The curriculum does not offer introductory Chinese; students in the program generally have studied at least one year of Chinese.
Placement
Oral interviews and written examinations during orientation will determine placement in one of four levels. Students should indicate on their application forms the level to which they think they are best suited. However, this information is used for planning purposes only; final placement is at the discretion of the Princeton in Beijing faculty on the basis of the placement examination and subsequent work. Enrollment in the program implies consent to abide by the judgment of the Princeton in Beijing faculty with regard to level placement.
Second Year
CHI 105C and 107C: Using the fluency-through-accuracy approach, students work on developing a strong foundation for the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). The material in A New China (C.P. Chou, et al., Princeton University Press) gradually moves from micro daily life scenarios to macro cultural and societal topics and cover issues especially relevant to American students studying in China. Texts provide insight into the Chinese way of life and the intricacies involved in being a resident of China.
This level is suitable for students who have had one year of college Chinese prior to attending, and do not speak Mandarin as a heritage language.
Third Year
CHI 303C and 304C (non-heritage speakers) or CHI 305C and 306C (heritage speakers): This course introduces the complex fabric that makes up modern China. Through texts in Eyes on China (C.P. Chou, Jincheng Liu, and Xin Zou, Princeton University Press), students learn the vocabulary needed to discuss various issues that people face in contemporary China and the United States, as presented in Chinese media. Using multimedia materials, this course level aims to elevate students’ output from sentence level to short paragraph level, both in speaking and writing.
This level is normally suitable for students who have had two years of college Chinese prior to attending, or who have taken one year of an accelerated program meant for heritage speakers.
Fourth Year
CHI 403C and 404C (non-heritage speakers) or CHI 405C and 406C (heritage speakers): Students at the Fourth Year level fully engage with authentic Chinese language materials. Some of the texts are from Anything Goes (Chih-ping Chou et al., Princeton University Press), and Princeton faculty-edited course packets comprised of content selected from various Chinese media. Discussion focuses on topics in contemporary Chinese society. This course combines classroom learning with social practice and research projects to create opportunities to use language in diverse contexts.
This level is normally suitable for students who have had three years of college Chinese prior to attending, or who have taken two years of an accelerated program meant for heritage speakers.
Fifth Year
CHI 461C and 462C: This course, which is designed to bring students to near-native competence in all aspects of modern Chinese, prepares students for advanced research or employment in a variety of China-related fields. This course, which is designed to bring students to near-native competence in all aspects of modern Chinese, prepares students for advanced research or employment in a variety of China-related fields. Materials are drawn from modern Chinese literature, film, and intellectual history, and include readings on contemporary issues as well. A unit of self-selected topics of interest is incorporated to provide a unique, specialized learning experience.
This level is normally suitable for students who have had four years of college Chinese prior to attending, or who have taken three years of an accelerated program meant for heritage speakers.