<p>I want to take the whole sequence of the Chinese language classes (101-402), being a non-major. Anybody with experience? How is the teaching level? How is the difficulty of workload? Is this one of the strong programs at Williams?
Would be really grateful for any useful information!</p>
<p>I would like to know this too. Except, I'm looking into double majoring (one being Asian Studies). Thanks!</p>
<p>The Chinese program at Williams is very strong and very well-regarded. We have a number of very strong native speaker teachers, every year we get a couple of teaching assistants from China/Taiwan, and our other faculty is great too. In fact, the chair of the Asian Studies department once ran the Mandarin teaching program at the State Department.</p>
<p>I was not a major, but I took three years of Chinese at Williams. The curriculum is intense, and the workload is especially burdensome during the first couple of years. Thankfully, my parents are both from Taiwan, so the first couple of years were quite easy for me. But I knew many students who had no exposure to the language before who had to spend 3+ hours a night just on Chinese homework/preparation. Many (maybe most) students don't continue beyond the first year because of the pressure.</p>
<p>The dean of the faculty can speak more Chinese dialects than I do! Mind you I'm a native Chinese...He surely is a bomb!!!</p>
<p>^I'm guessing you're speaking about Prof. Kubler.
I would really like to learn from him. :)</p>
<p>I already speak 2 dialects of it (but a little Americanized of each).. going on 3 (just finished 1st year Mandarin).
I'd like to learn Taiwanese too.</p>