Chinese
The Greenberg-Starr Department of Chinese offers courses in Modern Standard Chinese language (also called “Mandarin”) from the first- through the third-year level, as well as advanced courses at the fourth-year level, including a seminar that focuses on topics of interest in the cultural, political, economic and social life of contemporary China and a course in which our students read and critique works by major Chinese writers.
Full literacy in Modern Standard Chinese requires at least some knowledge of Classical Chinese, which roughly speaking is to Modern Standard Chinese as Latin is to modern Italian, and each year we offer a two-semester sequence in Classical Chinese, which is rare if not unique for an undergraduate Chinese language department.
We also offer a variety of courses on Chinese literature, both traditional and modern, and Chinese film and sociolinguistics that are taught in English and are open to all students at Middlebury.
Our curriculum meets the needs of students who want to learn to speak, understand, write and read Mandarin at a level of proficiency that will allow them to live and work in an entirely Chinese language environment. Our courses are also for students who want to study the world’s most widely spoken and written first language for its intrinsic beauty and interest, or for access to Chinese history and culture, or to be better able to communicate with family members and relatives who are native speakers of the language.
At Middlebury, the study of Chinese may be combined with any other academic pursuit, and we have many students who study Chinese through the advanced level while majoring in another academic discipline. We also have many students who minor in Chinese while pursuing another major or complete a joint or double major in Chinese and another subject.
Our Faculty
Students interested in the study of Chinese and China have access to a Chinese department with faculty who are scholars of Chinese literature, film and linguistics as well as experienced teachers of Modern Standard Chinese.
Our Courses
The Greenberg-Starr Department of Chinese offers language courses at five levels of instruction, from beginning Chinese to senior seminars that teach advanced language while focusing on Chinese contemporary social issues, literature, politics and business. Each year we offer at least four language classes at the fourth-year level or above. Most students who study Modern Standard Chinese at Middlebury have no background in the language, but we readily accommodate students who have studied and learned some Chinese before college; such students are placed into the appropriate class after taking the placement exam.
Our sequence of language courses, which for many students includes study in the summer Chinese School and a semester abroad at either Middlebury in Beijing or Middlebury in Taiwan, is designed to train students to: one, read authentic Chinese-language texts in any format or medium, including web pages, online and hard copy magazine, newspaper and journal articles, blog posts, texts, WeChat messages, textbooks and online and hard copy fiction and nonfiction; two, express themselves with sophistication, depth and nuance in written Chinese; and three, engage native speakers of Modern Standard Chinese fluently and naturally in the entire range of linguistic interaction, from casual conversation to serious discussion and debate.
We also offer courses taught in English on Chinese literature, film, linguistics and culture that introduce students to the inexhaustible richness of China’s literary and cultural past and the complexity and excitement of China’s literary and cultural present. In China, politicians and CEOs are often amateur poets or calligraphers, and any conversation in Chinese, whether on a college campus or in a company boardroom, can be expected to include literary allusion, and therefore students in our literature and culture courses not only learn to read closely, analyze carefully and share what they think through thoughtful discussion and clear, effective writing but also gain cultural knowledge, insight and skills that help them communicate in Chinese in a meaningful, productive and rewarding fashion.
Chinese majors complete our sequence of language courses, take a selection of our courses on literature and culture, and undertake senior work on Chinese literature or culture that uses Chinese language primary and secondary materials.
Our Alumni
Many of our alumni live and work in China, Taiwan or Hong Kong and use their Chinese language skills daily, as do many of our former students who live elsewhere, as Modern Standard Chinese is a language in use the world over.