i'm thinking about taking chinese and i heard it's a new stream that started just last year. i was wondering if anyone has any feedback on the courses. thanks!

yeah, I'd love to learn about some potential electives. It would also be nice to know what these guys in my lab are gossiping about..lol

I'm interested in taking it too
from what I heard the profs are really nice
but there's only about 40 spots available apparently, and you need permission to take the course. I e-mailed my academic advisor and the Confucius Institute but so far still no reply from them.

I'm taking a Chinese class right now at U of T St.George, and the course coordinator for that one said she also participated in designing the one for McMaster.

I can't really give input on the profs, but as a white person taking a Chinese class, I can conclude the following:

a) Chinese grammar isn't too hard, and it actually pretty similar to English
b) The Chinese character system is the biggest pain in the ass ever invented (for some reason the one we're using in this class is the traditional one, but I hear the course at McMaster uses simplified).

It was pretty funny; on the first day there were about 100 people in the class, and then the teacher conducted interviews to check who already knew Chinese. About 70 people were told to gtfo. lol

Originally Posted by Ownaginatios

I'm taking a Chinese class right now at U of T St.George, and the course coordinator for that one said she also participated in designing the one for McMaster.

I can't really give input on the profs, but as a white person taking a Chinese class, I can conclude the following:

a) Chinese grammar isn't too hard, and it actually pretty similar to English
b) The Chinese character system is the biggest pain in the ass ever invented (for some reason the one we're using in this class is the traditional one, but I hear the course at McMaster uses simplified).

It was pretty funny; on the first day there were about 100 people in the class, and then the teacher conducted interviews to check who already knew Chinese. About 70 people were told to gtfo. lol

aww I'd rather learn traditional than simplified though, even though simplified is easier to learn my dad says that generally if you learn traditional you'll basically know how to read simplified, but if you only know simplified it's a little harder to read traditional.

how do they check??? can't people fake it???

Originally Posted by Ownaginatios

b) The Chinese character system is the biggest pain in the ass ever invented (for some reason the one we're using in this class is the traditional one, but I hear the course at McMaster uses simplified).

Enjoy having no alphabet.

Originally Posted by x_hikari

aww I'd rather learn traditional than simplified though, even though simplified is easier to learn my dad says that generally if you learn traditional you'll basically know how to read simplified, but if you only know simplified it's a little harder to read traditional.

how do they check??? can't people fake it???

Ya, that's true. It's pretty easy to identify the simplified version a lot of the time from a set of random characters if you know the traditional one. Traditional characters kill your hand though cause they have approximately 9000 strokes each :p.

Oh, and in the interview process I guess someone could fake it. A lot of the people there already knew Cantonese and said that at the interview not knowing it disqualifies them from the course. They must have gotten everybody, because the only ones left are like me and 3 other white people, a couple filipinos and a billion Koreans all huddled into a group (presumably discussing starcraft strategies).

Originally Posted by JEFF_CHAN

Enjoy having no alphabet.

Pinyin is a pretty cool guy.... sort of.

Does anybody know where/when/how to get permission to take CHINESE 1Z06??? Thanks in advanced!

Originally Posted by the4seasons

Does anybody know where/when/how to get permission to take CHINESE 1Z06??? Thanks in advanced!

Permission of the Director of the Confucius Institute. This course requires a placement test to be taken before registration.

Originally Posted by x_hikari

aww I'd rather learn traditional than simplified though, even though simplified is easier to learn my dad says that generally if you learn traditional you'll basically know how to read simplified, but if you only know simplified it's a little harder to read traditional.

how do they check??? can't people fake it???

less than 1% of chinese population actually still use traditional...and everyone who knows simplified can read traditional. none the less, traditional looks prettier xD

Originally Posted by ｋａｎｇｓ６

less than 1% of chinese population actually still use traditional...and everyone who knows simplified can read traditional. none the less, traditional looks prettier xD

How does that work anyway? Are kids in school there forced to learn how to read both, and then only need to write simplified?

Originally Posted by Ownaginatios

How does that work anyway? Are kids in school there forced to learn how to read both, and then only need to write simplified?

They are very similar...except simplified is...simplified....fo r example:
simplified:简体字
traditional:簡體字

even though simplified is the one learned at school, people still see traditional either in logos on the street or old books....
Hong Kong still learn/use traditional

Originally Posted by jhan523

Permission of the Director of the Confucius Institute. This course requires a placement test to be taken before registration.

Is the department inside the humanities' department itself? So very confused about that.

Originally Posted by the4seasons

Is the department inside the humanities' department itself? So very confused about that.

I believe it is. I've emailed an academic advisor and the Confucius Institute but no replies from anybody. My friend registered for courses yesterday and couldn't register for it because she didn't have permission, but as of yet no body I know have gotten permission or even know exactly how we get it, it's kind of frustrating

i went the to office and they said that in july/aug there will be aptitude testing days for students to complete.. info posted later on website.. and after you can get premission to take the courses