Asian Languages and Civilizations

Undergraduate Study in Asian Languages and Civilizations

Bachelor of Arts in Chinese

The undergraduate degree in Chinese emphasizes knowledge and awareness of:

• Chinese literary history, focusing on selected canonical or widely recognized works;
• the historical and cultural contexts in which particular works were written;
• critical approaches to the study of Chinese language and civilization; and 
• the challenges, deficiencies, and possible gains inherent in the process of translating from one language to another.

In addition, students completing the degree in Chinese are expected to acquire the ability and skills to:

• read modern Chinese at a level at which critical literary analysis can be performed;
• read classical Chinese, with the aid of appropriate reference works, at the level at which the text may begin to be appreciated for its literary value;
• speak and comprehend Mandarin sufficient for all situations in daily life and for a basic level of academic conversation;
• analyze and interpret literary texts in terms of style, structure, character, themes, and use of allusion; and
• communicate such interpretations competently in standard written English.

Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the required courses listed below. CHIN 1010, 1020, and 2110 do not count toward the maximum of 45 credits in the major department.

Chinese Language and Literature Track

Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the required courses listed below, including 30 credit hours of courses in Chinese language and literature above CHIN 2110. CHIN 2120 or its equivalent is the prerequisite to upper-division courses required for the major. At least 25 credit hours must be in upper-division courses.

Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours 

• CHIN 2120 Intermediate Chinese 2—5 
• CHIN 3110 and 3120 Advanced Chinese 1 and 2—10
• CHIN 4210 Introduction to Classical Chinese—4
• CHIN 4220 Readings in Classical Chinese—4
• Additional credit hours selected from the following courses:
  CHIN 3311 The Dao and the World in Medieval China—3
  CHIN 3321 Culture and Literature of Ancient China—3
  CHIN 3331 Culture and Literature of Late Imperial China—3
  CHIN 3341 Literature and Popular Culture in Modern China—3
  CHIN 3342 Literary Culture in Contemporary China—3 
  CHIN 3351 Reality and Dream in Traditional Chinese Fiction—3
  CHIN 3361 Women and the Supernatural in Chinese Literature—3
  CHIN 3371 Topics in Chinese Film—3
  CHIN 4110 Readings in Modern Chinese 1—3
  CHIN 4120 Readings in Modern Chinese 2—3
  CHIN 4300 Open Topics—3
  CHIN 4750 Daoism—3
  CHIN 4900 Independent Study—1-3
  CHIN 4950 Honors Thesis—3

Chinese Language and Civilization Track

Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours 

• Requires successful completion of 30 credit hours, apportioned as follows:
  CHIN 2120 Intermediate Chinese 2—5
  CHIN 3110 and 3120 Advanced Chinese 1 and 2 or CHIN 4210 and 4220 Introduction to Classical Chinese and Readings in Classical Chinese—8-10
• The remaining 15 or 17 credits may be chosen from other CHIN courses, excluding only language courses numbered below 2120. Six of these remaining hours may be satisfied by courses focusing wholly or substantially on China offered in other departments, subject to approval by the undergraduate advisor in Chinese.
• Of the 30 credit hours presented for the degree, at least 18 must be at the upper division.

Graduating in Four Years with a BA in Chinese

Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information on eligibility. The concept of “adequate progress” as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress in Chinese, students should meet the following requirements:

• Declare the major in the first semester.
• Students wishing to major in Chinese and who have no prior knowledge of the language should begin the required major courses no later than the sophomore year.
• Students must consult with a major advisor to determine adequate progress toward completion of the major.

Minor Program in Chinese

The minor program in Chinese requires successful completion of 18 credit hours, including CHIN 3110/3120 and at least one additional 3-credit upper-division course in the program. All language course work applied to the minor must be completed with a grade of C or better; all other course work must be completed with a grade of C- or better. Pass/fail work will not apply to the minor. Of the 18 hours to be counted toward the minor, no more that 9 hours (including a maximum of 6 upper-division hours) may be transfer credits from other universities in this country or abroad. For more information, see the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations undergraduate advisor.

Bachelor of Arts in Japanese

The undergraduate degree in Japanese emphasizes knowledge and awareness of:

• the outlines of the history of Japanese literature from the Nara period to the present;
• the outlines of Japanese historical and cultural development; and 
• appropriate research strategies for Japanese language, literature, and culture.

In addition, students completing the degree in Japanese are expected to acquire the ability and skills to:

• speak and comprehend Japanese sufficiently for daily life;
• read, interpret, and analyze modern written texts; 
• compose letters and simple compositions;
• use cultural awareness and understanding to function appropriately in a range of social situations; and
• communicate the results of research in English. 

In addition, students target one or more of the following goals:

• read and comprehend classical Japanese, with the aid of appropriate reference works;
• translate a range of Japanese texts into English; and
• understand and analyze the structure of the Japanese language and communication patterns in Japanese.

Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the required courses listed below. JPNS 1010, 1020, and 2110 do not count towards the maximum of 45 credits in the major department.

Japanese Language and Literature Track

Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the required courses listed below, including 30 credit hours of courses in Japanese language and literature above JPNS 2110. JPNS 2120 or its equivalent is the prerequisite to upper-division language courses required for the major. At least 25 credit hours must be at the upper-division level. 

Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours 

• JPNS 2120 Intermediate Japanese—5
• JPNS 3110 and 3120 Advanced Japanese 1 and 2—10
• JPNS 4110 and 4120 Advanced Readings in Modern Japanese 1 and 2 or JPNS 4210 and 4220 Contemporary Japanese 1 and 2—6
• Additional credit hours selected from the following courses:
  JPNS 3441 Language and Japanese Society—3
  JPNS 3811 Love, Death, and Desire: Classical Japanese Literature in Translation—3
  JPNS 3821 Monsters. Monks, and Mayhem: Medieval Japanese Literature in Translation—3
  JPNS 3831 The Floating World of Play and Passion: Early Modern Japanese Literature in Translation—3
  JPNS 3841 Tradition and Transgression: Modern Japanese Literature in Translation—3
  JPNS 4030 Japanese Syntax—3
  JPNS 4070 Second Language Acquisition in Japanese—3
  JPNS 4080 Kanji in Japanese—3 
  JPNS 4210 and 4220 Contemporary Japanese 1 and 2—6
  JPNS 4310 and 4320 Classical Japanese 1 and 2—6
  JPNS 4300 Open Topics—3
  JPNS 4900 Independent Study—1-3
  JPNS 4950 Honors Thesis—3

Japanese Language and Civilization Track

Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours 

• Requires successful completion of 30 credit hours, apportioned as follows:
  JPNS 2120 Intermediate Japanese—5
  JPNS 3110 and 3120 Advanced Japanese 1 and 2—10
• The remaining 15 credits may be chosen from other JPNS courses, excluding only language courses numbered below 2120. Six of these remaining credit hours may be satisfied by courses focusing wholly or substantially on Japan offered in other departments, subject to approval by the undergraduate advisor in Japanese. 
• Of the 30 credit hours presented for the degree, at least 18 must be at the upper-division level.

Graduating in Four Years with a BA in Japanese

Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information on eligibility. The concept of “adequate progress” as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress in Japanese, students should meet the following requirements:

• Declare the major in the first semester.
• Students wishing to major in Japanese and who have no prior knowledge of the language should begin the required major courses no later than the sophomore year.
• Students must consult with a major advisor to determine adequate progress toward completion of the major.

Minor Program in Japanese

The minor program in Japanese requires successful completion of 18 credit hours, including JPNS 3110/3120 and at least one additional 3-credit upper-division course in the program. All language course work applied to the minor must be completed with a grade of C or better; all other course work must be completed with a grade of C- or better. Pass/fail work will not apply to the minor. Of the 18 hours to be counted toward the minor, no more that 9 hours (including a maximum of 6 upper-division hours) may be transfer credits from other universities in this country or abroad. For more information, see the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations undergraduate advisor.

Courses Taught in English

The department offers several courses in translation. These courses require no previous study of the language, history, or culture of the area involved and are open to all interested students, whether majors in this department or not. They provide excellent introductions to Chinese or Japanese literary and cultural history. 

CHIN 1051 is a core curriculum course in the area of literature and the arts that focuses on the great books of China, both ancient and modern. CHIN 2441 and CHIN 3371 concentrate on film and culture. CHIN 3311, 3321, 3331, and 3341 concentrate, respectively, on medieval, ancient, late imperial, and modern Chinese culture. CHIN 3351 and 3361 are devoted to issues in fiction and on women and the supernatural. CHIN 4750 (cross-listed with RLST) focuses on the historical development of Daoism.

CHIN 1012 provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the history, literature, religion, and art of China. JPNS 1012 provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the history, literature, religion, and art of Japan. Both of these are core curriculum courses in the area of human diversity.

JPNS 1051 is a core curriculum course in the area of literature and the arts focusing on both ancient and modern great books of Japan. JPNS 2441 focuses on film and culture, JPNS 3441 explores language and society. JPNS 3811, 3821, 3831, and 3841 focus, respectively, on classical, medieval, early modern, and modern Japanese literature. 

Study Abroad

The department strongly recommends that all majors participate in study abroad. The University of Colorado is affiliated with study abroad programs based at Beijing, Nanjing, and East China Normal Universities in China; National Chengchi University in Taiwan; and the department has exchange programs with Kansai Gaidai, Sophia University, and Akita International University in Japan. Consult a departmental advisor. For further information, contact the Office of International Education. Note, however, that not more than 20 transfer credit hours from universities in the United States or abroad may count toward the major in Chinese or Japanese.