Chinese Studies

Designated by the U.S. Department of State as one of the thirteen “critical languages,” Mandarin Chinese is spoken by over 900 million people. In addition to the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, Mandarin Chinese is also spoken in Chinese communities of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. As China has recently become the largest economy in the world, becoming proficient in Mandarin Chinese will open the way to different fields in Asia, enable you to communicate with Chinese speakers around the world, and to gain a multi-faceted view of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. In this era of dramatic economic, political, social, and cultural transition in the Chinese-speaking world, our students and graduates must be firmly grounded in language and culture.

The program in Chinese Studies at the University of Richmond offers a major and minor in Chinese Studies, which aim to build language competency in spoken and written Chinese and to provide interdisciplinary exposure to Chinese history, politics, literature, and art. Students who major in Chinese Studies study abroad on the UR summer program in Beijing and/or an approved semester study abroad program in a Chinese-speaking country.

The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures has also partnered with the Robins School of Business to offer a cross-school major in Chinese Studies and International Business. Students studying international business are required to study abroad for at least one semester.

All students must have satisfied their COM2 general education language requirements before beginning 300 level coursework. When students choose an interdisciplinary course taught in English, they are encouraged to add a Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum component to the course.