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.Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LC 112: Second-Semester Chinese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LC 111.
    Essentials of structure, oral practice, introduction to the writing system.Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • 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. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LC 200: Topics in Chinese Language & Literature
    Topic for Fall 2019: Forbidden Romance in Modern China. Introduces the fictional representations of amorous engagement in Chinese literary modernity. Examines how the modern lure of free will drove Chinese to redefine terms of affect, such as love, desire, passion, sexuality, loyalty, dedication, revolution, and sacrifice.
  • CAS LC 211: Third-Semester Chinese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LC 112.
    Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS LC 212: Fourth Semester Chinese
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LC 211.
    Review of structure and grammar, practice in conversation and writing, introduction to reading. Satisfactory completion of CAS LC 212 fulfills the CAS language requirement. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 216: Chinese Reading and Writing 2
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LC 116; , or placement test results.
    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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • The Individual in Community
    • 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. Effective Fall 2018, 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. Effective Fall 2018, 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. Effective Fall 2018, 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 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.
    • 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.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Critical Thinking
  • 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 284: Introduction to Chinese Women's Writing (in English translation)
    Close reading of modern Chinese women's writing since 1919 for what the texts reveal of the lives of Chinese women and society. Poetry, fiction, and autobiography.
  • CAS LC 285: Topics in Chinese Literature (in English translation)
    May be taken for credit as topics vary. Topic for Spring 2022: The East Asian imagination on non-human beings as a means for thinking about what it means to be human. Major readings from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literary works (mythology, folk tales, fiction, and drama) and visual texts (animation and film), with a focus on representations of human-like animals, ghosts, monsters, and gods.
  • CAS LC 286: Topics in Chinese Culture (in English translation)
    Topics vary. Topic for Spring 2023: 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. Effective Fall 2018, 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
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LC 212.
    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.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS LC 312: Third Year Modern Chinese 2
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LC 311; or consent of instructor. Enrollment in BU's Study Abroad Shanghai Programs.
    Readings and discussion in modern Chinese of selected nonliterary and literary materials,including newspaper articles, short stories, and essays. Regular compositions required.
  • CAS LC 313: Chinese through Theater and Performance
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LC 311; 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.
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
    • Creativity/Innovation