China is one of the oldest civilizations, having 4,000 years of continuous history. Now with over 1.3 billion people, and as the world's largest exporter, knowing Chinese can mean unprecedented career possibilities. Also, the Federal Government has identified Chinese as a critical need language: the Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, offers a supplementary Critical Language Scholarship Program to fund the intensive study of Chinese, which can also help connect students with career opportunities.

Accordingly, our Chinese language students are from diverse fields, such as media, marketing, science and engineering. For beginning students with no Chinese language background, the program gives basic competence in speaking, reading, and writing. Overall, there are three levels: Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced. The texts are from the New Practical Chinese Reader series (simplified character version) of the Beijing Language and Culture University in China. To gain additional insight into the Chinese culture and its people, and to become more fluent in Chinese, a student may also study in China through the SU Abroad program in Beijing.

If you have studied Chinese either formally or informally, lived in a Chinese-speaking country, or grown up in a Chinese-speaking household, you must take a placement exam before being allowed to register for any CHI course. For more information, contact Lanjing Zhou prior to the beginning of the semester. You must present your student ID to take all language placement tests.