Elementary Mandarin Language/Culture I

Catalog description

This beginning-level course introduces students to the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills necessary for basic communication in Mandarin. Designed for students with no previous course work in Mandarin, this course focuses on reading and writing with the pinyin (phonetic) system; learning and practicing the radical simplified characters and related compounds; building vocabulary and practicing basic sentence patterns in communicative contexts; and pronunciation. Students will be expected to achieve approximately the mid-novice level based on guidelines published by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Finally, awareness of the cultures, behaviors, and traditions of the Chinese-speaking world will also be emphasized.