Fall Curriculum

Required Courses

The China Center faculty currently offer courses each semester in the following supported Areas of Concentration: Peace, Conflict and Reconciliation; Arts and Culture; and Global Health and Healing. Those courses in these Areas of Concentrations emphasize the importance of understanding the local host culture in a global and cross-cultural context.

First semester students at the China Center must enroll in and successfully complete the 3-credit Modern Chinese HistoryArea Studies course, the 3 credit Yearly Seminar, the linked 2-credit Writing Workshop and the 4-credit Mandarin Chinese course for a total of 12 required credits. These students may take other courses and/or elective courses for a total of 16 credits each semester.  Read more...

Area Studies Fall Semester

Modern Chinese History GCHI 210
Instructor: Liu Wei
Credits: Three
Core requirement for new students offered fall semester
Area of Concentration: Peace, Conflict, and Reconciliation

The course will survey modern Chinese history and the origins of nationalism. The student will explore how China transformed from the insular "Central Kingdom" to an influential member of the world community and a dynamic force in the world economy in little more than one century. The course will concentrate on recent Chinese history and the relationship between China and the West, including the collapse of the imperial system under Western intellectual influences and military pressure, the national movements in the wake of foreign invasions, and communist rule following the Second World War. The course will include weekly local excursions and an extended field trip to Beijing. This course partially satisfies credit requirements for the Area of Concentration in Peace, Conflict and Reconciliation.

Theory, Culture, and Representation GCHI 240
Instructor: TBA
Credits: Three
Yearly Seminar: Core requirement for Sophmore students

This course will emphasize the application of theory and practice in the cultural field, using cultural anthropological methodology as its main tool. Specific attention will be paid to (a) development of skills in formatting reference-research, (b) building of strength in the application of published scholarly works to fieldwork and (c) examination of successful case studies by established researchers. Weekly readings will be the basis for discussion of theory situated in culturally relevant issues. During several of the weeks, the students will be required to carry out fieldwork exercises significant to the cultural environment and write reflections of their experiences. The students will be encouraged to reflect critically on how the issues discussed in class relate to their personal experiences of fieldwork, taking into account their own culturally specific gaze in the observation process.

Heritage and Innovation GCHI 212
Lecturer: Zhan Tianxiang
Credits: Two
Area of Concentration: Arts and Culture

This course is to introduce the students to the learning environment surrounding Hangzhou by a cultivated geographic survey. Situated in the richest part of the Yangzi Delta and along the 2000-year-old Grand Canal, this region is both China's most dynamic zone of economic development and a cultural hub since before Marco Polo's visit here in the 13th century. Class is designed around excursions throughout the Jiangnan region including some of Hangzhou's best known historical sites, Suzhou, Shaoxing, and modern Shanghai. Each trip will be accompanied by assigned readings and classroom discussion, with the purpose of seeing how cultural heritage is redesigned and promoted in the framework of international tourism and how traditional norms are altered by the market economy.

Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine GCHI 213
Instructor: Greg Livingston
Credits: Two
Area of Concentration: Global Health and Healing

This course is an introduction to the philosophy, culture, history, and practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) through lectures, readings, field trips, and independent student research. Emphasis will be placed on the philosophical foundations of TCM, the TCM view of the body in health and illness, and the practice of the various branches of TCM in modern China. This course partially satisfies credit requirements for the Area of Concentration in Global Health and Healing.

Writing Workshop GCHI 270
Instructor: TBA
Credits: Two
Core requirement for new students

This course is a writing workshop linked to any two of the four core Area Studies courses and is required for all new students. The purpose of this workshop is to aid students in improving their knowledge of modes of writing as well as to develop their critical thinking and writing skills. This course is vital to the academic success of students matriculated in the Friends World Program, in which writing is a critical tool for documenting experiential learning.
Students will learn how to develop and support a convincing argument using formal writing. Problems in style, structure, grammar and citation conventions will be the primary concern. This course will take the form of a weekly writing workshop, during which students will read and provide constructive criticism of each other's writing, using assignments from the Area Studies courses.

This course is designed to facilitate students working on papers for Area Studies courses from early in the semester and to assist students with feedback from a professional writing instructor and peers throughout the semester and during the writing week at the end of the semester. Students will submit any assignment, outline, draft or revision for any Area Studies assignment to the instructor each week for feedback and possible peer review. The Writing Workshop is required only for new students and is offered both in the fall and spring, but continuing students may link any Area Studies course or independent study to the Writing Workshop for an extra two credits.

The writing requirement for each linked 2-credit Area Studies course is:

1. 1,000-1,250 word (4-5 page) paper in response to one week of readings in the first two weeks of each required Area Studies course. The first drafts of these two papers are due in Writing Workshop by the end of the eighth week of classes.

2. 750-1,250 word (3-5 page) prospectus for a research paper for each required Area Studies course. The final drafts of these are due in Writing Workshop by the beginning of the eleventh week of classes.

3. 2,000-2,500 word (8-10 page) research paper based on the prospectus for each required Area Studies course. The first drafts of these are due in Writing Workshop by the end of the twelfth week of classes.

The total writing requirement for one linked 2-credit Area Studies course is 3,750-5,000 words (15-20 pages), and the total writing requirement for two required 2-credit Area Studies courses linked to the Writing Workshop is 13,500-17,500 words (54-70 pages), including drafts, for a total of 6 credits, or an average of 2,500 words (10 pages) per credit.

Language

Mandarin Chinese Level I GCHI 120
Instructor: Zhejiang University Instructors
Credits: Four (fall) or three (spring)
Core requirement for new students offered fall and spring semesters

Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more native speakers than any other in the world, and is the national language of the People's Republic of China, the country with the world's fastest developing economy. As such, Mandarin Chinese has been described by economists and linguists as the "must learn" language of the next decade.

The course will instruct beginning students in Mandarin Chinese, with a focus on oral communication skills. The course will rely mostly on the Pinyin Romanization system for instruction, although reading and writing Chinese characters will also be introduced slowly. The course is especially designed for Global College students and will emphasize performance learning. The student will learn the grammar, syntax and vocabulary necessary to communicate in Chinese and to function independently in China. Classroom sessions will be supplemented occasionally with language field trips in Hangzhou to encourage interactive language acquisition and to take full advantage of the surrounding language environment. This class requires a minimum of ten Global College students.

This course meets for eight class hours each week for eleven weeks in fall and eight weeks in spring.

Indicative Reading:
Conversational Chinese 301 (汉语会话301句), available in the International Student Dormitory on the second floor mezzanine bookstore with student identification.

Mandarin Chinese Level II GCHI 220
Instructor: Zhejiang University Instructors
Credits: Four (fall) or three (spring)
Offered fall and spring semesters

The course is a continuation of GCHI 120.

Intensive Mandarin Chinese Level I GCHI 122
Instructor: Zhejiang University Instructors
Credits: Six (fall), four (spring)

The Intensive Mandarin Chinese course is designed for the student who already has some Chinese language skills or who wants to acquire the full range of linguistic competencies, including complete proficiency in reading and writing Chinese, and the oral linguistic ability necessary to complete a sophisticated Junior Research Project in China.

The Global College student will follow an extremely demanding curriculum, together with other international students from around the world, which will introduce all aspects of the language, including speaking, listening, grammar and reading and writing Chinese characters. The course is appropriate for students who intend to make Chinese an important part of their academic studies, future career or business.

The course is taught in eight levels. Students who have previously studied Chinese must take a placement test at the beginning of the semester. Level 1.5 is appropriate for students with some oral Chinese but no reading or writing ability. Intensive Mandarin Chinese is taught as four separate courses by the host university, including Colloquial Speech, Modern Pronunciation, Listening Comprehension, and Reading Comprehension (optional). Daily homework, weekly quizzes. Mid-term and final exams are required in the fall and a final exam is required in the spring. The fall exams will be held typically in the second week of November and the first week of December. The spring exam will typically be held in the third week of April, and is the host university’s midterm exam.

Intensive Mandarin Chinese Level II GCHI 222
Instructor: Zhejiang University Instructors
Credits: Six (fall), four (spring)

The course is a continuation of GCHI 122.

Junior Research Seminar and Project

In addition to the regular curriculum, junior students who begin work at the China Center with 60 credits or more in the fall semester must declare an approved Area of Concentration and meet all Global College requirements regarding the Junior Research Seminar and the Junior Research Project, typically by the end of the spring semester, and must complete the Junior Research Seminar, typically by the end of the first semester of the junior year, and the Junior Research Project, typically by the second semester of the junior year.

Junior Research Seminar GCHI 340
Instructor: Lindsay Shen
Credits: Three
Offered fall and spring semesters
Core graduation requirement

The Junior Research Seminar is a three credit course completed at any Global College center, typically in the first semester of the junior year and no later than the second semester of the junior year, which introduces students to fundamental theoretical and methodological approaches in the humanities and social sciences. The Junior Research Seminar results in a Junior Research Proposal, which is a general outline for the Junior Research Project and a graduation requirement that all students must carry out under faculty guidance.

 Read more...

Electives

Chinese Arts GCHI 260
Instructor: TBA
Credits: Two (non-liberal arts)
Offered fall and spring semesters

This course will introduce students to the rudimentary skills of Chinese calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting.

This course is offered once per week for two hours. Chinese language background not required.

Chinese Martial Arts GCHI 261
Instructor: Ming Lei
Credits: Two (non-liberal arts)
Offered fall and spring semesters

This course will introduce students to traditional Chinese martial arts. The form and style learned will depend on students’ interset each semester from choices such as Taiji, Xingyi, Bagua, etc.

Independent Study

Students with sufficient preparation may design one or two Independent Study Projects (ISP), Service Learning Projects, or internships, within certain cultural and linguistic boundaries, and in consultation with their Faculty Advisor and/or Field Advisor. First semester students may not take more than a total of four credits and second semester students may not take more than a total of eight credits of independent study credit without permission from their Faculty Advisor and the support of the Academic Director.

No single independent study should be larger than four credits except for the Junior Research Project. First semester student independent study projects should be based on library research or an internship that does not require Chinese linguistic or cultural background. Students are expected to write approximately 2,500 words (10 pages) per independent study credit. Students may link any independent study project or internship to the Writing Workshop for an additional credit, and students may elect to give a professional oral presentation of a four-credit independent study project at the end of the semester under faculty guidance for an additional credit.

Most new students are too busy in the fall semester to conduct more than two credits of independent work, and since not all field advisors speak fluent English, most larger independent projects are carried out in the spring semester, or during a student's third semester, after students have completed the required core curriculum and have the requisite foundation in Chinese language. Students may elect to give a professional oral presentation of a four-credit independent study project at the end of the semester under faculty guidance for an additional credit. For more information, see the Oral Presentation page of this website.  Read more...

Spring Curriculum

Required Courses

The China Center faculty currently offer courses each semester in the following supported Areas of Concentration: Peace, Conflict and Reconciliation; Arts and Culture; and Global Health and Healing. Those courses in these Areas of Concentrations emphasize the importance of understanding the local host culture in a global and cross-cultural context.

First semester students at the China Center must enroll in and successfully complete the 3-credit Modern Chinese HistoryArea Studies course, the 3 credit Yearly Seminar, the linked 2-credit Writing Workshop and the 4-credit Mandarin Chinese course for a total of 12 required credits. These students may take other courses and/or elective courses for a total of 16 credits each semester.  Read more...

Area Studies Spring Semester

Chinese Ethnic Minorities and Development GCHI 211
Instructors: Liu Wei
Credits: Three
Area of Concentration: Peace, Conflict, and Reconciliation

This course will introduce students to the 55 official minority nationalities of China and their integration and development in the last fifty years, which includes the colonial and assimilative pressure applied by the Han majority. The focus will be on issues such as education, tourism, and government policies that cause the 'loss' of traditional minority cultures while also providing greater avenues for the promotion of local ethnic culture through economic development and connections with the outside world. Through an extended fieldtrip to Yunnan which will include homestays, meetings with a number of locally significant organizations, and discussion sessions, the course will explore the complex sociopolitical interrelationships between ethnic minorities, the Chinese nation, and the globe.

Directed Fieldwork Project GCHI 241
Instructors: Completed in consultation with Faculty Advisor
Credits: Three or four
Yearly Seminar: Required course for Sophmore students

This course will start with a five-week classroom discussion on more advanced cultural anthropological approaches, focusing on the methodology of participatory observation and the philosophy of the observer’s role as both the “other” and “one of them”, followed by an six-week independent field project conducted by the student. Project proposal should be completed by the end of the second week of the semester with the faculty advisor’s approval. A field advisor should be appointed should the subject matter fall outside the faculty advisor’s expertise. Contact with the faculty advisor should be maintained by the student on a bi-weekly basis at least, and a prospectus in written form should be handed in no later than four weeks before the completion of fieldwork. Questionaire(s) and survey plan(s) should be discussed with the advisor(s), and linguistic support in the conduct of interviews will be provided by the Center upon application.

Electronic Portfolio / Writing Workshop GCHI 271
Instructor: TBA
Credits: Two
Core requirement for new students offered fall and spring semesters

(See Fall semester description above)

Chinese Nationalism GCHI 214
Instructor: Liu Wei
Credits: Two
Area of Concetration: Peace, Conflict, and Reconciliation

This course tackles concerns about the growing current of Chinese nationalism and its potential impact on Asian and world political maps. Friends World students, together with Chinese graduate students, will have the opportunity to discuss in a forum the problems in Sino-Japanese relations, cross-strait relations between mainland China and Taiwan, the Tibet question, and relations between the Han and Chinese ethnic minorities. Field trips include trips to Nanjing or Yiwu, sites of tragic historical events that occurred during the Japanese occupation of China.

Introduction to Chinese Medicine Health Cultivation GCHI 215
Instructor: Greg Livingston
Credits: Two
Area of Concentration: Global Health and Healing

Chinese Medicine Health Cultivation Studies (中医养生学) is the study and practice of various mundane and esoteric Chinese Medicine-based practices such as dietetics, hygiene, exercise, reproductive health, cultivation of mental-emotional health, massage, herbal and acu-moxa therapies, etc., that aim to promote physical and mental health, wellbeing, and longevity. This class introduces students to Chinese Medicine through instruction in the history, development, philosophies, theories, and practical application of Chinese Medicine Health Cultivation Studies. Upon completion of the class students will have a basic understanding of the fundamental theories of Chinese Medicine and will be able to apply Health Cultivation ideas and practices in their daily lives.

Traditional Chinese Philosophy GCHI 216
Instructor: Zhan Tianxiang
Credits: Two
Area of Concentration: Comparative Religion and Culture

This course will survey the two major philosophical traditions within traditional China: Confucianism and Taoism. By surveying texts such as the Dao De Jing and the Analects in translation and a range of key philosophical figures in China such as Lao Tzu, Zhuang Tzu, Confucius, Mencius, etc., the students will gain an understanding of the basic principles of Eastern philosophy and the influence these concepts have had on Chinese society. A special emphasis will be made on the relationship between these two philosophical schools in China and how their competing influences affected the development of Chinese thought.

China in Literature and Film GCHI 217
Coordinators: TBA
Credits: Two
Area of Concentration: Arts and Culture

In this course students will be introduced to key works of modern literature and film that reflect the cultural transformations China has experienced in the last century. Students will be expected to read/watch texts in translation each week followed by participating in a discussion seminar. The class will focus on concepts such as national imagination, Chinese modernity, and Orientalism. By being exposed to a sampling of modern literature and film, it is hoped that the students will gain an appreciation for Chinese cultural production and its relevance to modern society.

Language

Mandarin Chinese Level I GCHI 120
Instructor: Zhejiang University Instructors
Credits: Four (fall) or three (spring)
Core requirement for new students offered fall and spring semesters

Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more native speakers than any other in the world, and is the national language of the People's Republic of China, the country with the world's fastest developing economy. As such, Mandarin Chinese has been described by economists and linguists as the "must learn" language of the next decade.

The course will instruct beginning students in Mandarin Chinese, with a focus on oral communication skills. The course will rely mostly on the Pinyin Romanization system for instruction, although reading and writing Chinese characters will also be introduced slowly. The course is especially designed for Global College students and will emphasize performance learning. The student will learn the grammar, syntax and vocabulary necessary to communicate in Chinese and to function independently in China. Classroom sessions will be supplemented occasionally with language field trips in Hangzhou to encourage interactive language acquisition and to take full advantage of the surrounding language environment. This class requires a minimum of ten Global College students.

This course meets for eight class hours each week for eleven weeks in fall and eight weeks in spring.

Indicative Reading:
Conversational Chinese 301 (汉语会话301句), available in the International Student Dormitory on the second floor mezzanine bookstore with student identification.

Mandarin Chinese Level II GCHI 220
Instructor: Zhejiang University Instructors
Credits: Four (fall) or three (spring)
Offered fall and spring semesters

The course is a continuation of GCHI 120.

Intensive Mandarin Chinese Level I GCHI 122
Instructor: Zhejiang University Instructors
Credits: Six (fall), four (spring)

The Intensive Mandarin Chinese course is designed for the student who already has some Chinese language skills or who wants to acquire the full range of linguistic competencies, including complete proficiency in reading and writing Chinese, and the oral linguistic ability necessary to complete a sophisticated Junior Research Project in China.

The Global College student will follow an extremely demanding curriculum, together with other international students from around the world, which will introduce all aspects of the language, including speaking, listening, grammar and reading and writing Chinese characters. The course is appropriate for students who intend to make Chinese an important part of their academic studies, future career or business.

The course is taught in eight levels. Students who have previously studied Chinese must take a placement test at the beginning of the semester. Level 1.5 is appropriate for students with some oral Chinese but no reading or writing ability. Intensive Mandarin Chinese is taught as four separate courses by the host university, including Colloquial Speech, Modern Pronunciation, Listening Comprehension, and Reading Comprehension (optional). Daily homework, weekly quizzes. Mid-term and final exams are required in the fall and a final exam is required in the spring. The fall exams will be held typically in the second week of November and the first week of December. The spring exam will typically be held in the third week of April, and is the host university’s midterm exam.

Intensive Mandarin Chinese Level II GCHI 222
Instructor: Zhejiang University Instructors
Credits: Six (fall), four (spring)

The course is a continuation of GCHI 122.

Junior Research Seminar and Project

In addition to the regular curriculum, junior students who begin work at the China Center with 60 credits or more in the fall semester must declare an approved Area of Concentration and meet all Global College requirements regarding the Junior Research Seminar and the Junior Research Project, typically by the end of the spring semester, and must complete the Junior Research Seminar, typically by the end of the first semester of the junior year, and the Junior Research Project, typically by the second semester of the junior year.

Junior Research Seminar GCHI 340
Instructor: Lindsay Shen
Credits: Three
Offered fall and spring semesters
Core graduation requirement

The Junior Research Seminar is a three credit course completed at any Global College center, typically in the first semester of the junior year and no later than the second semester of the junior year, which introduces students to fundamental theoretical and methodological approaches in the humanities and social sciences. The Junior Research Seminar results in a Junior Research Proposal, which is a general outline for the Junior Research Project and a graduation requirement that all students must carry out under faculty guidance.

 Read more...

Electives

Chinese Arts GCHI 260
Instructor: TBA
Credits: Two (non-liberal arts)
Offered fall and spring semesters

This course will introduce students to the rudimentary skills of Chinese calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting.

This course is offered once per week for two hours. Chinese language background not required.

Chinese Martial Arts GCHI 261
Instructor: Ming Lei
Credits: Two (non-liberal arts)
Offered fall and spring semesters

This course will introduce students to traditional Chinese martial arts. The form and style learned will depend on students’ interset each semester from choices such as Taiji, Xingyi, Bagua, etc.

Independent Study

Students with sufficient preparation may design one or two Independent Study Projects (ISP), Service Learning Projects, or internships, within certain cultural and linguistic boundaries, and in consultation with their Faculty Advisor and/or Field Advisor. First semester students may not take more than a total of four credits and second semester students may not take more than a total of eight credits of independent study credit without permission from their Faculty Advisor and the support of the Academic Director.

No single independent study should be larger than four credits except for the Junior Research Project. First semester student independent study projects should be based on library research or an internship that does not require Chinese linguistic or cultural background. Students are expected to write approximately 2,500 words (10 pages) per independent study credit. Students may link any independent study project or internship to the Writing Workshop for an additional credit, and students may elect to give a professional oral presentation of a four-credit independent study project at the end of the semester under faculty guidance for an additional credit.

Most new students are too busy in the fall semester to conduct more than two credits of independent work, and since not all field advisors speak fluent English, most larger independent projects are carried out in the spring semester, or during a student's third semester, after students have completed the required core curriculum and have the requisite foundation in Chinese language. Students may elect to give a professional oral presentation of a four-credit independent study project at the end of the semester under faculty guidance for an additional credit. For more information, see the Oral Presentation page of this website.  Read more...