Mandarin Chinese for Oral Communication I

Catalog description

This course is designed for students who have reached intermediate level in reading and writing Chinese, but have little knowledge of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation, as well as those who aim to further improve their speaking in Chinese. Students will be introduced to Pinyin, the phonetic system of Mandarin Chinese, and work to refine and perfect their speaking skills through special attention to different styles, colloquialisms, and dialectal variations of contemporary spoken Mandarin. Course materials will include authentic Chinese TV programs, documentaries, films, recorded materials, and contemporary literary and non-literary texts. Students will be required to participate in intensive speaking activities, such as interviewing native speakers of Chinese, oral presentations, discussions, debates, and special projects. At the end of the course, students are expected to carry on oral communication with native Mandarin speakers in a clearly participatory fashion on topics related to various social issues in Modern China. Prerequisites: 82-232 or 82-235