Chinese Minor
Globally, China occupies a prominent position in many respects. With 1.4 billion inhabitants, it is the most populous country in the world. It spans five time zones, has a surface area roughly the size of the United States, and its economy is projected to become the world’s largest before the end of this decade. China is the place of origin of one of the oldest cultural traditions in the world, with written records dating back more than three thousand years. Many elements of the traditional cultures of neighboring East Asian countries (such as Vietnam, Korea, and Japan) can be traced back to China. Finally, rapid economic development over the past few decades has bolstered China’s political and military aspirations to become a global superpower. A knowledge of Chinese language and culture will enable students to explore the long and complex history of China and better understand China’s role in the 21st century.
The Chinese program offers an extensive array of courses in the Chinese (Mandarin) language, premodern and modern Chinese and Sinophone literature, history, philosophy, society, and film. This allows students to satisfy foreign language requirements, major or minor in Chinese, or complete a Chinese track M.A. degree. Students benefit from one of the strongest Chinese language curriculum programs in the country and extensive resources, including advanced courses in Chinese, language-intensive study abroad opportunities, Chinese library resources, the Chinese Undergraduate Student Association, the Chinese Living-Learning Residential Community, the student-led Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit, and the Chinese Language Table.
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must:
- take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the minor core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for minor or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
The undergraduate minor in Chinese consists of five courses.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| At least three courses must be language courses beyond CHIN 203, chosen from among the following: | 9-10 | |
| Intermediate Chinese II | ||
 Intermediate Written Chinese | ||
| Advanced Chinese I | ||
| Advanced Chinese II | ||
| Advanced Written Chinese | ||
| Readings in Modern Chinese I | ||
| Readings in Modern Chinese II | ||
| Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting | ||
| Business Communication in Chinese | ||
| Chinese Tea Culture and Its Changing Landscape | ||
| Topics in Chinese Literature and Language | ||
| Introduction to Classical Chinese | ||
| Stay Tuned to China | ||
| Chinese History in Chinese | ||
| Ancient Philosophers and Their Modern Reincarnation | ||
| Advanced Topics in Chinese Literature and Language | ||
| Chinese Internet Literature | ||
| Writing Chinese (in) America: Advanced Studies of a Foreign Literature from United States Homeland | ||
| The other two courses may be chosen from the list above or from among the following: | 6 | |
| First-Year Seminar: Food in Chinese Culture 1 | ||
| First-Year Seminar: Kung-Fu: The Concept of Heroism in Chinese Culture 1 | ||
| First-Year Seminar: Writing Women in Modern China 1, H | ||
| First-Year Seminar: Philosophy on Bamboo: Rethinking Early Chinese Thought 1 | ||
| First-Year Seminar: Love in China | ||
| Introduction to Chinese Civilization | ||
| From Martial Arts to Street Dance: Rebellion with Chinese Characteristics | ||
| Chinese Qin Music | ||
| Introduction to Modern Chinese Culture through Cinema | ||
| Indigenous Spiritualities in Literatures of China and Taiwan H | ||
| Introduction to Chinese Culture through Narrative | ||
| Chinese Language and Society | ||
| Bandit or Hero: Outlawry in Chinese Literature and Films | ||
| Imperial China in Global Objects | ||
| History as Fiction or Fiction as History? Early Chinese History in Film and Literature | ||
| Chinese Environmental Literature | ||
| Chinese Traditional Theater | ||
| Illustration and the Animation of Text | ||
| Environmental China: Premodern Political Ecology | ||
| Global Shangri-La: Tibet in the Modern World | ||
| Narrative Ethics in Modern China | ||
| The City in Modern Chinese Literature and Film | ||
| Confucianism: Origin, History, and Contemporary Relevance | ||
| Daoism: Origin, History, and Contemporary Relevance | ||
| Queering China | ||
| Chinese Science Fiction | ||
| Chinese Poetry in Translation | ||
| Chinese Prose in Translation | ||
| Contemporary Chinese Urban Culture and Arts | ||
| Total Hours | 15-16 | |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
- 1
No more than one first-year seminar may be counted toward the minor.
Approved language courses taken in UNC–Chapel Hill-sponsored study abroad programs may count in the minor. However, study abroad courses may not substitute for culture courses, which must be taken in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
Placement credit (PL) may not be used to meet minor requirements.
See the program page here for Special Opportunities.
Department Programs
Majors
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Interdisciplinary Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Arab Cultures Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Chinese Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Japanese Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–Korean Studies Concentration
- Asian Studies Major, B.A.–South Asian Studies Concentration
Minors
- Arabic Minor
- Asian Studies Minor
- Chinese Minor
- Modern Hebrew Minor
- Hindi-Urdu Minor
- Japanese Minor
- Korean Minor
- Middle Eastern Languages Minor
- Persian Minor
- Southeast Asian Studies Minor
Graduate Programs
Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
New West 113, CB# 3267
(919) 962-4294
