Objectives
The Chinese minor offers an integrated study of Chinese language and culture. Coupled with study abroad and research and internship opportunities, the program enables students to develop intermediate to advanced proficiency in Chinese language and culture.
Chinese Placement Exam
All students interested in taking a Chinese course including CHIN 1101 Chinese 1 must take the online Chinese placement exam.
This requirement includes students who have taken the AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam in high school. Generally, a student who receives a score of 5 or 4 on the AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam places in CHIN 2103 Chinese 3 or higher. Course credit will be given for CHIN 1101 Chinese 1 and CHIN 1102 Chinese 2 once a student’s official scores have been received from the College Board. Final placement is conditional upon the instructor’s consent in consultation with the Chinese Program Coordinator. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that the official AP scores have been sent to Loyola Marymount University.
To know when and how a student should take a language placement exam in Chinese, please refer to the guidelines provided under Modern Languages and Literatures.
Chinese Minor Learning Outcomes
Chinese minors will know:
- Principal aspects of the Chinese language
- Macro and micro societal environments and culture in contemporary China
- Tools to analyze the Chinese language, literary production, and social phenomena
Chinese minors will be able to:
- Speak Chinese appropriately and accurately
- Read texts in Chinese that are conceptually abstract and linguistically complex
- Write in Chinese on a variety of topics with precision and in detail
- Conduct cross-linguistic and cultural analyses between Chinese and their native language and culture
Chinese minors will be able to demonstrate that they value:
- Multilingualism and multiculturalism
- Cultural values that are distinctively different from their own
- Social behaviors and mindsets of Chinese people that are deeply rooted and reflected in Chinese language and culture.
Minor Requirements
A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in all lower and upper division Chinese courses.
The Chinese minor consists of 20 semester hours beyond CHIN 1102 Chinese 2:
Note:
The CHIN 1101 Chinese 1, CHIN 1102 Chinese 2, CHIN 2103 Chinese 3, CHIN 2104 Chinese 4 series is recommended for those who seek basic Chinese language and culture proficiency. This series requires 30 minutes of study/drill session each week.
Lower division language courses (1000-2000 level) may not be challenged by exam. Students may be exempt from these courses by placing above that level through the LMU online Placement Exam for Chinese. A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in all lower division Chinese courses.
Students who need more semester hours to complete the Chinese minor because of their language placement must take additional courses in the language. In the event that there are no courses in the language, students may take MDLG 3400 Linguistics, MDLG 4400 Applied Linguistics, or FNLT 4200 Comparative Cultures (provided it is related to Chinese language concentration). Students can receive no more than four upper-division credits from Chinese language or cultural courses offered outside of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at LMU, non-LMU study-abroad programs, and other universities. In addition, for any non-Chinese (CHIN) courses to be applied towards the Chinese minor, students must receive preapproval from the Chinese Program Coordinator and Modern Languages and Literatures Department Chair.
