Mairead Harris
Beginning Chinese
CHNS 0103Beginning Chinese This course is a continuation of the fall and winter terms with accelerated introduction of vocabulary, grammar, and sentence patterns designed to facilitate speaking and reading. Toward the end of this semester students will read Huarshang de meiren (Lady in the Painting), a short book written entirely in Chinese.
0 reviewsS25Advanced Chinese
CHNS 0302Advanced Chinese (Modern Chinese) This course is a continuation of CHNS 0301 with continued practice in conversational Chinese and a greater emphasis on reading works of a literary nature.
0 reviewsS25Continued Beginning Chinese
CHNS 0102Beginning Chinese An intensive continuation of CHNS 0101, this course is required of those wishing to take CHNS 0103 in the spring. Students may anticipate learning a significant amount of new vocabulary, sentence patterns and idiomatic expressions. Skits, oral presentations, writing assignments, and cultural activities are also part of this course.
0 reviewsW25Beginning Chinese
CHNS 0101Beginning Chinese This course is an introduction to Mandarin (guoyu or putonghua). The course begins with simple words and phrases, the pronunciation and cadences of Mandarin, romanization, Chinese characters, and simple vocabulary items, all taught in the context of practical communication. Sentence patterns and other fundamentals of speaking, reading, and writing will be taught, including both traditional characters (used everywhere before the 1950s and still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong) and simplified characters (used in China). Students should have achieved active command of more than 600 Chinese characters and more than 800 compounds by the end of the sequence CHNS 0101, CHNS 0102, and CHNS 0103.
4 reviewsF24Beginning Chinese
CHNS 0103Beginning Chinese This course is a continuation of the fall and winter terms with accelerated introduction of vocabulary, grammar, and sentence patterns designed to facilitate speaking and reading. Toward the end of this semester students will read Huarshang de meiren (Lady in the Painting), a short book written entirely in Chinese.
0 reviewsS24Women in Chinese American Lit
CHNS 0225Women in Chinese American Diaspora Literature, 1950s-1990s In this course we will analyze literary works written about Chinese American women by Chinese American women in the second half of the twentieth century. A comparison of commercially successful English-language works, such as Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, and works originally written in Chinese for an overseas audience in Asia, such as Nieh Hualing’s Mulberry and Peach, will be the starting point for investigating questions about who these narratives are for, how they shape the Chinese American identity, and how they reflect the intersections of gender, race, and language. Students will engage in multi-format discussion, written literary analysis, and peer review throughout the course. This course will be taught in English.
2 reviewsS24Beginning Chinese
CHNS 0101Beginning Chinese This course is an introduction to Mandarin (guoyu or putonghua). The course begins with simple words and phrases, the pronunciation and cadences of Mandarin, romanization, Chinese characters, and simple vocabulary items, all taught in the context of practical communication. Sentence patterns and other fundamentals of speaking, reading, and writing will be taught, including both traditional characters (used everywhere before the 1950s and still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong) and simplified characters (used in China). Students should have achieved active command of more than 600 Chinese characters and more than 800 compounds by the end of the sequence CHNS 0101, CHNS 0102, and CHNS 0103.
5 reviewsF23Language in Science Fiction
FYSE 1042First Contact: Language in Science Fiction In this course we explore how humans conceptualize communication with extraterrestrial beings and artificial intelligence. Through fiction and film works in the “first contact” subgenre of science fiction, we will reflect on how language functions as a device in these narratives to reveal our own limited perspective, sense of in-group and out-group, and anxieties about the “other” and our own future. Students will learn critical analysis skills by dissecting the works of writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin and Ted Chiang; additionally, students will engage in thematic gameplay and creative writing in the genre.
3 reviewsF23Beginning Chinese
CHNS 0103Beginning Chinese This course is a continuation of the fall and winter terms with accelerated introduction of vocabulary, grammar, and sentence patterns designed to facilitate speaking and reading. Toward the end of this semester students will read Huarshang de meiren (Lady in the Painting), a short book written entirely in Chinese.
2 reviewsS23Intermediate Chinese II
CHNS 0202Intermediate Chinese This course is a continuation of the first term's work, with the class conducted primarily in Chinese.
3 reviewsS23Continued Beginning Chinese
CHNS 0102Beginning Chinese An intensive continuation of CHNS 0101, this course is required of those wishing to take CHNS 0103 in the spring. Students may anticipate learning a significant amount of new vocabulary, sentence patterns and idiomatic expressions. Skits, oral presentations, writing assignments, and cultural activities are also part of this course.
0 reviewsW23Beginning Chinese
CHNS 0101Beginning Chinese This course is an introduction to Mandarin (guoyu or putonghua). The course begins with simple words and phrases, the pronunciation and cadences of Mandarin, romanization, Chinese characters, and simple vocabulary items, all taught in the context of practical communication. Sentence patterns and other fundamentals of speaking, reading, and writing will be taught, including both traditional characters (used everywhere before the 1950s and still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong) and simplified characters (used in China). Students should have achieved active command of more than 600 Chinese characters and more than 800 compounds by the end of the sequence CHNS 0101, CHNS 0102, and CHNS 0103.
0 reviewsF22Advanced Chinese I
CHNS 0301Advanced Chinese (Modern Chinese) This course aims at further development of overall language proficiency through extensive reading of selected texts representing a wide variety of subjects and styles. Classes will be conducted entirely in Chinese except for occasional recourse to English by the instructor to provide a quick solution to problems of definition. The main text will be All Things Considered with supplementary readings selected to help students both continue to work toward competence in conversational Chinese and also begin to master a more sophisticated register of language.
0 reviewsF22Women in Chinese American Lit
CHNS 1003Women in Chinese American Diaspora Literature, 1950s-1990s In this course we explore literary works written about Chinese American women by Chinese American women in the second half of the twentieth century. A comparison of commercially successful English-language works, such as Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, and works originally written in Chinese for an overseas audience in Asia, such as Nieh Hualing’s Mulberry and Peach, will be the starting point for investigating questions about who these narratives are for, how they shape the Chinese American identity, and how they reflect the intersections of gender, race, and language.
0 reviewsW22Professor Mairead co teaches this course with Professor Du. They make a good tag team. Mairead is very enthusiastic and understanding of every students needs. She is always open and excited to have you visit office hours. Chinese as a course is very very challenging and would not recommend it to anyone just wanting to have fun. You will need to be very intentional and keep pace to stay on top.
Professor Mairead co teaches this course with Professor Du. They make a good tag team. Mairead is very enthusiastic and understanding of every students needs. She is always open and excited to have you visit office hours. Chinese as a course is very very challenging and would not recommend it to anyone just wanting to have fun. You w …Read more
The class is very fast paced so it is important to keep up with the material as with every class we built on it further. I'm surprised by how much material we've covered. The teachers provide a homework schedule which outlines what students should do after each class to prepare for the class tomorrow which I found really helpful. The teaching style is fun, there is a variety of activities during the class and the materials and presentations provided by teachers are also fun, I enjoy the atmosphere in the class. The teachers are always ready to help and answer questions during class, after or before, and the office hours are almost every day. If you're interested in Chinese, I definitely recommend the class - the resources here are great so I would encourage anyone interested and committed to the language to give it a try.
The class is very fast paced so it is important to keep up with the material as with every class we built on it further. I'm surprised by how much material we've covered. The teachers provide a homework schedule which outlines what students should do after each class to prepare for the class tomorrow which I found really helpful. The …Read more
He Laoshi and Du Laoshi are some of the best teachers I've ever had. "You do the work, and you will learn the language" is something you internalize. DO NOT FALL BEHIND. If you can keep up with 30-45 minutes of work per night, you will make incredible gains and get a good grade. This course should be your top academic priority.