The Chinese Studies program offers a rich and broad approach to teach students Chinese language, literature and culture. The Honours Minor degree will provide students with qualifications to meet their needs relevant to their professions as successful graduates of York.
The Chinese language courses offered by the program will equip students with adequate Chinese language ability to engage in various fields in relation to Chinese communities locally and globally. The literature and culture courses in this program will teach students to identify significant literary genres, major themes, literary techniques and discourses in Chinese literature in specific socio-historical contexts. The literature and culture component of this program will also enhance students’ understanding of a wide range of important topics, such as identity, heritage, history, media, globalization, transnationalism, and postcolonial modernity in Chinese society. This program aims to provide students with advanced knowledge in Chinese philosophy, culture and social practices and help them develop analytical skills in examining the diversity of Chinese literature and culture in a global context.
BA Honours Minor in Chinese Studies
The Honours Minor in Chinese Studies comprises at least 30 credits in Chinese Studies.
- Students are required to take a total of 30 credits offered in the Chinese Studies program, which would include the courses required to achieve an advanced level of proficiency in Chinese language (normally obtained by taking AP/CH 1000 6.00, AP/CH 2000 6.00, and AP/CH 3000 6.00) and at least 12 credits in Chinese literature and culture courses.
Note: proficiency level determined during the admission process will influence the exact courses a student will need to complete to fulfill the requirements for this program. A student will need to complete 30 credits at the end of this program - CH1000 6.0 (or equivalent knowledge) is a prerequisite. However, the course CH1000 6.0 (or equivalent knowledge) does not count as a credit towards degree requirements.
- Students with higher Chinese language proficiency are exempted from Chinese language courses at lower and intermediate levels and are required to take more credits in Chinese language courses at upper level and Chinese literature and culture courses.
- Students exempt from AP/CH 1000 6.00, AP/CH 2000 6.00, and / or AP/CH 3000 must take additional credits in either Chinese Literature and Culture, or Chinese Language and/or translation courses. Please note the number of credits required for these categories will be used to fulfil the 30 credits required for completing this program. A student is recommended to contact a Faculty/ Department Advisor to verify that they have completed all requirements for this program.
- Students are required to take CH2200 6.0Y Introduction to Chinese Literature as a core course to learn the major genres, themes, literary styles in Chinese literature from antiquity to the present.
- Students are also required to take at least 6 credits in Chinese literature and culture courses at 4000 level to acquire advanced subject knowledge.
Admission Requirements
- Students must meet the general admission requirements for all programs at York University.
- Students entering the Honours Minor degree program must have a minimum grade point average of 5.0 (2.0 on the 4.00 GPA Scale) in their home program at York.
- In most cases, students who have completed a 1000-level language course with a grade of at least C are automatically admissible to a course at the next level in the same language.
- Registration in any Chinese language courses may be limited at the discretion of the department.
Chinese Studies Courses
Chinese Language courses:
Students are required to take 12 credits of Chinese language courses at 2000 or higher levels. Students with higher Chinese language proficiency are exempted from Chinese language courses at lower and intermediate levels and are required to take more credits in Chinese language courses at upper level and Chinese Literature and Culture courses.
AP/CH 1000 6.0 Elementary Modern Standard Chinese
AP/CH 1010 6.0 Elementary Chinese for Advanced Beginners
AP/CH 2000 6.0 Intermediate Modern Standard Chinese
AP/CH 2030 6.0 Intermediate Chinese Language and Culture
AP/CH 3000 6.0 Advanced Modern Standard Chinese
AP/CH 3050 6.0 Advanced Modern Chinese Language and Culture
AP/CH 4000 6.0 Classical Chinese Language
AP/CH 4050 6.0 Advanced Chinese for Business
AP/CH 4810 6.0 Introduction to English-Chinese Translation
Chinese literature and Culture courses:
Students are required to take 18 credits in Chinese language and literature courses, including AP/CH2200 as a core course and with at least 6 credits at 4000 level. All courses in Chinese literature and culture are offered in English except stated otherwise (in Mandarin).
AP/CH 2200 6.0 Introduction to Chinese Literature (required core course)
AP/CH 3600 6.0 Lu Xun: Representative Works (in Mandarin)
AP/CH 3660 6.0 Modern Chinese Drama: Cao Yu and His Contemporaries (in Mandarin)
AP/CH 3711 3.0 Women Writers in Modern China
AP/CH 3790 6.0 Contemporary Chinese Culture Through Literary Texts and Film (in Mandarin)
AP/CH 3791 6.0 Contemporary Chinese Culture Through Literary Texts and Film
AP/CH 3800 6.0 Chinese-Canadian Diasporic Literature
AP/CH3810 3.0 Chinese-American Diasporic Literature
AP/CH 3820 6.0 Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature
AP/CH3850 3.0 Christianity, Christian Culture and Modern Chinese Culture and Literature
AP/CH 3860 6.0 Eileen Chang: Major Author Studies in Modern Chinese Literature
AP/CH 3900 6.0 Independent Reading and Research (in English/Mandarin)
AP/CH 4300 6.0 Classical Chinese Fiction (in Mandarin)
AP/CH4800 6.0 Humor and Satire in Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature (in Mandarin)
AP/CH 4870 6.0 Chinese Martial Arts Culture through Literary Texts and Film
AP/CH 4880 6.0 Cultural Translation and Chinese Modernities