with department faculty. Students with sufficiently advanced Chinese language skills are encouraged to use some Chinese language sources in carrying out their research. Students must share the results of their work in a public forum prior to graduation.

1. Completion of beginning and intermediate Chinese language courses:
   1. CHJA 101: Beginning Chinese I
   2. CHJA 102: Beginning Chinese II
   3. CHJA 201: Beginning Intermediate Chinese
   4. CHJA 202: Intermediate Chinese I
   5. CHJA 203: Intermediate Chinese II
   6. CHJA 301: Advanced Intermediate Chinese
   7. One advanced language course
2. An exit proficiency interview

1. Completion of beginning and intermediate Japanese language courses:
   1. CHJA 111: Beginning Japanese I
   2. CHJA 112: Beginning Japanese II
   3. CHJA 211: Beginning Intermediate Japanese
   4. CHJA 212: Intermediate Japanese I
   5. CHJA 213: Intermediate Japanese II
   6. CHJA 311: Advanced Intermediate Japanese
2. One advanced language course
3. An exit proficiency interview

Chinese majors can seek certification to teach Chinese at the elementary and secondary levels. To be certified, students must spend a term in a Chinese-speaking country studying the language and culture and must pass an oral and writing proficiency test. Students can add an endorsement in a second area (such as another language or English as a second language) by completing the appropriate minor. Students who plan to seek teacher certification should review the requirements in the Education section of the catalog and meet with the director of teacher education, preferably before the end of the sophomore year.

Students who have studied Chinese or Japanese in high school and who wish to study Chinese and Japanese beyond the beginning level are required to consult with the department chair in order to ensure their proper placement in language classes.

Opportunities exist to study in both Chinese- and Japanese-speaking areas through affiliated off-campus programs in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo (see Off-Campus Programs).