Chinese Program | Truman State University

Chinese Program–杜鲁门大学中文部

Welcome to Truman State University to learn the Chinese language and the Chinese culture!

Academic Programs

Chinese Minor

Want to advance your career in business, foreign policy, communications, law, and more? Consider adding a Chinese Minor to your major. You will cultivate speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills and gain insight into Chinese culture and history. By completing this minor, you will be prepared to work in an increasingly globalized professional world and have attained language skills that are in high demand.

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Asian and Asian American Studies Minor

Interested in the history, languages, art, philosophy, or religions of Asia? Check out our Asian and Asian American Studies Minor. Choose from one of three tracks (East Asian, South or Pan-Asian, Asian/Asian American) and start the path toward gaining an interdisciplinary perspective concerning Asian cultures and their international influence.

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Interdisciplinary Studies Major

At Truman, you have the opportunity to design a customized major that meets your unique needs. For example, you can design an Interdisciplinary Chinese Studies Major. Working with faculty members, we help you create a degree plan that gives you the skills you need to work toward your personal and professional goals.

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Courses

CHIN 101: Elementary Chinese I

This web-enriched Chinese course is designed to develop your overall proficiency in standard (Mandarin) Chinese. Regular access to the Internet is required. You will acquire basic skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Mandarin Chinese in everyday communication settings. Fundamentals of pronunciation, simplified writing form, basic sentence structures, and Chinese culture will be introduced. Three classroom hours, extensive web-based work, and one hour of peer learning each week are required. An additional one to two hours per week at the Chinese Language Table is highly recommended.

CHIN 102: Elementary Chinese II

As a continuation of CHIN 101, this web-enriched Chinese course is designed to develop your overall proficiency in standard (Mandarin) Chinese. Regular access to the Internet is required. You will acquire basic skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Mandarin Chinese in everyday communication settings. Fundamentals of pronunciation, simplified writing form, basic sentence structures, and Chinese culture will be introduced. Three classroom hours, extensive web-based work, and one hour of peer learning each week are required. An additional one to two hours per week at the Chinese Language Table is highly recommended.

CHIN 201: Intermediate Chinese I

This course is a continuation at the intermediate level of the principles of instruction established in Elementary Chinese I and Elementary Chinese II. Additional grammatical constructions are presented as a basis for increasingly complex written and oral communication; a focus on accurate pronunciation is maintained through regular oral-aural practice. Three classroom hours and one hour of peer learning each week are required. An additional one to two hours per week at the Chinese Language Table is highly recommended.

CHIN 202: Intermediate Chinese II

A continuation of CHIN 201, additional grammatical constructions are presented as a basis for increasingly complex written and oral communication; a focus on accurate pronunciation is maintained through regular oral-aural practice. Three classroom hours and one hour of peer learning each week are required. An additional one to two hours per week at the Chinese Language Table is highly recommended.

CHIN 300: Topics in Chinese

This course covers specialized topics unavailable in other courses including Chinese Film, Chinese Television Drama Series, and Introduction to Chinese Linguistics. The course may be repeated for credit under different topics. This course is taught in English and is open to all students across campus.

CHIN 301: Third Year Chinese I

Built upon CHIN 202, this course continues to develop your basic language skills by gradually adding more sophisticated vocabulary and grammatical structures. The course puts emphasis on the further development of writing skills through translation, summaries and compositions. In addition, the course serves as a bridge to more advanced Chinese study by teaching Chinese idioms and the stories behind them and by covering cultural topics from various media sources.

CHIN 302: Third Year Chinese II

This course continues to develop your basic language skills by gradually adding more sophisticated vocabulary and grammatical structures. The course puts emphasis on the further development of writing skills through translation, summaries and compositions. In addition, the course serves as a bridge to more advanced Chinese study by teaching Chinese idioms and the stories behind them, and by covering cultural topics from various media sources.

CHIN 311: Chinese Culture

This course is an introduction to Chinese culture from ancient times to the present. Chinese philosophy and religion (Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism) will be examined, sometimes intersecting with the discussion of art, literature, economy and politics. The course will examine the role of the individual within society, as well as phenomena affecting society as a whole. You will also become familiar with major Chinese customs and festivals. This course is taught in English and is open to all students across campus.

CHIN 400: Advanced Chinese

This Mandarin Chinese course aligns with the advanced level on the ACTFL/ETS proficiency scale. Advanced level reading and speaking skills, and essay writing will be emphasized in this course. Attention is given to the philosophy and logic of individual characters, linguistic constructions, and Chinese pragmatics. Three classroom hours are required.

Scholarships

Chinese language students at Truman will find many external scholarships available to them.

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Study Abroad

Truman State University’s Center for International Education Abroad offers multiple faculty-led study-abroad trips to China, along with semester- and year-long exchange programs.

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Taiwan Connect Program

Earn credit for Service Learning by teaching English to Taiwanese elementary students through Skype at Truman’s Language Learning Center.

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Chinese Culture

Student Work: Paper Cuttings

News

Carmen Cochran Selected for Critical Language Scholarship Program

Carmen Carmen Cochran, an Interdisciplinary Chinese Studies major, has been selected for the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program for the study of Chinese.

This is a highly selective award by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Last fall, Carmen completed CLS’s Virtual Institute program hosted by Shaanxi Normal University in Xi’an, China. After applying again, she was accepted to participate in the in-person program held at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan. Congratulations to Carmen for this impressive achievement!