Please note that not every course is offered each semester. For specific information about current courses for a particular semester, please consult the Schedule of Classes on CUNYFirst. For graduate courses, see the M.A. Program in Teaching Chinese and the M.A. Program in Translation and Interpreting.

Chinese Language and Literature

CHIN 101 Elementary Chinese I  3 hrs, 3 cr.
Not credited without CHIN 102.
Practice in basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Pinyin romanization system and 200 traditional Chinese characters will be introduced. Flexible Core - World Cultures & Global Issues

CHIN 102 Elementary Chinese II  3 hrs, 3 cr.
Continuation of CHIN 101.
200 new traditional Chinese characters will be introduced.

CHIN 103 Elementary Chinese Conversation I  2 hrs, 2 cr.
Co-req for CHIN 101 and permission of the instructor.
Offered to practice conversation for students with no background in speaking Mandarin Chinese. 

CHIN 104 Elementary Chinese Conversation II  2 hrs, 2 cr.
Co-req for CHIN 102 and permission of the instructor.
Continuation of CHIN 103.

CHIN 105 Chinese Calligraphy I  3 hrs, 3 cr.
Not credited towards foreign language requirement.

CHIN 106 Chinese Calligraphy II  3 hrs, 3 cr.
Not credited towards foreign language requirement.
Prereq: CHIN 105.

CHIN 107 Intensive Elementary Chinese  6 hrs, 6 cr.
Equivalent of CHIN 101 and CHIN 102.

CHIN 201 Intermediate Chinese I 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN102 or equivalent
Review of basic structures and further practice of the four language skills at the intermediate level. 500 new traditional Chinese characters and simplified characters will be introduced.

CHIN 202 Intermediate Chinese II 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN 201 or equivalent
Continuation of CHIN 201. 500 new traditional Chinese characters and simplified characters will be introduced.

CHIN 203 Intermediate Chinese Conversation I  2 hrs, 2 cr.
Open ONLY to students enrolled in CHIN 201 with the permission of the instructor for additional practice in speaking Mandarin Chinese.

CHIN 204 Intermediate Chinese Conversation II 2 hrs, 2 cr.
Open ONLY to students enrolled in CHIN 202 with the permission of the instructor. Continuation of CHIN 203.

CHIN 207 Intensive Intermediate Chinese 6 hrs, 6 cr.
Equivalent of CHIN 201 and CHIN 202. Offered in spring only.

CHIN 301 Journalistic Chinese Literature I 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN 202 or equivalent
Practice in reading and discussing texts written in journalistic style. Materials include films, expository essays and newspaper articles. Students will be required to read characters in both traditional and simplified forms.

CHIN 302 Journalistic Chinese Literature II 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN 301 or equivalent
Continuation of CHIN 301.

CHIN 303 Classical Chinese Literature I  3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN 202 or equivalent
Introduction to syntactic structures of classical Chinese through readings of literary texts.

CHIN 304 Classical Chinese Literature II 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN 303 or equiv.
Continuation of CHIN 303.

CHIN 306 20th-century Chinese Literature 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN 302 or equivalent
Reading and discussion of famous modern literary works.

CHIN 307 Classical Chinese Poetry 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN 304 or permission of instructor.
Close textual and stylistic analysis of classical poetic forms, with emphasis on the major anthologies and poets. Readings include the Shijing, Chuci, Han fu and yuefu, Tang shi and jueju, and Song ci. Taught in Chinese.

CHIN 401 Advanced Studies in Chinese Literature 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN 302 or permission of instructor.
Topics include traditional fiction, prose and drama; 20th-century literature; etymology and translation. Taught in Chinese. Current offerings are:
CHIN 401.10 Business in China
CHIN 401.11 Chinese for the Global Workforce
CHIN 401.53 Chinese-English Translation
CHIN 401.54 Advanced Chinese-English Translation
CHIN 401.60 Modern Chinese Fiction

CHIN 402 Independent Study in Chinese Literature 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: CHIN 302 and 304; senior majors with 3.5 GPA only; perm chair and instructor; research proposal required at time of application. Independent study and research in Chinese literature under supervision of a faculty member.

Chinese Culture and Literature in English Translation

CHIN 111 Chinese Culture I  3 hrs, 3 cr.
A survey of Chinese civilization with emphasis on the classical tradition. Taught in English.

CHIN 112 Chinese Culture II  3 hrs, 3 cr.
A survey of Chinese civilization with emphasis on China's modern transformation against the background of the classical tradition. Taught in English.

CHIN 211 Topics in Chinese Culture 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Topics include Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, popular religion and mythology; archaeology, aesthetics, calligraphy and painting; and women's studies. Taught in English.

CHIN 251 Topics in Chinese Literature in English Translation (W)  3 hrs, 3 cr. 
Prereq: ENG 120
Topics include Chinese cinema, contemporary fiction and poetry; Yuan and Ming drama; literary criticism; women's literature, as well as studies of individual traditional novels such as Dream of the Red Chamber. Current courses are:
CHIN 251.00 Modern Chinese Fiction in English Translation (W)
CHIN 251.58 Cinema and Literature of China (W)
CHIN 251.61 Knight-Errant (wuxia) Literature (W) 

CHIN 355 Classical Chinese Fiction in English Translation (W)  3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: ENG 120
The traditional Chinese short story and novel from earliest times through the Qing dynasty. Readings include Tang tales of the marvelous (chuanqi) and popularized texts (bianwen); Ming prompt-book stories (huaben); and excerpts from the novels Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Men of the Marshes, Journey to the West (Monkey) and Dream of the Red Chamber.

CHIN 357 Classical Chinese Poetry in English Translation (W) 3 hrs, 3 cr.
Prereq: ENG 120
Traditional Chinese poetry from earliest times through the Qing dynasty, with emphasis on the Zhou through Song dynasties. Readings include the Book of Poetry, the Songs of Chu, Han rhyme-prose and Music Bureau poetry, Tao Yuanming, Wang Wei, Du Fu, Li Bai, Li Qingzhao, and Su Dongpo.