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the beijing center for chinese studies

COURSEs

TBC’s study abroad program adopts the ChinaLens system. Students take two core classes with the entire cohort, and also take classes specific to their academic interests either in the Business or Society category. There is also the required Chinese language course which is offered at all levels of Chinese. Students will be assigned to different levels according to the results of a Chinese language placement test. The program allows students to take 12-19 credits total.

Although subject to change, the ChinaLens class offering for Fall 2024 will be:

Compulsory Course

Engaging China: Silk Road Excursion

Course code: TBC 1100

3 CREDITS

Silk Road Excursion is to familiarize the student with the geography and history of the Qin through Qing Dynasties of China. Upon the conclusion of this course, students will have a broad understanding of the history, culture, and current situation of the societies and places in Western China and Central Asia.

Selecting Levels of Chinese Language Courses

Course code: TBC 1010、1020、1030、1040、2010、2020、2030、2040、2050、2060

3 CREDITS

This course extends students’ knowledge of Chinese vocabulary and grammar and improves their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will take selecting levels of Chinese language based on their Chinese level.

CORE COURSES

Chinese Art and Culture

Course code: TBC 1410

3 CREDITS

An examination of the cultural background and major visual art forms of China from prehistoric to early modern times.

Traditional Chinese Philosophy

Course code: TBC 1500

3 CREDITS

Students will investigate Chinese ancient philosophy in a way to let its own tendencies be sensed and appreciated. Topics include Confucianism, Mencius, Sunzi, Taoism, Legalism, Yin-Yang School, Tung Chung-shu, Chinese Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism. In addition, students learn about the relations among different schools or different thinkers in the same school. Comparisons between Chinese philosophies and western ones are encouraged.

BUSINESS TRACK

China in the World Economy

Course code: TBC 2200

3 CREDITS

Focus on China’s economic relations with the rest of the world and examine China’s trade and foreign investment during the reform era (1978-present).

Daoism

Course code: TBC 2510

3 CREDITS

Students will study the history and main ideas and practices of Taoism, are introduced to the various schools of Taoist philosophy, and get a feel for what it means to practice Taoism today.

Social TRACK

Modern Chinese History

Course code: TBC 1121

3 CREDITS

This course introduces students to what happened in China from 1840 to the 1990s. The aim is to learn how the Chinese Empire, a bright and advanced civilization in ancient times, became a semi-colony of the western powers, and how the Chinese people pushed forward the modernization of China.

Modern Chinese Literature in Translation

Course code: TBC 1142

3 CREDITS

This course is a survey of the modern Chinese literature from 1918 to the present. It will focus on the fiction, poetry, and essays during the 3 periods (1918-1949; 1949-1976; since 1976) in the 20th Century.