Academic Programs Catalog

College of Arts and Letters

Department of Linguistics, Languages and Cultures

Undergraduate Programs
Chinese

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese is designed to equip students with functional proficiency in the language, and cultural sensitivity to and factual knowledge about China. Study abroad is encouraged to provide students with firsthand experience of cultures superficially different from those to which they are accustomed, but are similar in many ways at the level of human interaction.

Students who plan to complete the requirements for the major should consult an undergraduate advisor in Chinese.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chinese

  1. The University requirements for bachelor's degrees as described in the Undergraduate  Education section of this catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese.

    The University's Tier II writing requirement for the Chinese major is met by completing Chinese 401 or 402.  Those courses are referenced in item 3. a. below.
  2. The  requirements of the College of Arts and Letters for the Bachelor of Arts degree. The completion of Chinese 201 and 202 satisfies the College of Arts and Letters requirement of second-year competency in a foreign language.
  3. The following requirements for the major:
    a. All of the following courses (31 credits):
    CHS 202 Second-Year Chinese II 5
    CHS 301 Third-Year Chinese I 4
    CHS 302 Third-Year Chinese II 4
    CHS 350 Studies in Chinese Language 3
    CHS 366 Chinese Culture: Tradition and Modernity (W) 3
    CHS 401 Fourth-Year Chinese I (W) 3
    CHS 402 Fourth-Year Chinese II (W) 3
    CHS 410 Chinese Short Stories 3
    CHS 466 Modern Chinese Literature and Films (W) 3
    b. Complete 3 credits from at least one course from the following:
    CHS 291 Special Topics in Chinese 1 to 4
    CHS 360 Chinese Film Studies 3
    CHS 411 Advanced Spoken Chinese 3
    CHS 491 Special Topics in Chinese Studies 1 to 4
    c. Completion of a capstone experience. This requirement may be satisfied by completion of special assignments in Chinese 302 (in China), 366, 402 or 466. The capstone experience must be approved by the student’s advisor.
    d. Study Abroad: Students with a primary major in Chinese are strongly encouraged to participate in a study abroad experience approved by the Chinese program. MSU study abroad programs are available at various sites in China and vary in length.
    e. In order to fulfill the college-level cognate requirement, students should consider the following disciplinary areas from within the College of Arts and Letters: English literature, linguistics, philosophy, art history, and religious studies. Suggested disciplinary areas from outside the college are: sociology, political science, economics, communication and history. With advisor approval history may be treated as a cognate within the College of Arts and Letters. Students are encouraged to formulate interdisciplinary thematic areas for both cognates. Both the cognates and the related courses must be approved by the student’s academic advisor.