The Committee Interdisciplinary Major with a focus in Chinese language and culture is a vital program with growing importance and value as China expands its role as a super power in world economics, manufacturing, technology, and politics.
Each year more and more students are joining the ranks of the 1.4 billion people who speak Mandarin, the official language of the People's Republic of China and of Taiwan.
Many students now can find Chinese instruction in their high schools. At UWM, students can continue their high school studies or begin from the first semester of Chinese language instruction. We offer eight semesters of Chinese language, and equally as important, we offer an array of classes on Chinese culture. Students can explore classes in Chinese art, Chinese film, the use of Chinese in business settings, Chinese and Asian history, and the politics and religions of the region.
While the study of any Asian language is challenging for native English speakers because of their vast differences from English, students often find it is less difficult than they lead themselves to believe. Successful students of Chinese will dedicate the necessary daily time to practice and repeat...and practice and repeat.
Students are encouraged to participate in UWM's well-established study abroad program. Destinations are available in more than 70 sites around the world and vary in length from a few week immersion, to semester-long, to even a full year. Because of the complexities of planning a study abroad experience, students are encouraged to start planning early in sophomore year. Most students engage in study abroad during the second half of sophomore year or during their junior year.
Course of Study – Bachelor of Arts Degree
Complete 120 credits including 75 credits in the College of Letters & Science and with 36 of the 75 credits in L&S upper-level (numbered above 300) courses.
The College requires that students must complete in residence at UWM at least 15 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) courses in their major. The College also requires that students complete at least 30 credits overall in residence at UWM. For additional residency and transfer credit limitations, see L&S Undergraduate Policies and Regulations.
Students are also required to complete University-wide General Education Requirements and the specific L&S requirements listed below.
To complete a major, students must satisfy all the requirements of the major as stated in this catalog. Students who declare their majors within five years of entering the UW System as a degree candidate may satisfy the requirements outlined in any catalog issued since the time they entered. Credits used to satisfy the major also may be used to satisfy other degree requirements.
University General Education Requirements (GER)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Oral and Written Communication | ||
| Part A | ||
| Achieve a grade of C or better in the following course: | ||
| ENGLISH 102 | College Writing and Research (or equivalent) | |
| Part B | ||
| Course designated as OWC-B; may be completed through a major-specific course requirement | ||
| Quantitative Literacy | ||
| Part A | ||
| Earn at least 3 credits with a grade of C or higher in one of the following courses or an equivalent course, or achieve a placement code of at least 30 on the mathematics placement test (or other appropriate test, as determined by the Mathematical Sciences Department) | ||
| Mathematical Literacy for College Students II | ||
| Contemporary Applications of Mathematics | ||
| Introduction to College Algebra | ||
| Algebraic Literacy II | ||
| Introduction to Logic - Critical Reasoning 1 | ||
or PHILOS 111 | Introduction to Logic - Critical Reasoning | |
| College Algebra | ||
Or equivalent course | ||
| Part B | ||
| Course designated as QL-B; may be completed through a major-specific course requirement | ||
| Arts | ||
| Select 3 credits | 3 | |
| Humanities | ||
| Select 6 credits | 6 | |
| Social Sciences | ||
| Select 6 credits | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences | ||
| Select 6 credits (at least two courses including one lab) | 6 | |
| UWM Foreign Language Requirement | ||
| Complete Foreign Language Requirement through: | ||
Two years (high school) of a single foreign language | ||
Two semesters (college) of a single foreign language | ||
Or equivalent | ||
| UWM Cultural Diversity Requirement | ||
| One course from the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences must also satisfy UWM's Cultural Diversity requirement | ||
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Math 111 and Philosophy 111 are jointly offered and count as repeats of one another. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.
College of Letters & Science Requirements
The degree requirements in the College of Letters and Science build on the University General Education Requirements to provide a broad base of knowledge as well as an array of skills cited by employers as critical to professional success: critical thinking, problem solving, oral and written communication, ability to work well with others, and adaptability to change.
For the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), you must complete the UWM General Education Requirements as well as these L&S requirements: the International requirement, the Breadth requirement, and the Research requirement. The International requirement develops your potential for cross-cultural understanding in a globalizing world. The Breadth requirement ensures that you take classes in a wide variety of subjects, across humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The Research requirement calls for you to build your critical thinking and oral and written communication skills through conducting an independent research project, usually in your major.
For the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) you will also complete the Language other than English requirement, to further develop your understanding of cultures through language.
I. Total Credits and Upper-Division Courses Requirement
Students must complete 120 credits including 75 credits in the College of Letters & Science and with 36 of the 75 credits in L&S upper-level (numbered above 300) courses.
II. Language other than English Requirement
Students doing the BA must fulfill the language other than English requirement by either successfully completing the fourth semester of university work or equivalent in one language other than English, or by successfully completing the second semester of university work or equivalent in two languages other than English (including all world languages and American Sign Language).
Language courses (including American Sign Language) other than English taken in high school may be used to satisfy all or part of this requirement. One year of high school language equates to one semester of college work. Proficiency tests approved by the Languages faculty may be used to satisfy all or part of this requirement.
Completion of the L&S Language Requirement also satisfies the university-wide Language other than English GER, but not vice versa.
III. International Requirement
To meet the International Requirement, students must successfully complete some three course (minimum 9 credits) combination of
- language other than English (not including American Sign Language) at 3rd semester level or above, and/or
- non-language courses with L&S approved international content (see Courses Approved for the L&S International Requirement for course options).
IV. Breadth Requirement
In addition to completing the University General Education Requirements, L&S students must complete the Breadth requirement.
The L&S Breadth requirement calls for 6 credits each in L&S courses designated L&S Humanities, L&S Natural Sciences, and L&S Social Sciences breadth. One of the L&S Natural Science breadth courses must be a laboratory or fieldwork course. These courses must be beyond and in addition to courses in those areas used to satisfy General Education Requirements.
Please refer to the list of Courses Approved for the L&S Breadth Requirement.
V. The Major
The College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA in all credits in the major attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work. Individual departments or programs may require higher GPAs for graduation. Some departmental majors require courses from other departments. Contact your major department for information on whether those credits will count as part of the major GPA. The College requires that students must complete in residence at UWM at least 15 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) courses in their major.
Research Requirement
Within their majors, students must complete a research experience approved by the L&S faculty. A list of courses satisfying the research requirement in each major can be found here.
VI. The Minor
Students are encouraged to consider completing a minor, but it is not required. To complete a minor, the College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA in all credits in the minor attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all minor credits attempted, including any transfer work. The minor must contain at least 9 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 and above) courses.
Major Requirements
The Chinese Language and Culture program requires completion of 30 credits in approved Chinese and related courses. Students in the major must complete the fifth- through eighth-semester Chinese courses as the core of the program. In addition, culture-related courses that are taught using the target language are required. Students must complete 30 credits to graduate, at least 15 of them at the advanced level (300 and above) taken in residence at UWM. The major requires a minimum of 18 credits at the 300 level or above taught in Chinese. The College requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required 1 | ||
| CHINESE 301 | Fifth Semester Chinese | 4 |
| CHINESE 302 | Sixth Semester Chinese | 4 |
| CHINESE 401 | Seventh Semester Chinese | 3 |
| CHINESE 402 | Eighth Semester Chinese | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Contemporary Chinese Societies through Film | ||
| Chinese Language and Culture | ||
| Business Chinese | ||
| Capstone | ||
| AMLLC 699 | Advanced Independent Study (satisfies the research requirement of the L&S degree) | 3 |
| Electives (see list of approved electives below) 2 | ||
| Select 10 credits | 10 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
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Students whose language skills allow them to begin their study of Chinese beyond the fifth semester course must discuss with the advisor appropriate substitute courses in order to complete the required 30 credits.
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The courses listed below are already approved electives. Other variable content courses with appropriate subtitles may be approved on a semester-by-semester basis to count toward the major.
Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARTHIST 380 | Chinese Painting | 3 |
| ARTHIST 382 | Chinese Art and Architecture | 3 |
| ARTHIST 481 | Topics in Chinese Art: | 1-3 |
| CHINESE 150 | Contemporary Chinese Society and Culture | 3 |
| CHINESE 160 | A Taste of China: Learning Chinese Culture and Society through Cuisine | 3 |
| CHINESE 200 | Chinese Calligraphy | 3 |
| CHINESE 220 | Introduction to Chinese Poetry | 3 |
| CHINESE 320 | Contemporary Chinese Societies through Film (if not selected above) | 3 |
| CHINESE 330 | Chinese Language and Culture (if not selected above) | 3 |
| CHINESE 343 | Chinese Martial Arts Fiction | 3 |
| CHINESE 353 | Popular Culture, Entertainment, and China's Modernization | 3 |
| CHINESE 397 | Study Abroad: | 3 |
| CHINESE 441 | Business Chinese (if not selected above) | 3 |
| CHINESE 489 | Internship in Chinese, Upper Division | 3 |
| CHINESE 497 | Study Abroad: (highly encouraged) | 3 |
| CHINESE 699 | Advanced Independent Study | 1-3 |
| COMPLIT 230 | Literature and Society: (Chinese Literature before the 20th Century) | 3 |
| COMPLIT 360 | Seminar in Literature and Cultural Experience: (Modern Chinese Literature) | 3 |
| ECON 193 | First-Year Seminar: (Growth and Development in China, Japan, and Korea) | 3 |
| ENGLISH/COMPLIT/FILMSTD 316 | World Cinema: (Hong Kong Cinema) | 3 |
| HIST 175 | East Asian Civilization to 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 269 | Asian Americans in Historical Perspective | 3 |
| HIST 376 | Premodern China | 3 |
| HIST 377 | Modern China | 3 |
| HIST 378 | Revolution in China | 3 |
| PHILOS 204 | Introduction to Asian Religions | 3 |
| POL SCI 314 | Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy | 3 |
Committee Interdisciplinary Major: Chinese Language and Culture Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from the Chinese Language and Culture BA Program will be able to:
- Achieve oral proficiency in standard Mandarin Chinese at the ACTFL Intermediate High level.
- Achieve listening comprehension ability in standard Mandarin Chinese at the ACTFL Intermediate High Level.
- Comprehend authentic materials published in greater China at the ACTFL Intermediate High Level.
- Write using standard Chinese characters at the ACTFL Intermediate High Level.
- Describe the outlines of Chinese history; identify and explain mainstream cultural themes of the Chinese nation.
- Distinguish between intellectual traditions (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, etc.) that are impacting contemporary China and critique such impacts in the cultural contexts of contemporary Chinese societies.
- Identify and explain main economic, political, social, and cultural issues in contemporary China in a global context; provide personal, but critical and convincing, comments on these issues.
- Develop and complete an original research project that explain and critique social and cultural phenomena in traditional or contemporary China; effectively present findings in such a project to general audiences outside the field of China Studies.
Letters & Science Advising
During your time at UWM, you may have multiple members of your success team, including advisors, peer mentors and success coaches. Letters & Science students typically work with at least two different types of advisors as they pursue their degrees: professional college advisors and faculty advisors. L&S college advisors advise across your entire degree program while departmental faculty advisors focus on the major.
College advisors are located in Holton Hall (or virtually for online students) and serve as your primary advisor. They are your point person for your questions about navigating college and completing your degree. College advisors will:
- Assist you in defining your academic and life goals.
- Help you create an educational plan that is consistent with those goals.
- Assist you in understanding curriculum, major and degree requirements for graduation, as well as university policies and procedures.
- Provide you with information about campus and community resources and refer you to those resources as appropriate.
- Monitor your progress toward graduation and completion of requirements.
Faculty advisors mentor students in the major and assist them in maximizing their development in the program. You will begin working with a faculty advisor when you declare your major. Faculty advisors are an important partner and will:
- Help you understand major requirements and course offerings in the department.
- Explain opportunities for internships and undergraduate research and guide you in obtaining those experiences.
- Serve as an excellent resource as you consider potential graduate programs and career paths in your field.
Students are encouraged to meet with both their college advisor and faculty advisor at least once each semester. Appointments are available in-person, by phone or by video.
Currently enrolled students should use the Navigate360 website to make an appointment with your assigned advisor or call (414) 229-4654 if you do not currently have an assigned Letters & Science advisor. Prospective students who haven't enrolled in classes yet should call (414) 229-7711 or email let-sci@uwm.edu.
College of Letters and Science Dean's Honor List
GPA of 3.750 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.
Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction
Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.
Commencement Honors
Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).
Final Honors
Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.