About Chinese

Our Program and Courses

The ability to speak Chinese and understand its varieties and cultural impact has never been more valuable given China’s growing global influence. In small classes that emphasize close collaboration between students and professors, you will develop the tools to reflect critically on the cultural practices, products and perspectives of the Chinese-speaking world and your own. 

Minor in Area Studies: Asian Studies (China)

You can minor in Asian Studies (China) through F&M’s International Studies program. Our Area Studies minor allows you to tailor your academic experience by focusing your minor on a specific region of the world.

By the time you graduate, you will: 

  • Have attained proficiency in Chinese and be able to communicate effectively and cohesively orally and in writing
  • Be able to demonstrate a solid knowledge of relevant and current social debates through the news, art, history, film, music and literature.
  • Be able to present, connect, and analyze Chinese literature and discuss the perspectives they represent.
  • Have learned modes of critical analysis that enhance and inform your own questions and interests.
  • Be able to build linguistic, cultural, and cross-cultural competence.

Chinese Language Placement Exam

If you’re admitted to F&M and plan to study Chinese, you may be asked to complete a language placement exam. You will complete this test the summer before you arrive on campus. 

Wondering what a Chinese course is like? Take a look at our course catalog to explore what’s available to you.

Our Faculty and Staff

Jin Gong
Visiting Assistant Professor, Chinese Language Program

Jennifer Redmann
Professor of German, Department Chair of German, Russian & East Asian Languages (Chinese, Japanese)

Learning Outside the Classroom

Off-Campus Study

When learning a foreign language, it’s important to experience its use in communities that speak it natively. Each summer, students will have the option to study abroad in China, with longer visits possible when demand and availability allow. Some of the most popular programs include studying at the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) in Shanghai, The Alliance for Global Education in Shanghai, CET in Kunming, China, and the School for International Training (SIT) China.
Learn more about off-campus study at F&M

Success Beyond F&M

The tremendous success of F&M graduates demonstrates the tangible value of an F&M degree when compared to national outcomes. Within six months after graduation, 93% of the Class of 2023 were either employed or furthering their education. This is higher than the national average, which is typically in the mid-80% range. And by studying Chinese at F&M, the interpretive skills and creative thinking abilities you gain are valuable for any post-college plan.

Alumni Spotlight

Connecting With Culture Through Language and History

With her degrees in art history and Chinese, Paige Alexander ’20 said she “fell in love with language as a form of self-expression and cultural understanding during my year abroad studying Mandarin in Beijing.” Upon her F&M graduation, Alexander embarked on a Fulbright teaching assistantship because she “wanted to learn more about language learning from a teaching perspective.” 
Read More »

Alumni Spotlight

Young Alumna Bridges the Miles to Wuhan

Teresa Chappell ’18 is no stranger to China. As a student double-majored in creative writing and French with a minor in Chinese, Chappell studied abroad in Hangzhou, China her junior year. After graduating from F&M in 2018, she traveled to Wuhan, China as a Princeton in Asia Teaching (PiA) Fellow.
Read More »

Related Fields of Study

Art History

What does art of the past tell us about the transformation of visual and material experience over time? By studying art history at F&M, you’ll actively engage with this living dimension of the past through its artifacts, images, architecture, and relevant texts.

International Studies

International studies is an innovative program that combines off-campus study in a non-English-speaking location with on- and off-campus coursework. As a student of international studies at F&M, you will develop a global perspective and immerse yourself in the languages and cultures of non-English-speaking countries and regions.

Religious Studies

Humans find meaning in many forms, and one of the most widespread and varied of those is religion. As a religious studies student at F&M, you will have the opportunity to study numerous belief systems, including American religions, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam, while challenging your own perceptions and those of the world around you.

Explore Chinese at F&M

March 3, 2021

Diplomats Abroad Overcome Pandemic Challenges

Despite the waxing and waning of the pandemic’s intensity last fall and early winter, four F&M graduates reached their destinations abroad and begin their teaching fellowships.

February 7, 2020

Speaker Argues for Dual Language Education So No Child Is Left Monolingual

Although 31 states have declared English as their native tongue, and roughly 21 percent of the population is, at various degrees, bilingual, the United States has no official language. Meanwhile, 75 percent of the world's 7.7 billion people do not speak English. That, according to Kimberly Potowski, professor of Spanish linguistics in the Department of Hispanic & Italian Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, reflects a problem with American education policy, particularly considering an estimated 60 percent of the world's population is bilingual or multilingual.