Chinese (BA)

Achieve a high level of proficiency in Chinese language through friendly, activity-filled, intensive classes. You will learn Chinese culture, society, literature, and linguistics from historical and contemporary perspectives.

Students have the option of three different tracks in the Chinese major: language, culture, or linguistics. In consultation with department advisors, you can select a track that allows you to study and master the aspects of Chinese that interest you most. Chinese is one of several majors taught within the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

  • Content objectives: for culture and language intensive: Identify, describe, and explain materials, terminologies, methodologies, and theories in Chinese literature, film and media. For linguistics intensive: Describe, analyze and explain language structure and usage using terminologies, methodologies, and theories in Chinese linguistics.
  • Critical thinking/Analytical skills: for culture and language intensive: Read, discuss, and evaluate texts from both historical sources and contemporary works in literature, film and media, and linguistics, employing methodologies and criteria. For linguistics focus: Discuss and evaluate descriptive grammars of Chinese, as well as studies on various levels of Chinese linguistics including, phonetics, phonology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics, sociolinguistics and the relationship between language, cognition and culture.
  • Argumentation: Formulate original arguments, anticipating objections and responding in conscientious fashion.
  • Communication: Communicate knowledge, ideas, and reasoning in written, oral, or other forms, in English or Chinese. Reach intermediate/advanced proficiency level in written and spoken modern Chinese. For CHN language intensive: Acquire introductory to intermediate reading skills in classical Chinese.

Bachelor of Arts in Chinese: Culture-Intensive Option

 At least five of the required courses must be completed within the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.

CHN 301Third-Year Chinese5
CHN 302Third-Year Chinese5
CHN 303Third-Year Chinese5
Select four of the following, with two in upper division. These four courses must be taken in residence on the UO campus from the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.16
Introduction to Chinese Narrative
Introduction to Chinese Film
Introduction to Chinese Popular Culture
History of Chinese Literature
History of Chinese Literature II, The Imperial Age
History of Chinese Literature
Literature of Modern Taiwan
Four upper-division courses 116
Total Credits47

Bachelor of Arts in Chinese: Language-Intensive Option

 At least five of the required courses must be completed within the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.

CHN 301Third-Year Chinese5
CHN 302Third-Year Chinese5
CHN 303Third-Year Chinese5
Select three of the following:12
History of Chinese Literature
History of Chinese Literature II, The Imperial Age
History of Chinese Literature
Literature of Modern Taiwan
Chinese Linguistics
CHN 436Literary Chinese4
CHN 437Literary Chinese4
Select three of the following:12
Modern Chinese Texts: [Topic]
Chinese Academic Writing
Total Credits47

Bachelor of Arts in Chinese: Linguistics-Intensive Option

CHN 301Third-Year Chinese5
CHN 302Third-Year Chinese5
CHN 303Third-Year Chinese5
Select two of the following:8
Modern Chinese Texts: [Topic]
Intermediate Language Strategies
Intermediate Language Strategies
Intermediate Language Strategies
Chinese Academic Writing
Advanced Chinese: [Topic]
Select three of the following linguistics survey courses:12
Chinese Linguistics
History of the Chinese Language
Languages and Societies in East Asia
Introduction to Linguistics Analysis
Select two of the following:8
Pedagogical Grammar of Chinese
History of the Chinese Language
Literary Chinese
Literary Chinese
Second-Language Acquisition
Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Pedagogy
EALL 407Seminar: [Topic]1-4
One advisor-approved elective in courses with the subject codes EALL, CHN, and LING4
Total Credits48-51

Four-Year Degree Plans

Sample Cultural-Intensive Option

Sample Language-Intensive Option

Sample Linguistics-Intensive Option

The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.

Bachelor of Arts in Chinese: Culture-Intensive Option

Degree Map
First Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 101 First-Year Chinese 5
WR 121Z Composition I 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Winter
CHN 102 First-Year Chinese 5
One of the major survey courses, lower-division (150, 151, 152) 4
WR 122Z
Composition II
or College Composition III
Complete writing requirement4
Group-satisfying course 4
 Credits 17
Spring
CHN 103 First-Year Chinese 5
Group-satisfying courses 12
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Second Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 201 Second-Year Chinese 5
One of the major survey courses (150, 151, 305, 306, 307, 308) 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Winter
CHN 202 Second-Year Chinese 5
One of the major survey courses (150, 151, 305, 306, 307, 308) 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Spring
CHN 203 Second-Year Chinese 5
One of the major survey courses (150, 151, 305, 306, 307, 308) 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Third Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 301 Third-Year Chinese 5
Upper-division elective course 4
Electives 8
 Credits 17
Winter
CHN 302 Third-Year Chinese 5
Upper-division elective course 4
Electives 8
 Credits 17
Spring
CHN 303 Third-Year Chinese Complete third-year language requirements5
Upper-division elective course 4
Electives 8
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Fourth Year
FallMilestonesCredits
Upper-division elective course Complete upper-division electives requirement4
Electives 12
 Credits 16
Winter
Electives 16
 Credits 16
Spring
Electives 16
 Credits 16
 Total Credits 48

Bachelor of Arts in Chinese: Language-Intensive Option

The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.

Degree Map
First Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 101 First-Year Chinese 5
WR 121Z Composition I 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Winter
CHN 102 First-Year Chinese 5
WR 122Z
Composition II
or College Composition III
Complete writing requirement4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Spring
CHN 103 First-Year Chinese 5
Group-satisfying courses 12
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Second Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 201 Second-Year Chinese 5
One of the major survey courses (EALL 209, CHN 480, CHN 482) 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Winter
CHN 202 Second-Year Chinese 5
One of the major survey courses (EALL 209, CHN 480, CHN 482) 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Spring
CHN 203 Second-Year Chinese Complete lower-division language courses5
One of the major survey courses (EALL 209, CHN 480, CHN 482) Complete major survey requirements4
Group-satisfying course Complete group requirements4
Elective course 4
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Third Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 301 Third-Year Chinese 5
Electives 12
 Credits 17
Winter
CHN 302 Third-Year Chinese 5
Electives 12
 Credits 17
Spring
CHN 303 Third-Year Chinese Complete third-year language courses5
Electives 12
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Fourth Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 420 Intermediate Language Strategies 4
CHN 436 Literary Chinese 4
Electives 8
 Credits 16
Winter
CHN 421 Intermediate Language Strategies 4
CHN 437 Literary Chinese Complete literary Chinese requirement4
Electives 8
 Credits 16
Spring
CHN 413
Modern Chinese Texts: [Topic]
or Intermediate Language Strategies
Complete fourth-year language requirement4
Electives 12
 Credits 16
 Total Credits 48

Bachelor of Arts in Chinese: Linguistic-Intensive Option 

The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.

Degree Map
First Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 101 First-Year Chinese 5
WR 121Z Composition I 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Winter
CHN 102 First-Year Chinese 5
WR 122Z
Composition II
or College Composition III
Complete writing requirement4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Spring
CHN 103 First-Year Chinese 5
Group-satisfying courses 12
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Second Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 201 Second-Year Chinese 5
One major survey course (EALL 209, LING 301, CHN 480, CHN 482) 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Winter
CHN 202 Second-Year Chinese 5
One major survey course - EALL 209, LING 301, CHN 480 or CHN 482 4
Group-satisfying courses 8
 Credits 17
Spring
CHN 203 Second-Year Chinese Complete lower-division language courses5
One major survey course (EALL 209, LING 301, CHN 480, CHN 482) Complete major survey requirements4
Group-satisfying course Complete group requirements4
Elective course 4
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Third Year
FallMilestonesCredits
CHN 301 Third-Year Chinese 5
Electives 12
 Credits 17
Winter
CHN 302 Third-Year Chinese 5
Electives 12
 Credits 17
Spring
CHN 303 Third-Year Chinese Complete third year language requirement5
Upper-division elective course with CHN, JPN, EALL, or KRN subject code Complete upper-division elective requirement4
Electives 8
 Credits 17
 Total Credits 51
Degree Map
Fourth Year
FallMilestonesCredits
Upper-division Chinese language course 4
Advisor-approved upper-division linguistics-literacy course (CHN 436, 437, EALL 440, 442, 443, 486) 4
Electives 8
 Credits 16
Winter
Upper-division Chinese language course Complete 400-level language requirements4
Advisor-approved upper-division linguistics course (CHN 481, EALL 440, 442, 443, 486) Complete advisor-approved upper division linguistics courses with EALL subject code from list4
Electives 8
 Credits 16
Spring
Additional advisor-approved upper-division linguistics course with EALL subject code Complete additional advisor-approved upper-division EALL linguistics courses4
Electives 12
 Credits 16
 Total Credits 48