Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Chinese

Program Overview

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers courses of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Chinese, French, German, Japanese Studies, and Spanish. In addition, the department offers minors in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. All courses in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures are taught primarily in the target language, unless the course is cross-listed with the World Literature Program or other interdisciplinary programs. 

Career opportunities for students majoring or minoring in these areas exist in college and university teaching, translation and interpretation, diplomatic and other government service, business, health care, international nonprofit agencies, and the arts. A minor in a modern language and literature can enhance a student's major course of study in a variety of fields, including the natural sciences and engineering. 

Majors in Chinese are expected to acquire the ability to understand, speak, read, and write in Chinese and to develop a broad foundation in the relevant literatures and cultures.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in the Chinese language: listening and speaking; writing and reading; and be able to express abstract thoughts in the acquired language.
• Students will be able to demonstrate translingual and transcultural competence, by perfecting their ability to operate between languages and global cultures.
• Students will be able to analyze texts written in Chinese as well as in translation, such as but not limited to literature, including cinema and other types of cultural productions and non-fiction writings.
• Students will be able to utilize the knowledge and skills acquired to conduct research in a foreign language and practice academic and professional standards.

Placement Procedure

Students with prior experience in Chinese, however acquired (e.g., in high school, at another institution, or via study abroad), work with department faculty members to determine an appropriate level at which to start. In general, one year of high school language instruction is the equivalent to one university-level course.  Students who have taken four years or more of one language in high school are generally eligible to take 300-level language courses at CWRU, but the department recommends starting with a course numbered under 320.

Undergraduate Policies

For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.

Accelerated Master's Programs

Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.

Program Requirements

Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements associated with this major.

The major in Chinese requires a minimum of 10 courses, equivalent to 30-32 credit hours. 

For students placed into 200-level courses, the major requirements include:

a

Taught in the target language.

For students placed into 300-level coursework, the major requirements include ten 300-level courses taught in the target language. 

Students may replace up to two 300-level courses with related courses. Related courses are those outside the department which are closely related to Chinese culture, as well as those departmental courses cross-listed with World Literature.

Departmental Honors

The departmental honors program is for especially dedicated majors. Requirements for honors in modern languages and literatures are:

1. a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major;
2. an honors thesis (CHIN 397, CHIN 398) in addition to the major credit hour requirements

The thesis is devoted to a literary, linguistic, or cultural topic and must be written in the target language. It must be read and approved by two readers and will be accepted for honors only if it achieves a grade of B or better. Students who qualify receive their degree "with Honors in Modern Languages and Literatures." A registration form for students applying for honors is available in the departmental office.