Elementary Chinese I

Catalog description

This course is for students with no prior experience in Chinese. Using a proficiency-oriented approach, students will develop contextually appropriate interpersonal communication skills in both written and spoken Chinese, develop reading and listening skills through various media, understand fundamental grammar, acquire vocabulary, and gain a basic understanding of Chinese cultures through class and extracurricular activities. Regular homework, quizzes, tests, and participation in class are mandatory (four in-class hours per week). Students will learn the phonetic transcriptions of Chinese (Pinyin) for speaking and listening as well as Chinese characters for reading and writing. The elementary level is also designed to help students learn to reflect and draw upon strategies used by good language learners in their second language study. A student with prior experience in Chinese must take the placement exam.