Chinese
Website: sewanee.edu/academics/chinese/
The University offers four semesters of Chinese, sufficient to satisfy the college’s foreign language requirement. Although a major or minor in Chinese is not currently offered, students may participate in study-abroad programs in China to extend their study of Chinese and to explore Chinese society. Further study of topics bearing on Chinese culture and history can be undertaken through coursework offered in the Asian studies program.
Language Laboratory
The E.L. Kellerman Language Resource Center provides an opportunity for students in the modern foreign languages to immerse themselves in the sounds and culture of their target language. The facility features a state of the art Sanako Lab 100 system for practice with listening and speaking; a Satellite TV with stations in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish; wireless Apple Macbooks which can be checked out; a Sympodium for multimedia displays; and a cozy reading and viewing lounge with a library of foreign language books, magazines, and videos. Students can also access subscriptions to web-based language learning programs for reinforcing what is being taught in class as well as for learning languages not currently taught at the University. There is also Rosetta Stone software for Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish. Faculty and students alike take advantage of the language center’s audio- and video-editing equipment and analog-to-digital-conversion facilities in preparing engaging presentations for class. The Language Resource Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. except for Fridays when it closes at 4 p.m. and then reopens Sunday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Chinese Courses
CHIN 103 Elementary Chinese I (4)
An intensive introduction to the fundamentals of the language and culture with emphasis on developing conversational skills such as pronunciation.
CHIN 104 Elementary Chinese II (4)
An intensive introduction to the fundamentals of the language and culture with emphasis on developing conversational skills such as pronunciation. Prerequisite: CHIN 103 or placement.
CHIN 203 Intermediate Chinese (4)
An intensive study of Chinese grammar and further development of conversational skills, reading, and writing of pinyin and Chinese characters. Prerequisite: CHIN 104 or placement.
CHIN 301 Advanced Chinese (4)
Emphasis on developing reading and writing skills in addition to conversational practice. Students will read and discuss materials from Chinese newspapers, magazines, and modern literature. Students will write short essays in simplified Chinese characters. Prerequisite: CHIN 203 or placement.
CHIN 444 Independent Study (2 or 4)
An opportunity for advanced students to pursue topics of special interest. Conducted in Mandarin Chinese. Prerequisite: Instructor prerequisite override required.