Courses
The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.
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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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: 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. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CAS LC 261: S24: Chinese Religion
A historical survey of Chinese religions from the ancient period to modern times. Covers cosmology, divination, philosophy, divine kingship, ancestors, art, the Silk Road, death and afterlives, popular deities, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation. -
CAS LC 280: Chinese Classics in Today's World (in English translation)
Discusses canonical texts and authors that for millennia have defined Chinese culture and reflects on their appeal, significance, and current comeback in today’s pop culture and politics in and beyond China. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CAS LC 281: Chinese Theater
Introduction to the theatrical performance of Chinese opera and the canonical works of Chinese drama. Close reading of well-known dramatic works in their social and historical contexts, with special attention to themes such as illusion, identity, and gender. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CAS LC 282: Old Tales for New Times: Folktale in Modern China
Folklore in modern and contemporary China. An interdisciplinary approach to China's most famous folk tales such as the Weaving Maiden and the Ox Herder, and the White Snake and Mulan. Traces the development of these stories in premodern times and their modern incarnations. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CAS LC 286: Topics in Chinese Culture (in English translation)
CAS LC 286 Topics in Chinese Culture (in English translation) Topics vary. Topic for Spring 2024: 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. 4 cr. On Demand -
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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CAS LC 311: Third Year Modern Chinese 1
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLC212) - 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CAS LC 313: Chinese through Theater and Performance
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLC311) or consent of instructor. - This course explores communication through reading, writing, discussing and performing theater in Chinese. It focuses on linguistic, para-linguistic, and cultural aspects in authentic drama, and help learners express ideational, emotional, and social meanings in theatrical settings that simulate real life. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CAS LC 315: Classical Chinese
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLC 212 or CASLC 216 or consent of instructor. - Learning the basic syntactical, lexical, and semantic features of classical Chinese by reading original texts from Pre-Qin and Han China, 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. -
CAS LC 316: Chinese Reading and Writing 3
Prerequisites: CASLC 216 or consent of instructor. - Intensive course covering third-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. Effective Fall 2025 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course. -
CAS LC 317: Chinese in Modern Society
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLC311) or consent of instructor. - 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication. -
CAS LC 318: Chinese through Public Speaking
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLC 311 and a First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g. CASWR 100 or WR 120) or consent of instructor. - As public speakers, how can we engage different communities at different times and places' This course explores theories concerning how to construct narratives and arguments that resonate with specific audiences in the Chinese-speaking world, and invites students to put such theories into performative practice in Chinese. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CAS LC 319: Practical Chinese: Chinese in Intercultural Communication
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLC311) or consent of instructor. - Develops students' intercultural competence and Chinese skills. Explores cross-cultural themes (e.g., verbal and nonverbal communication, identity and multilingualism, family, stereotypes, values, etc.). Learn Chinese through reading/viewing and discussing authentic materials (movies, comic books, TV episodes, stories) and conducting community engagement projects. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community. -
CAS LC 320: Advanced Classical Chinese
Prerequisites: CASLC 311, CASLC 314, CASLC 315, or consent of instructor. - Readings of classical Chinese poetry, philosophy, and short and long fiction for students with a foundation in literary Chinese. Selected materials address perennial human questions and are drawn from the past three millennia of the Chinese textual tradition. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CAS LC 322: Business Chinese
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLC311) or consent of instructor. - Advanced Chinese language course focuses on both oral and written communication to prepare students for employment or research in a variety of China-related fields or in Chinese-speaking communities. Specific topics vary by semester. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CAS LC 401: Senior Independent Work
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of department. - Application form available in the department. Senior independent work for honors. -
CAS LC 402: Senior Independent Work
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of department. - Application form available in the department. Senior independent work for honors. -
CAS LC 416: Chinese through Literary Masterpieces
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two 300-level modern Chinese courses, or consent of instructor. - This content-based course introduces students to selected original works in modern Chinese poetry, short stories, novels, drama, letters, and prose. Through close reading, collaborative presentations and group discussions, students will examine how social realities and ideologies are reflected in these works and explore how these works reflect the author's sense of identity crisis. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
