Chengdu Courses – 2025 Spring

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Studying abroad can be a more meaningful and invigorating learning experience than at home—both inside and outside of the classroom. You may be more curious and alert than you usually are so use this heightened energy to enhance your studies as well as your cultural and geographical explorations. You may also encounter different teaching styles and course processes; be prepared to adapt and to learn.

Academics

You will enroll in 12 to 18 credits per semester comprised of language courses plus electives in Chinese culture and international relations. All students must complete a minimum of one language course, although we strongly encourage students to complete an entire language track. Course availability is contingent upon student enrollment and is subject to change.

Click the course title to view course details, description, and availability.

Chinese Language Tracks

USAC offers intensive language courses grouped into tracks in which courses are taught sequentially (back to back) within one semester. If you have already taken the first course in a track, you do not have to take it again for credit, but you must audit it to be prepared for success at the next level. Language courses are small and typically have a maximum enrollment of 15 students each. Students who do not enroll in a language track must take Elementary Chinese I to assimilate more effectively into Chinese culture and their new living and learning environment.

Language Courses

• Elementary Chinese I

  Spring

  Chinese World Languages and Literatures 100-level 4 credits Taught in Chinese

  This introductory course in Modern Standard Chinese (Mandarin) language is designed for beginners of Chinese study. It aims to develop the student’s functional language ability—the ability to use Mandarin Chinese in linguistically and socially appropriate ways. Emphasis is laid on training students in the four language skills, namely, listening, speaking, reading and writing, where speaking takes the lead. Various classroom activities, teacher-guide or students-centered, such as questions and answers, roll playing, pattern skills, dialogues, and oral presentations, provide the opportunity to practice speaking and listening.

• Elementary Chinese II

  Spring

  Chinese World Languages and Literatures 100-level 4 credits Taught in Chinese

  This introductory course in Modern Standard Chinese (Mandarin) language is designed for beginners of Chinese study. It aims to develop the student’s functional language ability—the ability to use Mandarin Chinese in linguistically and socially appropriate ways. Emphasis is laid on training students in the four language skills, namely, listening, speaking, reading and writing, where speaking takes the lead. Various classroom activities, teacher-guide or students-centered, such as questions and answers, roll playing, pattern skills, dialogues, and oral presentations, provide the opportunity to practice speaking and listening.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college-level Chinese, or equivalent

• Intermediate Chinese I

  Spring

  Chinese 200-level 3 credits Taught in Chinese

  This course is for the third-year students of the modern Chinese language and the equivalent (i.e., those who have completed primary Chinese language at the elementary and intermediate level). This course is designed to develop further the students’ listening comprehension, speaking skills, grammar, reading and writing proficiency in Chinese. Various activities - discussions, oral presentations, conversions - will provide the opportunity to practice speaking and listening. Class participation is therefore essential. In addition, outside classroom activities such as shopping, going to a restaurant, interviewing people according to the given topics are included.

  Prerequisite: two semesters of college-level Chinese, or equivalent

• Intermediate Chinese II

  Spring

  Chinese 200-level 3 credits Taught in Chinese

  This course is a continuation of Intermediate Chinese I and is designed to further develop the students’ listening comprehension, speaking skills, reading and writing proficiency in Chinese. New grammar points will be introduced, and selected grammar points are reviewed during class sessions. Various activities - discussions, oral presentations, conversions - will provide the opportunity to practice on speaking and listening, class participation is therefore essential.

  Prerequisite: three semesters of college-level Chinese, or equivalent

• Advanced Chinese I

  Spring

  Chinese 300-level 3 credits Taught in Chinese

  This course is for the third-year students of the modern Chinese language and the equivalent (i.e., those who have completed primary Chinese language at the elementary and intermediate level). This course is designed to develop further the students’ listening comprehension, speaking skills, grammar, reading and writing proficiency in Chinese. Various activities - discussions, oral presentations, conversions - will provide the opportunity to practice speaking and listening. Class participation is therefore essential. In addition, outside classroom activities such as shopping, going to a restaurant, interviewing people according to the given topics are included.

  Prerequisite: four semesters of college-level Chinese, or equivalent

• Advanced Chinese II

  Spring

  Chinese 300-level 3 credits Taught in Chinese

  This course is for the third-year students of the modern Chinese language and the equivalent (i.e., those who have completed primary Chinese language at the elementary and intermediate level). This course is designed to develop further the students’ listening comprehension, speaking skills, grammar, reading and writing proficiency in Chinese. Various activities - discussions, oral presentations, conversions - will provide the opportunity to practice speaking and listening. Class participation is therefore essential. In addition, outside classroom activities such as shopping, going to a restaurant, interviewing people according to the given topics are included.

  Prerequisite: five semesters of college-level Chinese, or equivalent

• Advanced Chinese III

  Spring

  Chinese World Languages and Literatures 400-level 3 credits Taught in Chinese

  This course is for the third-year students of modern Chinese language and the equivalent (i.e. those who have completed studying of basic Chinese language at elementary and intermediate level).

  Prerequisite: six semesters of college-level Chinese, or equivalent

• Advanced Chinese IV

  Spring

  Chinese 400-level 3 credits Taught in Chinese

  This course is for the third-year students of modern Chinese language and the equivalent (i.e. those who have completed studying of basic Chinese language at elementary and intermediate level).

  Prerequisite: seven semesters of college-level Chinese, or equivalent

Spring Semester

Chinese Language Electives

Advanced Chinese V through Advanced Chinese X are subject to enrollment as courses or independent study.

• Chinese Conversation

  Spring

  Chinese World Languages and Literatures 200-level 3 credits Taught in Chinese

  Chinese Conversation is designed to help students navigate in a Chinese speaking society. Subjects and themes will be tailored to facilitate the needs of visiting students, and vocabulary study will reflect what students are likely to encounter in daily life. Complete understanding of the brief grammar section will be paramount to a student’s success. However, it will still primarily emphasize speaking and listening comprehension. Study of written Chinese will be limited to what will be necessary for students to engage themselves in daily life.

  Prerequisite: two semesters of college-level Chinese, or equivalent

• Level 4 HSK Examination Preparation

  Spring

  Chinese 400-level 1 credit Taught in Chinese

  The HSK course can benefit students who want to take HSK IV or higher levels, and have completed Intermediate Chinese II and Advanced Chinese I. Additionally, students must have completed two years of Chinese study and have the vocabulary of more than 1000 Chinese words, or they must have proficiency in Chinese is similar to that standard. This course focuses on a general introduction to the types of test questions, Chinese language grammar, listening and speed-reading skills, and expanding students’ vocabulary.

  Prerequisite: five semesters of college-level Chinese, or equivalent

Chinese Culture Studies

• China's Ethnic Groups: Cultures, Societies, Economies

  Spring

  Anthropology Sociology 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Students will learn to apply social science methodologies to topics related to Chinese ethnic groups, societies, the economy, and cultures. Students will focus on religious and cultural diversity within communities in southwestern China. The course is scheduled to include guest lecturers to discuss topics such as migration, intercultural communication, development, and Aboriginal experiences in Taiwan and Canada. The course also includes a field trip to a museum, which will be free for students enrolled in the course.

• Chinese Calligraphy

  Spring

  Art 200-level 2 credits Taught in English

  This course is designed for foreign students who are interested in Chinese calligraphy. In this class, general knowledge of Chinese calligraphy will be introduced, and basic techniques will be taught. The purpose of this course is not to make the students to be outstanding calligraphers, but to help them learn the basic skills of Chinese calligraphy step by step.

  Chinese calligraphy, as one of the most glorious traditional arts in China, is the unique artistic form of Chinese characters. By using a writing brush, Chinese calligraphy expresses the writer’s learning and cultivation, thoughts and feelings, and character and ideology through the changing movements of dots and lines.

  Chinese calligraphy has a long history of over 3000 years. It embodies the five thousand–years Chinese cultural accumulation and reflects Chinese philosophy and incorporates the aesthetic properties of Chinese music, dancing and painting etc.

  "If you don’t understand Chinese calligraphy, you would not have a thorough understanding of Chinese culture." In view of the above-mentioned characteristics of Chinese calligraphy, we offer this course. By introduction its development history, culture origins, style and skills, especially through plenty of practice, we aim at making students develop a deeper understanding of the basics of traditional Chinese culture.

  This course has an additional fee

• Chinese Literature in Movies: From the Beginning to 1949

  Spring

  Chinese World Languages and Literatures 200-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course teaches Chinese literature from a very specific perspective, movies. Many masterpieces of Chinese literature have been adapted into movies. Moreover, there are also films representing lives of outstanding Chinese writers and the eras when they lived and composed. Therefore, movies and films can be a very intensive and integrated approach for students to learn and understand Chinese literature. Based on the history of Chinese literature, this course will firstly draw a survey of the development of Chinese literature from its beginning to 1949. Then, important literary works and distinguished writers will be highlighted by more careful analysis. On this level, reading of literary works and other references are required and indispensable; meanwhile, related movies and films will be introduced into class too. Discussions towards both the literary works and movies will be encouraged. By this means, the final target of this course is to help students to establish a more comprehensive command of Chinese literature.

• Government and Politics in China

  Spring

  Political Science 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course is designed for students to expand their knowledge of the government and politics of China while developing analytical and research writing skills. It will provide a comprehensive understanding of the Chinese society from 1949 to the present (concentrate on after the Open and Reform Policy). Chinese history, culture, social and political system will be introduced in this class. Methodology includes introduction, discussions, analysis, comparison, and seminars.

  Prerequisite: college political science or research writing course

• Modern Chinese History

  Spring

  History 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course will cover topics related to Chinese history, from the beginning of the Qing dynasty to the present. We will examine the evolution and development of different ethnic groups and the tradition, culture, philosophical thoughts, political organizations, social structures, economic situations, religious practice, and foreign relations in China.

  Prerequisites: one semester of college-level history, or equivalent

• Sichuan Cuisine

  Spring

  200-level 1 credit Taught in English/Chinese

  An introduction to a local cuisine in a hands-on kitchen environment. Authentic preparations of several local dishes will be taught. Correct cooking techniques are emphasized. Readings and lectures on local food customs and traditions will support and contextualize the cooking instruction.

  This course has an additional fee.

• Tai Chi

  Spring

  100-level 1 credit Taught in English

  Taiji (Tai Chi) is also known as a form of “Kongfu,” a traditional Chinese art form and exercise. It is also believed to cultivate Yin and Yang. Zhang Sanfeng and Wang Zongyue are two famous scholars in China who theorized on the benefits of Taiji on the mind, body, and spirit.

  This course has an additional fee

• Tibetan Culture and Society

  Spring

  Anthropology History Sociology 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course will cover topics related to the history and structure that emphasizes the relationship between Tibetan Buddhism or Lamaism and Tibetan Culture. Tibetan Buddhism has shaped its politics, economy, identity, education, and society as central Tibetan civilization. Students will explore how Tibetan culture became a global phenomenon and analyze globalization's impacts on Tibetan culture.

To request a course syllabus: syllabus@usac.edu

Internship

• Internship

  Spring

  Internships 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Internship placements in Chengdu have been suspended during the 2024-25 academic year.

  USAC skills-based internships abroad are designed to complement a student’s program of study while providing a structured work or field experience under the direction of a professional supervisor and with the oversight and support of an on-site USAC internship coordinator.

  USAC internships facilitate the academic and professional development of students through:

  1) the practical application of knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to a professional work environment.

  2) the further development of practical competencies essential to the ongoing work of the placement site.

  3) the cultivation of a network of professional contacts.

  USAC internships will expose students to the workplace culture, norms, and expectations of their respective placement site and host country, deepening cross-cultural understanding and helping students develop intercultural communication and language skills in an internationally focused organization or other professional work setting.

  Through the consistent participation in the processes and practices of a professional field, students will acquire a working knowledge of that field and will apply that learning to their own career and academic choices and goals.

  This course has an additional fee