Program Details
Department: Modern Languages and Literatures
Modality: In-Person
Semester Hours: 16
Objectives
The Chinese minor offers student-centered, interdisciplinary, and interconnected courses and study-abroad and research opportunities in Chinese language and culture. With the aim to cultivate students as agents of positive social transformations in global-local contexts, the Chinese program incorporates critical thinking, creative problem solving, and social justice in the development of Mandarin proficiency, cross- cultural communicative competence, and broad and rigorous humanistic understanding of China in the world.
Students might also be interested in pursuing a separate Business Chinese Certificate. This certificate is designed to equip students with the linguistic skills and cultural understanding necessary to navigate the business landscape in China and other Mandarin-speaking regions. Through a structured yet flexible series of three courses, it aims to develop student proficiency in business communication, intercultural competence, and a solid understanding of Chinese business practices and cultures. Students interested in pursuing the Certificate can refer to the
Business Chinese Certificate page for further information.
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, culture, and society
Chinese minors will be able to:
- Communicate in Chinese, orally and in writing, at an intermediate or higher level
- Articulate an in-depth understanding of the linguisitic foundation, history, contemporary social culture, and/or production in literature, film and/or visual art of China in intercultural and global-local contexts
Chinese minors will be able to demonstrate that they value:
- Multilingualism and multiculturalism
- An appreciation and a critical understanding of Chinese socio-cultural norms, practices, values, and perspectives similar or different from their own
Minor Requirements
A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in all lower and upper division Chinese courses.
The Chinese minor consists of 16 semester hours beyond CHIN 1102 Chinese 2:
Note:
A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in all lower-division Chinese courses.
Students may be exempt from lower-division (1000-2000) language courses by placing above these levels through the LMU online Placement Exam for Chinese.
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 Selected Topics in 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.
