Academic Programs - Chinese

Chinese was offered at CNU for the first time in the fall of 2007. You may ask why it is important to learn Chinese and how hard it is to learn. Here are several undisputable facts: 1) for every four people in the world there is one who speaks Chinese, so it is the #1 spoken language in the world; 2) China is the fastest growing economy on earth and is regarded as the potentially biggest global market in the 21 century; 3) knowing Chinese helps you build your resume and may give you a critical edge competing for an important position. Those who will benefit from learning Chinese can be the majors in business, government, international relations, information technology, education, tourism, etc.  Is it hard to learn Chinese? Yes, learning any language is a challenge, but Chinese is not as hard as people think. This is because Chinese has simple and straightforward syntax, and it doesn’t involve cases, inflection, and gender. Among the Eastern languages, it is perhaps the easiest for western learners since Chinese speakers and English speakers are very much alike. They tend to be direct and precise. Yes, the Chinese writing system is more challenging, but the words or characters are artistically formed by a combination of meanings: e.g., “crisis” is “danger + opportunity”! They are fun to learn. Taking Chinese can actually improve your mental powers by learning how to arrange your thoughts into an alternative pattern or organization. One by-product of learning Chinese characters is strengthened memory capacity, to say the least.

Computer software has been created to help write the characters by typing “Pinyin”, the written form used to transcribe the sound system of Chinese in the Roman alphabet.

The person who teaches the Chinese courses at CNU is Dr. Liping Liu, a native of China. She received her MA in Foreign Language Teaching Methodology from Beijing Normal University as well as an MA in Liberal Studies from Dartmouth College and a Doctorate of Education from Harvard University. She is outgoing, energetic, and very friendly.  Her passion is to teach and help students learn. Dr. Liu’s biggest reward is to watch the students grow not only as language learners but also as human beings. Take her class, and you won’t be disappointed.

The Curriculum in Chinese

CHIN 101. Introduction to Chinese I (3-3-0)

As an introduction to non-native Chinese speakers, this course is designed to teach basic language skills in speaking, reading and writing of modern Chinese. Cultural context and aspects will also be introduced.  Students are expected to learn Pinyin [a phonetic system of Chinese], basic Chinese characters, a vocabulary of approximately 300 words and expressions, fundamental grammatical rules, and how to type Chinese texts.  Students will be able to converse in Chinese on simple subject matters after this course.

CHIN 102. Introduction to Chinese II (3-3-0)

Recommended prerequisite: CHIN 101 or its equivalent.

This course is the continuation of Chinese 101, and is designed to teach more grammatical rules and functional vocabulary needed for developing skills leading to more advanced speaking, reading and writing of modern Chinese.  Cultural context and aspects will also be introduced. Students can expect to improve their pronunciation, expand their vocabulary and learn more about the functions of Chinese words and expressions. After completion of this course, students may look forward to communicating in Chinese on many subject matters both in spoken and written forms.  

CHIN 201.  Intermediate Chinese I (3-3-0) 

Prerequisite: CHIN 102, or its equivalent, or consent of the instructor

CHIN 201 is for those students who, having completed the elementary level, wish to continue to learn Chinese at the intermediate level. In addition, successful completion of CHIN 201 will satisfy the Second Language Literacy requirement of the Liberal Learning Curriculum.

CHIN 202.  Intermediate Chinese II (3-3-0) 

Prerequisite: CHIN 201, or its equivalent, or consent of the instructor