Chinese

The Chinese program offers a sequence of courses from beginning through advanced levels. Our goal is to equip students to become well spoken and literate in this language. With this goal in mind, students who successfully complete the foundational sequence (Chinese 1-6, or equivalent) in a timely way can gain confidence reading and discussing Classical prose and poetry (Chinese 107-108) as well as topics in Chinese literature and history (Chinese 104-105), which are offered in alternating years. Interested students should come to our office hours early in their careers to discuss their aspirations.

Teaching Philosophy

The Chinese Language Program is committed to excellence in undergraduate teaching. Its mission is to bring students of various backgrounds to the point of communicative competence in Chinese and to equip them with the language skills and cultural knowledge necessary to pursue their further academic, professional, and personal goals. Language courses at UCSC are taught solely by language teaching specialists.  These are individuals who are hired and retained based on their proven record of effective teaching. The primary focus of all Chinese language lecturers is the teaching and advising of undergraduates.  From the beginning level through the advanced courses, students are taught by the regular faculty.  This enables more consistent, personalized instruction to occur than is possible at many larger institutions.

Placement Guidelines

Taking the Chinese Placement Assessment

Prior to taking the assessment, all students must enroll in the Canvas Placement Module.

After enrolling in the Canvas Placement Module, sign up for a placement assessment by filling out this form, and you will be contacted within 24 hours with next steps.

Who needs to take the assessment?

Any students who have taken Chinese language courses before (in high school, community college, or elsewhere) or if they speak Chinese as a heritage language will have to take the Chinese placement assessment before enrolling in a Chinese language course.

Students who have no prior knowledge of the Chinese language can simply enroll in Chinese 1 (only offered in the Fall quarter).

Students who have successfully completed a Chinese language course at UCSC can advance to the next level without taking a placement assessment again.

Contact Information

Please contact Ting-Ting Wu at tingting@ucsc.edu if you have any questions or concerns. 

Please understand that many classes fill up very quickly; placement results do not guarantee you a spot in the class.

Language Courses

Each year, a full series of foundational courses is offered for beginning students (Chinese 1,2,3), and intermediate students (Chinese 4,5,6). In all of these courses, emphasis is placed on devleoping competence in all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and understanding the language.

The intermediate courses further develop skills acquired in the first year and Heritage courses, deepen and broaden students’ understanding of contemporary Chinese culture, and help students make the transition from reading the mostly prepared texts of the first and second years’ language instruction to reading authentic texts of various lengths in the third year. Orally, the intermediate courses seek to help students master the oral proficiency skills appropriate to the intermediate-mid and intermediate-high levels as measured by the ACTFL oral proficiency scale.

At the advanced level, the Chinese language faculty normally offer three courses each year. These courses, Readings in Chinese Literature and History and Introductions to Classical Chinese Prose and Poetry, enable students to practice the language intensively while becoming conversant with key topics in the field of Chinese studies and gaining confidence reading in a diverse range of Chinese writing. 

Summer Courses

Berkeley and UCLA normally offer intensive Chinese language courses in the summer. These courses are designed for students who wish to make more rapid progress than is possible during the regular academic year, or who were unable to fit Chinese into their regular course schedules.

Major(s) in Chinese

There are four pathways for majoring in Chinese at UCSC: 

1. Applied Linguistics with an emphasis in Chinese. This major examines how languages are learned, how multilingual individuals process language, how language functions in society and how they are taught most effectively.
2. Language Studies with an emphasis in Chinese. This major is designed to give students a foundation in theoretical and applied linguistics while they simultaneously pursue course work in the fields of Chinese language, culture, and literature.
3. Literature with an emphasis in Chinese Literature. This major is designed for students wishing to emphasize the study of Chinese literature. In addition to the training afforded all literature majors at UCSC, which includes work in the areas of literary history, literary analysis, and literary theory, students in this major emphasize course work within the disciplines of Chinese literature, culture, and film. 
4. East Asian Studies is designed to take advantage of the teaching and research skills of faculty in various disciplines who share a common interest in the culture of the Chinese-speaking countries. History, Politics, Philosophy, Art History, History of Consciousness, Chinese Literature, and Chinese Language are some of the disciplines contributing to this major. It is designed for students who wish to work within the field of Chinese in a truly interdisciplinary way.

Note: Students interested in economics, business, and Chinese may wish to major in Global Economics. Within this major, students may choose Chinese as a language of concentration.

Study Abroad

The University of California currently offers Chinese language programs in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Students’ progress in the language can be greatly accelerated if they are able to conduct their new friendships in Chinese. For this reason, we strongly recommend six quarters of Chinese as a minimum before studying on Chinese campuses. For information on these and other study opportunities abroad, contact the International Programs Office, Classroom Unit Bldg., Room 103. Tel. 831-459-2858 or visit their website: https://global.ucsc.edu/index.html.

Internet Resources

Marjorie Chan’s China Links Tips for using Chinese on PCs 
Games to reinforce learning Chinese 
A pinyin table with sound 
Character lookup with sound 

Faculty