China Shanghai Chinese Language & Culture

All students enroll in one required course:

• CAS LC 111/112 Beginning Intensive Chinese (8 credits)
  • Essentials of structure, oral practice, introduction to the writing system.
  • Syllabus
• CAS LC 211/212 Intermediate Intensive Chinese (8)
  • Prerequisite: CAS LC 112 Second-Semester Chinese, or the equivalent.
  • Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading.
  • Syllabus
• CAS LC 311/312 Advanced Intensive Chinese (8)
  • Prerequisite: CAS LC 212 Fourth-Semester Chinese, or the equivalent.
  • Readings in modern Chinese. Readings and discussion in Chinese of selected nonliterary and literary materials, including newspaper articles, short stories, and essays. Regular compositions required.
  • Syllabus
• CAS LC 411/412 Fourth-Year Chinese (8)
  • Prerequisite: CAS LC 312 Sixth-Semester Chinese, or the equivalent.
  • Focuses on improving reading and writing skills through an understanding of Chinese culture and social realities.
  • Syllabus

Students enroll in two of the following courses (taught in English). The schedule and course offerings vary each semester. Students will receive further information on the elective courses upon arrival in Shanghai.

• CAS HI 365/IR 371 Shanghai: The Key to Modern China (4 credits)
  • Formerly CAS HI 387.
  • The social, cultural, political, and economic history of Shanghai is used as a lens to understand the making of modern China. Themes include the role of the city's colonial past in shaping its history. Students visit significant historical sights and museums.
  • Syllabus
• Questrom MK 467 International Marketing (4)
  • Prerequisite: Questrom MK 323 Marketing Management.
  • Develops a critical appreciation of both the opportunities and challenges associated with the increasing globalization of markets. Students learn about the key environmental forces shaping the needs and preferences of the global consumer and the impact of foreign, political, and economic factors on the marketing mix.
  • Syllabus
• Questrom OM 467 Global Sourcing and Supply Chain Management (4)
  • Prerequisite: Questrom OM 323 Operations Management.
  • This course introduces global sourcing and supply chain management in China. The course is structured to look at procurement and manufacturing, distribution and logistics, the information technology that supports the process, innovations in the supply chain that fuel China’s growth, as well as the integrated administration of the entire process.
• Introduction to Chinese Society and Culture (4)
  • Addresses the history of Shanghai in a national context, its renaissance as a global city as a result of state strategy from the 1990s onward, issues of urban planning and urban social space, and Chinese culture and religion.
• The Chinese Marketplace: Globalization and Local Transformations (4)
  • This course addresses major themes focusing on the dynamics of China’s unprecedented socioeconomic transformations. Topics include the implications of globalization for everyday life in local contexts, the rise of consumerism in contemporary China, and important state policies and various emerging markets.
• Chinese Diplomacy (4)
  • This course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to contemporary Chinese diplomacy and foreign policy, as well as their theoretical and historical background. This course also investigates the decision-making process of Chinese foreign policy; China's bilateral relations with major powers; China’s multilateral relations with its neighboring countries, developing countries, and international organizations.
• The Transitional Chinese Society (4)
  • China has become a country with a low population growth rate and the largest elderly population, while unprecedented economic reform has lifted China to the ranks of middle-income countries. This course not only introduces various demographic events and socioeconomic reforms but also explores the linkages between population change and socioeconomic development.
• Contemporary Chinese Film (4)
  • This course is intended to offer insights into the political, social, and cultural changes in contemporary China and the impact of modernization and globalization on its cultural redefinition and identity reforming. Using primarily a selection of films directed by the internationally acclaimed Chinese Fifth- and Sixth-Generation directors, the course focuses on developing critical-thinking skills to appraise the cultural narratives of each selected film and the aesthetic presentation produced by each film director.
• Chinese Culture and Religion (4)
  • This course focuses on the sociological study of religion in Chinese societies and the basic sociology of major religions in Chinese societies. The purpose of the course is to help students investigate different perspectives in understanding the significant role of Chinese religion in both traditional and contemporary China, and develop intellectual dialogue and mutual understanding between China and the West.

• CAS IP101 The Global Learning Experience (1 credit)
  • All program participants have the opportunity to make the most of their semester abroad with The Global Learning Experience, a self-paced, Pass/Fail course with brief readings and experiential assignments that accompany them while living and studying in a country and culture different from their own. Students post their work, experiences and observations to an online platform to trace and articulate their achievements abroad from an academic, personal and professional standpoint. The course links students with the faculty instructors as well as peers studying on other BU Study Abroad programs around the world. Students earn one credit in addition to the total program credits mentioned below at no additional cost.
  • Syllabus