Within the past three decades, planetary computerization, burgeoning media industries, and other global processes have significantly altered the ways in which we experience our local and global worlds. Global reconfigurations of time and space change our consciousness, sense of self and others, and the material realities in which we live and work. This course provides the conceptual tools to assess emerging global processes, interactions and flows of people, ideas and things that challenge historical patterns of international studies and relations. The course will introduce you to international and global processes in areas such as global cultural economies, global cities, new forms of democracy and civil society, global religions, sexualities, health, and environments, increased competition for resources, political conflict, war and terrorism. Beyond understanding the causes and consequences of global change, this course will introduce you to ethical dilemmas in global justice movements, and in transferring ideas and technologies in new global contexts.

This course introduces Chinese culture and society through the lens of food, art, and thought. China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and ancient Chinese culture is the root of many cultural practices and traditions in East Asia. The course surveys Chinese civilization from the beginning to the modern time, highlighting fundamental ideas and practices that shape the Chinese culture and way of life. It addresses a broad range of topics including but not limited to systems of thought (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism), Chinese art forms (poetry, ink painting, calligraphy, and martial arts), tea, and Chinese cuisine. Students will also explore how Chinese thought, art, and cultural practices connect China with the world as cultural encounters and exchanges take place.

This course continues the beginning level of Chinese study. The focus is on developing listening and speaking skills, with an increasing emphasis on reading and writing skills. Students will learn more expressions, sentence structures as well as other parts of the Chinese grammar. Further aspects of Chinese culture are also introduced, in parallel to Chinese language study.

This course is designed to enhance students’ ability to read authentic Chinese materials and write a variety of texts in Chinese, such as messages, blogs, emails, and short stories, more effectively. The main focus is to develop practical reading and writing skills that are essential for daily life by employing vocabulary, idioms, expressions, and structures in a more natural and descriptive fashion. This course provides students the opportunity to practice reading and writing strategies in meaningful and practical contexts, and to reinforce the materials that they have learned. Through reading, writing, discussion, multimedia, and presentations, students will learn the Chinese language in the context of describing nature, people, Chinese daily life and culture.

This course surveys Chinese cinema from its beginning to the present with special attention to its transnational connections and gender representation. Films from the mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong will be examined in-depth for their aesthetic quality and techniques, and equally important, against their socio-historical, political, economic, and cultural contexts. Topics include Kungfu films, women's cinema, documentation of globalization, independent filmmaking and social activism, and more. The class is conducted in English. Assigned films will be in Chinese with English subtitles.

The course gives students an opportunity to study professional Chinese language and culture as well as to practice presentation and negotiation skills, especially in professional and formal contexts. Students will improve speaking, listening, reading and writing skills developed in the elementary/intermediate sequence to master formal interactions in Chinese. They will learn professional vocabulary, expressions, and grammatical structures through readings, conversation, and discussion. They will cultivate expressive skills through discussion, writing assignments, and a video tutorial project. This course will be useful for students who are planning to seek employment in Chinese companies or in companies doing business in Chinese speaking areas, and also for students who want to learn more about business in Chinese culture. This is a language class; proficiency equivalent to Intermediate Chinese II is required.

This upper division seminar constitutes the final core requirement in the Applied Modern Language and Culture degree program. Students majoring in Applied Modern Language and Culture will enroll in this course in their final year of study. The capstone seminar will further develop and sharpen the connection between the students’ professional or technical fields and their linguistic and cultural knowledge of the language of the track The course will involve a variety of written and reading assignments, and/or project which involves professional fields. May be repeated up to twice.

This course surveys Chinese cinema from its beginning to the present with special attention to its transnational connections and gender representation. Films from the mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong will be examined in-depth for their aesthetic quality and techniques, and equally important, against their socio-historical, political, economic, and cultural contexts. Topics include Kungfu films, women's cinema, documentation of globalization, independent filmmaking and social activism, and more. The class is conducted in English. Assigned films will be in Chinese with English subtitles.