Chinese: Language, Literature, Culture (including courses in English)

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  • CAS LC 111: First-Semester Chinese
    Essentials of structure, oral practice, introduction to the writing system.
  • CAS LC 112: Second-Semester Chinese
    Essentials of structure, oral practice, introduction to the writing system.
  • CAS LC 116: Chinese Reading and Writing 1
    Intensive course covering first-year Chinese in one semester for students who speak Mandarin but possess limited or no reading and writing skills. Listening and speaking skills are also developed; aspects of students' Chinese heritage are explored.
  • CAS LC 211: Third-Semester Chinese
    Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading.
  • CAS LC 212: Fourth Semester Chinese
    Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading. Satisfactory completion of CAS LC 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 216: Chinese Reading and Writing 2
    Intensive course covering second-year Chinese in one semester for students who speak Mandarin. Training in listening and speaking, but emphasis is on reading and writing; aspects of students' Chinese heritage are also explored. Satisfactory completion of CAS LC 216 fulfills the CAS language requirement. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 250: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature (in English translation)
    Panoramic overview of three thousand years of Chinese literature from its beginnings to the threshold of modernity. Discusses masterpieces of one of the world's oldest continuous traditions in their cultural context and in the context of literatures around the world. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 251: Masterpieces of Modern Chinese Literature (in English translation)
    Modern Chinese literature tells stories of trauma, accommodation, and resistance. It offers private and public records of tumultuous transitions. This course focuses on great works of transformative importance. Authors include Lu Xun, Wang Meng, and Jin Yong. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 260: Gateway to Asian Cultures
    Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 280: Chinese Classics in Today's World (in English translation)
    Discusses canonical texts, such as the "Five Confucian Classics" and "Four Books," which for millennia have defined Chinese culture, and reflects on their appeal, significance, and current comeback in Chinese pop culture and politics. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 283: Chinese Civilization (in English translation)
    An interdisciplinary introduction to Chinese culture, including social life, thought, literature, and fine arts. Emphasis placed on the major cultural and social developments from prehistory to the nineteenth century that have a particular relevance to understanding modern China.
  • CAS LC 285: Topics in Chinese Literature (in English translation)
    Topic for Fall 2019: Popular Culture and Modern China. Examines "popular culture" as a modern, transnational phenomenon, and explores its manifestations in Chinese and Sinophone communities. Uses literature, film, music, and theatre to ask how China became modern by participating in the global circulation of popular media. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
  • CAS LC 286: Topics in Chinese Culture (in English translation)
    Two topics are offered in Spring 2019. Students may take one or both for credit. Section A1: Chinese Food Culture. A study of Chinese food culture, including artistic and literary representations, history of agriculture, food preservation and preparation, medicinal uses, restaurant culture, and food as a commodity. Section B1: Introduction to Chinese Calligraphy. Students learn the history of the Chinese writing system and gain insights into the historical developments of Chinese calligraphy, and, through practice, gain basic knowledge and skills required for a Chinese calligrapher.
  • CAS LC 287: Screening Modern China (in English translation)
    Major Chinese films interpreted in light of modern Chinese history and culture. Focus on questions of national and cultural identity in films from the 1980s to the present day by directors from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In English. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 311: Third Year Modern Chinese 1
    Readings and discussion in modern Chinese of a range of authentic materials, including essays, newspaper articles and multi-media recourses. Explore social issues in contemporary Chinese society (e.g. love and marriage, education, employment, population, housing problem, etc.) and compare them with the other countries. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 314: Classical Chinese 1 for Students of East Asia
    Introductory readings in Classical Chinese for students of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Learn the shared literary language of premodern East Asia and read masterpieces of East Asian philosophy, history, poetry, and fiction in the original. Also offered as CAS LJ 314 and CAS LK 314. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 315: Classical Chinese
    Learning the basic syntactical, lexical, and semantic features of classical Chinese by reading original ancient texts from Pre-Qin to the Qing, and examining how active classical Chinese is in modern Chinese, in order to understand this cultural and linguistic heritage. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 316: Topics in Classical Chinese
    Reading and discussion of Classical Chinese literature for students with basic knowledge of Classical Chinese. (Course conducted in Chinese or English, depending on topic.) Topic for Spring 2019: Love and Lust in Chinese Writing. Representations of romance and eroticism in China through close-reading of original texts in Classical Chinese. Enhances students' reading skills while reflecting on perceptions of self, gender, and sexuality in premodern China. Readings include love letters, diaries, poetry, and fiction.
  • CAS LC 317: Chinese in Modern Society
    Specific topics vary by semester. Topic for Spring 2019: Today's China in Transformation. Explore a wide range of social issues that contemporary China confronts today through media, press, movie, literature and art. Students continue developing Chinese communication skills and cultural awareness. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • CAS LC 318: Chinese through Cultural Traditions
    Advanced-level course in Chinese that explores traditional culture such as history, philosophy, literature, religion, and customs. Students continue developing their communication skills and cultural competency. Specific topics vary by semester.

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