Chinese Studies Courses
Browse Chinese studies courses offered by the Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics (LCAL). Use the filters to narrow courses by topic, term or course attribute — e.g., fulfills gen ed requirement, and find offerings that support your academic and research goals. Select a course for full descriptions, requirements and enrollment details.
For more information on sections and schedules, view the CMU's Schedule of Classes.
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82-130 Story + Game Lab: Oracle Bones & China's Earliest Writing
This course fulfills The Arts GenEd requirement!
This innovative course bridges traditional and digital humanities through an interdisciplinary study of oracle bones–ancient artifacts used for ritual divination during China's Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1045 BCE).…
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82-131 Elementary Chinese I
This course is for students with no prior experience in Chinese. Using a proficiency-oriented approach, students will develop contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken Chinese, develop reading and listening skills through…
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82-132 Elementary Chinese II
This course is designed for students who have taken first-semester Chinese at Carnegie Mellon or its equivalent by placement. Students will continue developing contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken Chinese, developing…
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82-133 Elementary Chinese I Online
This course is designed for students who need a more flexible approach to language learning than that offered in a standard classroom course. It is designed to help beginners develop communicative competence in the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and…
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82-134 Elementary Chinese II Online
This course is the continuation of 82-133 Elementary Chinese I Online. Students will continue learning more useful and complex expressions and sentence structures necessary for use in everyday life. Students will also continue building their skills in listening, speaking,…
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82-135 Cultural Roots: Chinese Language & Culture for Heritage Learners
This course is designed for students who have some basic knowledge of spoken Chinese, but know little of how to read and write Chinese. While an integrated approach will be applied to the development of all the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and…
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82-137 Chinese Calligraphy: Culture and Skills
Fulfills 'The Arts' Gen Ed requirement!
Chinese calligraphy is a crucial part of Chinese culture and world art. It is also a clear manifestation of Chinese philosophy that has influenced Chinese people for several thousand years. This introductory course on Chinese…
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82-139 Chinese Learning Through Arts, Cultural Practices and Community Engagement
Do you want to apply your learning to some community engagements to share your learning and have some impact? In this course, you can immerse yourself in these cultural learning activities through classroom discussions, group collaborations and hands-on practice. This…
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82-231 Intermediate Chinese I
This course is the continuation of 82-132 Elementary Chinese II. At the intermediate level, students will continue to improve the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing with the goal of becoming more proficient in daily communication needs. In addition to…
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82-232 Intermediate Chinese II
Fulfills 'Intercultural and Global Inquiry' Gen Ed requirement!
This course is the second semester of Intermediate Chinese. More sophisticated grammar points and vocabulary are introduced to help students' listening, speaking, reading and writing skills reach the…
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82-235 Fables, Legends and Stories from Ancient Chinese Civilization
Fulfills 'Intercultural & Global Inquiry' Gen Ed requirement.
This course is designed for intermediate level students who would like to focus on improving their reading and writing skills in Mandarin Chinese. One major course goal is to teach students to read in…
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82-237 Animated Storytelling: Chinese Ghost Stories and Shadow Play
This course offers an interdisciplinary exploration of the interrelationships between literary and cultural productions, and the art of animation. It combines traditional humanities research in literature, history, and religion with contemporary digital humanities and…
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82-237 Interdisciplinary Exploration: Chinese Mythology & Animation Creation
This interdisciplinary course invites students to traverse the enthralling world of ancient Chinese mythology, synthesizing the realms of animated storytelling and digital humanities. It intertwines traditional research in humanities including literature, history,…
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82-331 Advanced Chinese I: Population, Youth, Marriage and Housing
This 9-unit course is designed for students who have reached the intermediate level of proficiency in the use of Chinese language to develop their language process competency in all four skills to a more advanced level. Students will expand explicit knowledge of…
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82-332 Reading Into a New China II: Transportation, Education, Pop Culture & Health
A continuation of Advanced Chinese I, this course is designed to train students language proficiency in functioning with Chinese in situations beyond their everyday life. Students will continue to learn more complex language phenomena in order to do exposition,…
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82-333 Chinese Culture and Society
Spring — Section A: China before the Republic
With China as a growing political and economic power, understanding the country through its history and culture becomes necessary for students as responsible citizens of the world. This course is designed to help…
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82-334 Structure of Chinese
This is an upper-level Chinese course for students who have completed the requirements for intermediate Chinese with the goal of enabling students to build up a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of the structure of Chinese so as to lay a solid foundation for…
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82-337 Chinese Oral Communication I
This course is designed for students who have reached intermediate level in reading and writing Chinese, but have little knowledge of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation, as well as those who aim to further improve their speaking in Chinese. Students will be introduced to…
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82-338 Chinese Oral Communication II
This course focuses on advanced speaking skills. Class activities include daily reports, presentations, discussions, debates, interviews, description, translation, oral interpretation and oral art performances. These courses also utilize several of websites and online…
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82-339 Business Language & Culture in China I
Designed for students who have had at least two years of Chinese language training, this 9-unit course aims to help students enhance their language proficiency in professional environment and develop in-depth understanding of the current business culture in China.…
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82-340 Business Language & Culture in China II
Designed for students who have had at least two years of Chinese language training, this 9-unit course aims to help students enhance their language proficiency in professional environment and develop in-depth understanding of the current business culture in China.…
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82-432 Chinese Popular Culture: A Game of Learning
There are two reasons why the course is called "A Game of Learning" (and not "A Game of Thrones"):
We will be using a video game (i.e. Chinese Parents) as the primary learning resource to explore, discuss and analyze different aspects of Chinese society and popular…
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82-439 Black Myth: Wukong and the Journey to the West
China's 3A game "Black Myth: Wukong" became a global sensation after its launch on August 20, 2024. The game captivated gamers worldwide with its stunning visuals and profound reinterpretation of the classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West. This novel tells the story of…
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82-531/532 Special Topics in Chinese Studies
Restricted to language majors who wish to go beyond the regular course offerings in Chinese Studies involving group or individual study in a subject area approved by the instructor. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor and a 400-level course.
VIEW the Schedule of…
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82-534 Chinese Calligraphy and Classic Painting: History, Culture and Practice
This course offers an in-depth exploration of Chinese calligraphy and classical painting from historical, cultural and artistic perspectives. Students will examine the evolution of these art forms, focusing on key historical periods, influential artists and their cultural…
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