Minor Advisor: Emma Teng

 

In light of the importance of foreign languages in today's international world of science, engineering and management, the HASS Minor gives undergraduates a unique opportunity to combine a degree in science or engineering with a Minor in Chinese. The HASS Chinese Minor offers students who have already reached an intermediate level of proficiency (third semester or above) an opportunity to pursue more advanced study of the language, culture, and history of Greater China. Note that Chinese I and II (i.e. 21F.101 /102 /107 /108/ 171/ 181) do not count toward the Minor.

The Minor Program in Chinese consists of six subjects, typically distributed among the following three tiers, depending on your level of language competence and the approval of the Minor Advisor. Unlike other Minor Programs in HASS, the Minor Advisor for languages can, at his or her discretion, approve a minor in which MIT subjects comprise a minimum of one third of the subjects of the program. However, this exception to the general HASS Minor Requirement is only allowed in those cases in which students have received transfer credits equal to four subjects through study abroad in a country where the language of the minor is the dominant tongue.

The language requirement can be satisfied by taking four subjects in Chinese as outlined in Tier I. Students with proficiency at the advanced level in the spoken and written language can either take two more advanced language subjects (highly recommended), or two more courses from Tier III. Language subjects may be taken at Harvard, Wellesley, or at other institutions during the summer with permission from the relevant transfer credit examiner. Six subjects total must be taken.

The Minor Program in Chinese consists of six subjects arranged into three levels of study as follows:

Tier I: Two language subjects at the intermediate level, or fewer depending on demonstrated level of competence:

21F.103/173 Chinese III (Regular); HASS-H (HASS-D Language Option)
21F.104 Chinese IV (Regular); HASS-H (HASS-D Language Option)

--OR--

21F.109/183 Chinese III (Streamlined); HASS-H (HASS-D Language Option)
21F.110 Chinese IV (Streamlined); HASS-H (HASS-D Language Option)

--OR--

21F.142 Intermediate Chinese I: Very Fast Track; HASS-H
21F.143 Intermediate Chinese II: Very Fast Track; HASS-H (HASS-D Language Option)

 

Tier II: Two language subjects at the advanced level, or more depending on demonstrated level of competence:

21F.105/175 (Regular); HASS-H
21F.106 Chinese VI (Regular); HASS-H

--OR--

21F.113/185 Chinese V (Streamlined); HASS-H
Students in the Streamlined sequence of subjects (as opposed to Regular) should consult with the minor advisor about the special options for them to fulfill the Tier II requirement.

 

Tier III: Two subjects in Chinese literature, history, or culture: one with the "Chinese Language Option"

Two subjects in Chinese literature, history, or culture, at least one of which must be a Chinese Language Option subject. The Chinese Language Option (CLO) subjects -- i.e. 21F.190, 21F.192, 21F.193, 21F.194, or 21F.195 -- are 13-unit subjects that meet with the five subjects, 21F.036, 21F.046, 21F.030, 21F.038, and 21F.044 (12 units) respectively, and include some assignments that require reading and writing in Chinese. Students taking the Streamlined track may use the Capstone subject 21F.199 instead of the regular Chinese Language Option subjects.

21F.027 Asia in the Modern World: Images and Representations; HASS-H, CI-H
21F.030J / 21F.193 (CLO) East Asian Cultures: From Zen to Pop; HASS-H [WGS.236J]
21F.036 / 21F.190 (CLO) Advertising and Media: Comparative Perspectives; HASS-H
21F.038 / 21F.194 (CLO) China in the News: The Untold Stories; HASS-H
21F.043J Introduction to Asian American Studies: Historical and Contemporary Issues; HASS-H [21H.107J]
21F.044 / 21F.195 (CLO) Classics of Chinese Literature in Translation; HASS-H [21L.044J, WGS.235J]
21F.046 / 21F.192 (CLO) Modern Chinese Fiction and Cinema; HASS-H, CI-H
21F.075J The Global Chinese: Chinese Migration, 1567-Present [21H.253J]; HASS-H
21H.151 Traditional China: Earliest Times to 1644; HASS-H
21H.152 Modern China: 1644 to the Present; HASS-H
21H.351J Shanghai and China's Modernization; HASS-H [11.153J]

Capstone Class:
21F.199 Chinese Youths and Web Culture [Taught in Chinese, prerq: 21F.113/21F.185 or by permission of instructor]; HASS-H

Note: Students who have taken the following subjects that are no longer offered can count these subjects towards their minor:
21H.504 East Asia in the World: 1500-2000 A.D.
21H.560 / 21F.191 Smashing the Iron Rice Bowl: Chinese East Asia
21H.580 From the Silk Road to the Great Game

Your Chinese Minor and Your G.I.R.S

Of the six subjects required for the minor, at most five can count toward satisfaction of the eight-subject Institute HASS Requirement. Of these five, only one can count toward the HASS Distribution requirement.

You can Minor and Concentrate in the same field.

• You may not use your junior - senior Pass/Fail option for any of your minor subjects.

• The Application for a Minor should be on file by the end of your sophomore year, but no later than two terms before you intend to graduate.

• There is a $50 late fee if you have not filed your Minor Completion form by the end of the third week of the semester in which you intend to graduate.

Note for students who entered MIT prior to Fall 2010:
HASS-D Language Option: Because the Institute regards competence in foreign language as a fundamental value, students may substitute one language subject at the level III or IV (Intermediate Level) for one HASS-D subject. Intermediate Level foreign language subjects taken at MIT will automatically count toward the HASS-D requirement; no petition is necessary. Students do NOT need to enter the HASS-D Lottery to choose the HASS-D Language Option. The two remaining HASS-Ds may be chosen from any two of the five HASS-D categories.

Paperwork Procedure

1. Pick up a Minor Application form in 14N-305, 4-240, 7-104, or 11-120.

2. Fill it out in consultation with the Minor Advisor. Distribute copies of the application to your Major Advisor, the HASS Academic Administrator, and the FL&L main office.

3. When you complete all of your minor subjects, bring the white copy of your grade report (as well as a copy of your proposal) back to your Minor Advisor. You will need her signature and that of the FL&L Section Head to certify that you have completed your minor program.