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Chinese

Apply now for the National Collegiate Chinese Honor Society, TCNJ Chapter

Dear students,

The National Collegiate Chinese Honor Society, sponsored by the Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA (CLTA), is founded to recognize outstanding academic achievement of college students in learning Chinese as a second language, to encourage them to continue to study Chinese after they graduate from college, and to promote the study of Chinese language, literature, and culture in the United States.

Eligibility

To be inducted into the National Collegiate Chinese Honor Society and receive its certificate, students must meet the following qualifications.

Qualifications for four-year college students:

  • Must be a full-time student who has successfully completed five semesters or eight quarters of Chinese language courses at the college undergraduate level or have been placed in the third year Chinese after the placement test.
  • Must have enrolled in the sixth semester or the ninth quarter of the Chinese course
  • Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4-point scale in Chinese language courses and have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale for all college level courses taken
  • Must demonstrate strong evidence of engagement and commitment to Chinese language and culture related in school or community activities.
  • Must preserve an excellent record of behavior in and out of school.

Students who have met the qualifications specified in Section II must be invited to apply by the faculty member in charge. The faculty member in charge must get the necessary information from each of the candidates if the invitation is accepted and fill in the required information for each candidate online.

The deadline for submitting the application form to the CLTA Honor Society Committee is March 1 each year. The completed application should be submitted electronically as indicated by the faculty in charge of this chapter. The faculty member in charge should also collect $20 USD per candidate for the membership and the cost for certificate shipping and handling and make an online payment after submitting the application form at the CLTA website.

If you are interested in applying for becoming a member of the TCNJ Chapter – the National Collegiate Chinese Honor Society, please contact Dr. Celia Liu: liuc@tcnj.edu.


Welcome to the Chinese Program

Forbidden-City-Beijing-CHina

The Chinese Program at TCNJ offers four years of instruction in Mandarin Chinese and a minor in Chinese language. Students are encouraged to choose a minor in Chinese language which consists of five course units (see minor requirement). Students can also petition for a self-designed major in Chinese language, culture and history.

Courses Offered in the Chinese Program

  • CHI 150 Chinese for Heritage Speakers (1 unit/annually)
  • CHI 151-152 Intensive Chinese for Beginners (2 units/annually)
  • CHI 171 Survey of Contemporary China (1 unit taught in English/annually)
  • CHI 223/Experiential Learning (.5 units/occasionally)
  • CHI 251 Intensive Chinese (2 units/annually)
  • CHI 252 for Beginners (1 unit/annually)
  • CHI 270/Intermediate Topics in Chinese (1 unit/occasionally)
  • CHI 301-302 Intermediate Chinese (1 unit/annually)
  • CHI 348 New Chinese Cinema (1 unit taught in English/occasionally)
  • CHI 370 Topics in Chinese Culture and Society (1 unit/occasionally)
  • CHI 371 Topics in Chinese (1 unit/occasionally)
  • CHI 391 Independent Study in Chinese (permission of the instructor)

china scenery collage

Chinese Minor

The Chinese minor consists of five course units, three of which must be taken at The College of New Jersey. A minimum grade of C is required in all courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements. For information on the Chinese minor, please go to the Undergraduate Bulletin (Click on ‘Humanities & Social Sciences,’ then on ‘World Languages and Cultures’ and search for ‘Requirements for the Minor’). Only one course taught in English may count toward the minor.

Studying abroad is not required; however, students interested in the Chinese minor are strongly encouraged to study in China (Taiwan) for at least one semester. Most language courses taken abroad will count for two courses at TCNJ, making it easier to complete your minor requirements and attain a higher level of proficiency in Chinese.

The Chinese Language Placement Exam

If you have studied Chinese before coming to The College of New Jersey, you will need to contact the Chinese Language Program Advisor and schedule a time to take the Chinese Language Placement Exam.

If you grew up speaking Chinese at home, or have had other informal contact with Chinese, you should also contact the Program Advisor to schedule an exam time.

The exam is done in person, involves both speaking/listening and reading/writing, and takes about 45 minutes.

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Great wall of China

Self-Designed Major in Chinese Culture and History

It is now possible to petition for a self-designed major in Chinese language, culture and history. A self-designed major in Chinese language, culture and history offers students the possibility to undertake in-depth study of the language, culture, history, and society of China. Students will be able to study the geography, history, and culture of China starting at the intermediate level. All courses are taught in Chinese and provide in-depth knowledge of the many dimensions of Chinese culture and civilization, including art, literature, cinema, and business.

To view some pictures from our Chinese Calligraphy Class, click here.

people posing with calligraphy

Activities

All students who take Chinese are invited to our weekly “Chinese Forum” to practice their spoken Chinese with native speakers and to exchange opinions in Chinese about current cultural and political affairs in both China and America. We organize field trips to Chinatown in New York or Philadelphia and hold weekly screening of Chinese films. Students are encouraged to join the Chinese Students Association.

TCNJ Chinese Students Association New Year Celebration, Feb. 24, 2018:

dragon dance festival dragon dance dragon dance dragon dance dragon dance

TCNJ Chinese Students Association presented an energetic, exuberant and cheerful program, celebrating the 2018 Year of the Dog with friends from all cultural backgrounds. Special thanks to the guest performers from Jersey Shore Chinese School and Rutgers University Dance Troupe and all the friends and families who came to support the program on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018.

New year celebration 2013

The World Languages and Cultures department also sponsors many Chinese cultural activities. The renowned Chinese rock band, Second Hand Rose, has visited campus for a jam session and lecture. Click the picture below to see more.

 

Second Hand Rose group photo

Guest Speakers

We invite world-acclaimed writers, poets, artists, film directors and scholars from China to give talks and performances that readily inform students about the current cultural and artistic trends and new currents in contemporary China.

chinese guest speakers

Alumni in the News

1. Congratulations to Maryan Escarfullett (self-designed Chinese major, ’12) who has successfully completed her master’s in international studies at the Johns Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies. She has recently been hired by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world’s second largest professional services network!

Her thesis was published in The Diplomat: 56 Percent of Chinese Say Environment More Important Than Growth

Read Maryan’s testimony, “Learning Chinese Has Transformed Me.”

2. Valery Lavigne (Chinese Minor)
Distinguished Gilman Scholars meet First Lady Michelle Obama and Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock

First Lady Michelle Obama Promotes Study Abroad, Praises Howard as a Leader.

TCNJ senior reflects on her study in China at a Washington, DC event marking the state visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao

U.S. Dept. of Scholarship Sent Local Student Valery Lavigne to Study in China

Michelle Obama’s China Initiative

Spotlight: Fundraising in Valery’s Art & Culture Clubs in Koh Kong (Peace Corps)

3. TCNJ students Tara Pretty and Patricia Lin named “Teacher of the Year” by the Chinese American Cultural Association and Edison Chinese School

4. Congratulations to Joseph Pezzulo, who won a full Chinese government’s scholarship to Peking University for his Masters in International Relations

5. Congratulations to Tyler Liberty, who was accepted in the “Teach for America” program in Arizona

6. Congratulations to Alyvia Miller, who won a full scholarship to receive her MBA in international business at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics

Study Abroad

The World Languages and Cultures department also sponsors many Chinese cultural activities. The renowned Chinese rock band, Second Hand Rose, has visited campus for a jam session and lecture. Click the picture below to see more.

The Chinese Program strongly recommends study abroad to maximize language proficiency and cultural familiarity. Because study abroad provides an unparalleled opportunity to study a culture from the inside, students are strongly encouraged to spend a semester or a year in China (including Taiwan) to perfect their language and to gain in-depth knowledge of its culture.

Formal approval is required by the director of the Arlotto Family Center for Global Engagement prior to the student’s travel. Without this approval, credit for courses taken abroad may not be accepted by the program.

While study abroad is not required, students interested in the Chinese minor are strongly encouraged to study in China (Taiwan) for at least one semester. Most language courses taken abroad will count for two courses at TCNJ, making it easier to complete your minor requirements and attain a higher level of proficiency in Chinese.

China study abroad collage

__________________________________________

Chinese Faculty

Dr. Mi headshot Dr. Jiayan Mi
Associate Professor of English
and World Languages and Cultures
mi@tcnj.edu
Celia Liu headshot Celia Liu
Visiting Assistant Professor
liuc@tcnj.edu
jia mi headshot Jia Mi
Instructor of Chinese
jmi@tcnj.edu


If you have any questions or want to do the placement test, please contact Dr. Jiayan Mi, Program Coordinator of the Chinese Program (
mi@tcnj.edu).

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