Chinese

Professors: Truscott Professor of Chinese, John Berninghausen Associate Professors: Thomas Moran, Carrie Reed (Chair), Wei He Xu; Assistant Professors: Hang Du (on leave academic year); Visiting Lecturers: Fang Liu, Katherine Wang, Kai Zhang, Xinying Zhou; Department Coordinator: Linda Larocque

The Department of Chinese offers first-year through fourth-year courses in standard Mandarin (putonghua or guoyu), a two-semester, two-course sequence in Classical Chinese, advanced courses taught in Chinese on contemporary Chinese social issues and Chinese literature, and courses taught in English on Chinese literature and culture. Our courses taught in English are open to all students and do not require any background in Chinese language (0300 level courses have other prerequisites). Our language curriculum offers students the opportunity to become highly proficient in spoken and written Chinese and so prepare to study, travel, live, and work in a Chinese-language environment. Our Chinese literature courses offer students broad exposure to Chinese literary history and in-depth training in the close reading of selected works of literary, cultural, and/or social significance (our courses on Chinese cinema, Chinese sociolinguistics, and the history of Chinese ink painting pursue similar goals).
     Most of our beginning language students have not previously studied Chinese, and our beginning Chinese sequence (CHNS 0101, CHNS 0102, and CHNS 0103) is designed to meet the needs of students with no prior background. We also welcome and do our best to accommodate students who have previously studied Mandarin (all such students are urged to consult the Chinese department and take a placement exam before registration).
     Students interested in studying Mandarin at Middlebury are encouraged to begin as early as possible. The beginning Chinese sequence (CHNS 0101, CHNS 0102, CHNS 0103) is offered each year, starting in the fall term. Students who matriculate in February and who wish to study Chinese may enroll in CHNS 0101 the following fall (i.e., during their second semester on campus) and after completing CHNS 0103 may elect to take Intermediate Chinese (CHNS 0201-0202) in the summer in the Middlebury Chinese School.
     Intensive Chinese language courses are available each summer at Middlebury's Chinese School. Accelerated progress equivalent to a regular two-semester course taken during the academic year may be achieved by enrolling in this nine-week session. For all students studying Chinese, a summer of concentrated study at the second, third, or fourth-year level in the Chinese School is strongly recommended, especially prior to study abroad in China.
     Most Middlebury students learning Chinese choose to spend one semester (or less frequently, two semesters) of the junior year studying advanced Chinese in China at the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in China, which is on the campus of Zhejiang University of Technology in the city of Hangzhou. Students interested in study abroad in China should contact the Chinese department faculty and begin planning for study abroad one calendar year before departure for China and one semester before the Middlebury Office of Off-Campus Study application deadline.

     The Major in Chinese: The Chinese major is a major in Chinese literature that includes an emphasis on the study of the Chinese language and accommodates some study of Chinese culture more broadly defined (including, at present, film, linguistics, and the history of ink painting). (The Chinese major, whether a full or joint major, is not intended for native speakers/readers of Chinese.)

Full Major:
I. Required Courses:
     a) CHNS 0101 through CHNS 0302 (or equivalent);
     b) Four additional courses from among:  CHNS 0219, CHNS 0220, CHNS/HARC 0206, CHNS/FMMC 0250, CHNS 0270, CHNS 0325, CHNS 0330, CHNS 0340, CHNS 0370, CHNS/LITS 0360 (at least one of the four must be a 0300 level course in literature in translation, which ideally should be done before the thesis is completed);
     c) One Chinese literature or culture course taught in Chinese taken during study abroad (this course must be approved by the Chinese department; at present we approve the courses in literature, film and Hangzhou Studies taught at the Middlebury School in Hangzhou); 
     d) CHNS 0411 (the equivalent may be taken in the summer at the Middlebury Chinese School or during study abroad);
     e) CHNS 0425 or CHNS 0412 (the equivalent to CHNS 0412 may be taken at the Middlebury Chinese School, or during study abroad.)
     f) CHNS 0475.
     g) Either CHNS 0500 or CHNS 0700
II. Senior Work:
     Full majors in Chinese are required to complete either CHNS 0700 (Senior Honors Thesis) or CHNS 0500 (Senior Essay or Translation Project). CHNS 0700 is a one-semester plus J-term course that should normally be taken during the fall and J-term. CHNS 0500 is a one-semester course that may be taken during the fall or winter. The Chinese department discourages students from postponing completion of senior work until the final semester of full-time study.
     Joint majors in Chinese are encouraged but not required to do a senior thesis (CHNS 0700) or project (CHNS 0500). A joint thesis or project should, when feasible, combine the two fields of study of the joint major.
     All senior work, whether CHNS 0700 or CHNS 0500, must include a major focus on work with primary sources in Chinese. All senior work should focus on Chinese literature; qualified students may petition the Chair for permission to do senior work on other aspects of Chinese culture (e.g., film or linguistics).
     Senior Honors Thesis: To be eligible for the CHNS 0700 Senior Honors Thesis, students majoring in Chinese (full, double or joint) must have completed language study through at least CHNS 0302 (or equivalent), taken at least two Chinese literature/culture courses, and maintained an average of B+ or better in Chinese department courses. Complete guidelines for the completion of the CHNS 0700 thesis (and the CHNS 0500 project) are available from the Chinese department.
     Departmental Honors: Both full and joint majors may qualify for honors. Eligibility for departmental honors in Chinese requires completion of a senior honors thesis graded B+ or better and a grade point average of B+ (3.35) or higher in all courses taken that satisfy or could potentially satisfy the requirements for the major as listed above (full) and below (joint), including courses taken in the summer in the Chinese School and/or during study abroad. Only courses that satisfy or could potentially satisfy major requirements count toward honors (i.e., courses taken abroad that do not fall into this category do not count) and all such courses count (e.g., if more than four courses toward major requirement {b} are taken, all count). The department may award honors for completion of an exceptionally impressive senior essay or translation project that is graded A if the student has an average of B+ or higher in all qualifying courses (as defined above). High honors will be awarded for a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in all qualifying courses (as define above) and a senior thesis of A- or better. Highest honors are reserved for students who earn a grade of A on the senior thesis and who have an average of 3.75 or higher in all qualifying courses (as defined above).

Joint Major:
I. Required Courses:
     a) CHNS 0101 through CHNS 0302 (or equivalent);
     b) Either CHNS 0411 (the equivalent may be taken in the summer at the Middlebury Chinese School or, with prior approval, during study abroad) or CHNS 0425;
     c) One Chinese literature or culture course taught in Chinese taken during study abroad (must be approved by Chinese department)
     d) Four additional courses from among:   CHNS 0219, CHNS 0220, CHNS/HARC 0206, CHNS/FMMC 0250, CHNS 0270, CHNS 0325, CHNS 0330, CHNS 0340, CHNS 0370, CHNS/LITS 0360, CHNS 0412, CHNS 0426, CHNS 0475, at least one of which must be at the 0300 or 0400 level;
II. Senior Work: Joint majors in Chinese are encouraged but not required to do senior work. For details, see the senior work requirements for the full major above.

Minor:
I. Required Courses:
     a) CHNS 0101 through CHNS 0302 (or equivalent);
     b) Three additional courses from among:  CHNS 0219, CHNS 0220, CHNS/HARC 0206, CHNS/FMMC 0250, CHNS 0270, CHNS 0325, CHNS 0330, CHNS 0340, CHNS 0370, CHNS/LITS 0360, CHNS 0411, CHNS 0412, CHNS 0425, CHNS 0475 (one literature or culture course taken abroad may be counted toward this requirement).

CHNS 0101 Beginning Chinese (Fall)
This course is an introduction to Mandarin (guoyu or putonghua). The course begins with simple words and phrases, the pronunciation and cadences of Mandarin, romanization, Chinese characters, and simple vocabulary items, all taught in the context of practical communication. Sentence patterns and other fundamentals of speaking, reading, and writing will be taught, including both traditional characters (used everywhere before the 1950s and still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong) and simplified characters (used in China). Students should have achieved active command of more than 600 Chinese characters and more than 800 compounds by the end of the sequence CHNS 0101, CHNS 0102, CHNS 0103. 5 hrs. lect., 2 hrs. drill LNG (T. Moran, Y. Wang, X. Zhou)

CHNS 0102 Beginning Chinese (Winter)
This course is a more intensive continuation of CHNS 0101. (CHNS 0101 or equivalent) 2.5 hrs. daily LNG (T. Moran, J. Berninghausen, F. Liu, Y. Wang, K. Zhang)

CHNS 0103 Beginning Chinese (Spring)
This course is a continuation of the fall and winter terms with accelerated introduction of vocabulary, grammar, and sentence patterns designed to facilitate speaking and reading. Toward the end of this semester students will read Huarshang de meiren (Lady in the Painting), a short book written entirely in Chinese. (CHNS 0102 or equivalent) 5 hrs. lect., 2 hrs. drill LNG (T. Moran, Y. Wang, X. Zhou)

CHNS 0201 Intermediate Chinese (Fall)
This course is designed to enable the student to converse in everyday Chinese and to read simple texts in Chinese (both traditional and simplified characters). Discussion of assigned readings will be conducted primarily in Chinese. Familiarity with the vocabulary and grammar introduced in CHNS 0101, CHNS 0102, and CHNS 0103 is assumed. Grammatical explanations, written exercises, dictation quizzes, sentence patterns, oral drill, and CD's will accompany assignments. By the completion of CHNS 0202, which follows CHNS 0201 directly, students should be able to read and write approximately 1,200 characters. (CHNS 0103 or equivalent) 5 hrs. lect., 1 hr. drill LNG (C. Reed, W. Xu, X. Zhou)

CHNS 0202 Intermediate Chinese (Spring)
This course is a continuation of the first term's work, with the class conducted primarily in Chinese. (CHNS 0201) 5 hrs. lect., 1 hr. drill LNG (C. Reed, K. Zhang, X. Zhou)

CHNS/HARC 0206 Chinese Painting: Tradition & Innovation 
(taught in English) (Fall)
The history, philosophy, techniques and appreciation of China's unique and enduring traditions of painting and calligraphy—water, ink and pigments applied to silk or rice paper with the writing brush. The first half of this course will provide an overview of major artists and developments: early painting through Northern Song and Southern Song masterpieces, the rise of wenrenhua (literati painting) and painting theory on through the Yuan and Ming dynasties to the individualist masters of the early Qing. In the final third of the course we will explore developments in the last century and a half with considerable attention given to innovations and trends emerging among traditionally trained contemporary Chinese artists working in this medium in China, Taiwan and elsewhere. 3 hrs. lect. ART AAL (J. Berninghausen)

CHNS 0219  The Chinese Literary Tradition (in translation) (CW) (Spring)
This course, an introduction to the works of literature that formed the basis of traditional Chinese culture, is a discussion-based seminar. It focuses first on texts written in classical Chinese from the earliest times up through the Song dynasty, including selections from early poetry and history, Daoist classics, stories of the strange, and Tang Dynasty poetry by Wang Wei, Li Bai and Du Fu. These texts shaped the traditional Chinese understanding of the world, and provided models of what was perceived to be powerful, beautiful language.  In the second part of the course we will explore narratives written in the vernacular language, focusing on the literary significance and aesthetic value of drama, stories and novels long treasured by the Chinese. Students will gain a better understanding of traditional Chinese literary values, as well as Chinese society and worldviews. (No background in Chinese culture or language needed.) LIT AAL (C. Reed)

CHNS 0220 Chinese Literature (in translation) (Not offered 2008-09) 
In 1902, reacting to a national crisis, influential reformer Liang Qichao wrote, "If one intends to renovate the people of a nation, one must first renovate its fiction." This course, taught in English, is a discussion-based seminar on the stories and novels that inspired readers and sparked debate in the century following Liang's pronouncement. Our reading (in translation) will include work by authors such as Lu Xun ("The True Story of Ah Q"), Zhang Ailing ("The Golden Cangue"), Wang Wenxing (Backed Against the Sea), Ah Cheng ("The Chess King"), and Gao Xingjian (Soul Mountain). We will consider the mainstream (socially engaged realism), the avant-garde (varieties of modernism), and popular genres (romance and martial arts). Along the way, we will explore through literature what "modern" (modeng; xiandai) has meant and now means in China. (No prerequisites) LIT AAL

CHNS/FMMC 0250 Chinese Cinema (CW 10) (Fall) 
This course, taught in English, surveys the history of movies in China since the 1930s and offers an in-depth look at the work of: China's fifth-generation directors of the 1980s and their successors up to the present; Taiwan's new wave; and Hong Kong popular cinema, including martial arts film. Our focus is the screening and discussion of films such as The Goddess (a 1934 silent classic), Stage Sisters (1965; directed by the influential Xie Jin), the controversial Yellow Earth (1984), In the Heat of the Sun (a 1994 break with the conventional representation of the Cultural Revolution), and Still Life (Jia Zhangke's 2006 meditation on displacement near the Three Gorges Dam). The course is designed to help students understand the place of cinema in Chinese culture and develop the analytical tools necessary for the informed viewing and study of Chinese film. We will look at everything from art film, to underground film, to box office hits. (No prerequisites) 3 hrs. lect., one evening film screening per week. ART AAL (T. Moran)

CHNS 0270 Chinese Sociolinguistics (taught in English) (Not offered 2008-09)
Sociolinguistics is mainly concerned with the interaction of language and society. The language situation in China is unique both in the modern world and in human history. We will gain a good understanding of sociolinguistics as a scientific field of inquiry through exploring the Chinese situation in this course. Some of the questions we will ask are: What is Mandarin (Modern Standard) Chinese? Who are "native speakers" of Mandarin? Are most Chinese people monolingual (speaking only one language) or bilingual (speaking two languages) or even multilingual? How many "dialects" are there in China? What is the difference between a "language" and a "dialect"? Are Chinese characters "ideographs", i.e., "pictures" that directly represent meaning and have nothing to do with sound? Why has the pinyin romanization system officially adopted in the 1950s never supplanted the Chinese characters? Why are there traditional and simplified characters? We will also explore topics such as power, register, verbal courtesy, gender and language use. Students are encouraged to compare the Chinese situation with societies that they are familiar with. (One semester of Chinese language study or by waiver) AAL

CHNS 0301 Advanced Chinese (Modern Chinese) (Fall)
This course aims at further development of overall language proficiency through extensive reading of selected texts representing a wide variety of subjects and styles. Classes will be conducted entirely in Chinese except for occasional recourse to English by the instructor to provide a quick solution to problems of definition. The main text will be All Things Considered with supplementary readings selected to help students both continue to work toward competence in conversational Chinese and also begin to master a more sophisticated register of language. (CHNS 0202 or equivalent) 4 hrs. lect. (Y. Wang, F. Liu)

CHNS 0302 Advanced Chinese (Modern Chinese) (Spring)
This course is a continuation of CHNS 0301 with continued practice in conversational Chinese and a greater emphasis on reading works of a literary nature. (CHNS 0301 or equivalent) 4 hrs. lect. (K. Wang)

CHNS 0325 Traditional Chinese Poetry (in translation) (Fall)
Introducing the basics of Chinese poetics, this junior/sophomore seminar explores inter-connections across a wide spectrum of Chinese poetry belonging to a vibrant tradition spanning more than two thousand years--folk songs; court rhapsodies; courtesan love poems; extended allegorical fantasies; ballads and lyric verse of love, war, friendship, loss, and separation. Landscape, travel, romantic and metaphysical poems by masters such as Qu Yuan, Tao Yuanming, Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Dongpo and Li Qingzhao will be studied. We will analyze poetic expression ranging from poetic genres following strict formal conventions to relatively free-form verse. Traditional Chinese literary theories regarding poetry and its appreciation will be considered, yet students will also be encouraged to apply other critical approaches. (Either CHNS 0219, CHNS 0220, or CHNS/FMMC 0250, or by waiver) 3 hrs. lect. AAL  (C. Reed)

CHNS 0330 Clouds and Rain: Love and Sexuality in Traditional Chinese Literature (in translation) (Not Offered 2008-09)
This seminar explores the spectrum of traditional attitudes toward romantic love and sexuality in pre-modern China as seen through the prism of classical Chinese literature. Fiction and drama will be the focus of this course with some attention given to lyric poetry and autobiographical writing. Literary texts to be analyzed include the early ninth-century story, "The Story of Yingying", the late sixteenth-century drama, The Peony Pavilion, the late seventeenth-century erotic novella, The Carnal Prayer Mat, along with selected chapters from the late sixteenth-century erotic novel, Jin Ping Mei, and the eighteenth-century masterwork, The Story of the Stone (also known as Dream of the Red Chamber), etc. Normally offered in alternate years. (Either CHNS 0219, CHNS 0220, or CHNS/FMMC 0250, or by waiver. CHNS 0219 recommended) 3 hrs. lect. AAL 

CHNS 0340 Literature and Culture in the People's Republic of China (in English) (Spring)
The final focus of this course is what is happening in Chinese culture right now, but to understand now we must understand then, and so we will begin in the 1950s. In China from 1949 through the 1980s cultural activity was regarded as exerting, in Mao's words, an "enormous influence" on politics and was therefore placed under prescriptive guidelines. Writers and artists agreed that their work was important but chafed at restrictions. Since the 1990s constraints on cultural life have eased, but because Chinese literature and culture now answer to the market rather than ideology some ask if it still matters. We will try to answer this question as we trace fifty years of developments in Chinese culture in their surprising complexity. We will look at developments in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, feature and documentary film, stage drama, television, popular music, visual art, and internet fiction. Students will undertake research projects, and we will discuss research methodology. (One Chinese course in literature or culture, or by waiver) 3 hrs. sem.  LIT AAL (T. Moran)

CHNS/LITS 0360 Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism (Not Offered 2008-09)
An overview of various literary theories and critical approaches to the reception and analysis of literary texts, this discussion-based seminar will introduce concerns central to Western literary theories while familiarizing students with contemporary critical terminology. From Aristotle's Poetics to postmodernism, from issues of "literariness," authorial intention, hermeneutics, and narrative angle to the premises and practices of Russian formalist, "new critical," structuralist, Freudian, Marxist, feminist approaches, etc., we will study short theoretical and critical essays in conjunction with literary works by Coleridge, Lu Xun, Dickens, Natsume Soseki, Henry James, Hwang Chunming, Borges, Kafka, and others. Narrative prose fiction is the main focus. Discussion-based, senior-junior seminar. (Minimum of three college-level literature courses required; priority enrollment given to seniors and juniors majoring in Chinese and Literary Studies, or by waiver)

CHNS 0370 Traditional Chinese Novels in Translation (Not offered 2008-09)
This seminar focuses on pre-modern Chinese full-length novels, which rose and matured during the Ming-Qing period. Students will read the "masterworks" of this genre, including Three Kingdoms (the epic deeds of heroes of the Chinese civil war of the second and third centuries), Outlaws of the Marsh (picaresque tales of Chinese Robin Hoods, as it were), The Journey to the West (a comic Buddhist-Daoist allegory better known in English as Monkey), The Plum in the Golden Vase (an erotic novel of manners), The Scholars (a social satire), and The Story of the Stone/The Dream of the Red Chamber (widely recognized as a masterpiece of world literature); all are beloved and long treasured by the Chinese. We will not only trace the evolution of classical Chinese novels and consider their literary significance and artistic value; the course will also aim to provide a richer and deeper understanding of traditional China, her history, society, culture, worldviews, beliefs, sense of humor, etc. (CHNS 0219, CHNS 0220, or CHNS 0250, or two Middlebury literature courses, or by approval of the instructor. CHNS 0219 recommended.) AAL

CHNS 0400 Advanced Readings, Conversation, and Writing (Modern Chinese) (in Chinese) (Fall)
This course is designed to improve students' competency in highly pragmatic Chinese, spoken and written. Readings and discussion will cover a wide variety of contemporary materials with an emphasis on linguistic preparation for study in China. (CHNS 0302 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect. (K. Zhang)

CHNS 0411 Classical Chinese I (in Chinese) (Fall)
This course is an introduction to wenyan, the written language of traditional China. In this course we will emphasize comprehension of the literal and metaphorical meanings of short wenyan texts. Our approach will include grammatical analysis and baihua translation (i.e., from the Classical Chinese into modern Chinese); discussion will be conducted entirely in baihua. This course begins the two-semester sequence of Classical Chinese, which not only introduces students to wenyan but also provides a vital learning experience for any student seeking to attain a high level of linguistic and cultural proficiency in Chinese, including modern written discourse. (CHNS 0302 or the equivalent) 3 hrs. lect. (W. Xu)

CHNS 0412 Classical Chinese II (in Chinese) (Spring)
A continuation of CHNS 0411. In this course students will read a wide selection of wenyan texts that sample the classics of ancient Chinese thought, including Confucius' Analects, the Daoist texts Laozi and Zhuangzi, Mohist arguments against war, Sunzi's The Art of War, and Legalist writings on law. Students will also learn to punctuate wenyan texts (which were originally unpunctuated) and compose sentences or short paragraphs in wenyan. All class discussion will be conducted in modern Chinese. (CHNS 0411 or the equivalent) 3 hrs. lect. (K. Zhang)

CHNS 0425 Contemporary Social Issues in China: Advanced Readings (in Chinese) (Fall)
A survey of materials written in modern expository Chinese (academic, journalistic and polemical) that focus on the cultural, political, economic, and social issues of contemporary China. This advanced readings course is designed primarily for seniors who have already spent a semester or more studying and living in China or Taiwan. Emphasis will be given to further developing students' ability to read, analyze, and discuss complex issues in Mandarin while also advancing proficiency in writing and in oral comprehension. Oral reports and written compositions will be integral to the course's requirements. 3 hrs. lect. AAL (F. Liu, K. Zhang)

CHNS 0426 Politics and Business in China: Advanced Readings and Discussion in Chinese (Spring)
The goal of this course is to help students improve their ability to read, write, and talk about politics and business in China. Most of this course will focus on recent and current debate and discussion in China over domestic political programs and policies, international relations, and business trends. Discussion will also touch upon the political and economic history of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. We will read articles intended for popular audiences in the Chinese-speaking world. 3 hrs. lect. (CHNS 0425 or CHNS 0411 or study abroad in China) AAL (K. Zhang)

CHNS 0475 Senior Seminar on Modern Chinese Literature (in Chinese) (Spring)
A capstone course for all Chinese majors and for others who have attained a high level of Chinese language proficiency. Students will read and critique works by major Chinese fiction writers (and sometimes playwrights) and also see and discuss films from mainland China, Hong Kong, and/or Taiwan. All reading, discussion, and critical writing will be in Chinese. (CHNS 0412 or CHNS 0425) 3 hrs. lect. (W. Xu)

CHNS 0500 Senior Essay or Translation Project (Fall, Winter)
(Staff)

CHNS 0700 Senior Thesis (Fall, Winter)
(Staff)