CHNS110 Elementary Chinese I

Department of Language & Literature: Chinese

  1. Course Number and Title

    CHNS110 Elementary Chinese I

  2. Number of Credits

    3 credits

  3. Minimum Number of Instructional Minutes Per Semester

    2250

  4. Prerequisites

    None

    Corequisites

    None

  5. Other Pertinent Information

    Students are expected to spend between six and nine hours per week outside of class in activities such as learning vocabulary, reading, completing written exercises, working on pronunciation, preparing oral presentations, and working with the multimedia files that accompany the text.

  6. Catalog Course Description

    In this course students learn the basics of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Chinese. Oral proficiency, correct pronunciation, listening comprehension, and grammatical accuracy are all stressed, as well as the cultural and historical backgrounds of the Chinese-speaking countries.

  7. Required Course Content and Direction

    1. Learning Goals:

      1. Course
        2. Students will:
        1. acquire and demonstrate an elementary degree of competence in the four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing;
        2. recognize and respond appropriately to most common spoken situations;
        3. analyze some basic Chinese texts;
        4. demonstrate basic mastery of written Chinese; and
        5. explain some common aspects of life in Chinese-speaking countries.

      2. Core (if applicable)
        3. Category I
        Cultural Perspective
         Students will:
        1. compare, contrast, analyze, and/or defend differing world views and practices.

        Category III
        International, Gender, and/or Minority Perspectives
         Students will:
        1. articulate similarities and differences in the various cultures of the world and demonstrate familiarity with the skills necessary to make informed judgments.
      Students will:

    2. Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities:

      Grammatical topics, phonetics, vocabulary, and conversation:

      The pronunciation of Mandarin – Pinyin and its spelling rules
      Tones and articulation of tones
      The Chinese writing system and its development
      Structure of Chinese characters and basic strokes
      Word order
      Creating compound words
      Interrogative pronouns
      Oral practice, pattern drill, and dialogue exercise

      Vocabulary and social contexts:

      Greetings, numbers, describing oneself
      The family
      Classroom expressions
      Asking for directions
      Occupation and nationality

      Cultural contexts:

      History of the Chinese language
      Geography and history of the Chinese-speaking world
      China, Hong-Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore and its historical significance
      Chinese cultural festivals, traditions, and legends
      Chinese historical stories and important figures
      Chinese manners and customs

    3. Assessment Methods for Core Learning Goals:

      1. Course
        2. Students will:
        1. take frequent quizzes and chapter tests;
        2. complete homework, such as short compositions and grammatical exercises;
        3. perform listening comprehension exercises;
        4. participate in oral interviews and/or presentations that assess proficiency levels; and
        5. complete short essay questions on tests and quizzes relating to cultural practices in the Chinese-speaking world, especially in contrast to the United States.

      2. Core (if applicable)
        1. Cultural Perspectives: Quizzes and tests taken in class include the cultural topics presented in the course. Students compare, contrast, analyze, and/or defend differing worldviews and practices of some Chinese-speaking people.
        2. International, Gender, and/or Minority Perspectives: Students take quizzes/tests in which they articulate similarities and differences in the various cultures of the world and demonstrate familiarity with the skills necessary to make informed judgments.

    4. Reference, Resource, or Learning Materials to be used by Students:

      Students use text, workbook, and multimedia resources of first-year proficiency-based Chinese program. See course format.

  8. Teaching Methods Employed

    Section VIII is not being used in new and revised syllabi as of 12/10/08.

Approval / Revision Date: Approved 5/1999; Revised 10/2011