CN 205 - Intermediate Chinese Language and Culture I
This semester length course serves as an introduction to Modern Standard Chinese (Mandarin) as a foreign language for beginners. The main goal for this course is for students to acquire a culturally contextualized working knowledge of and essential skills in introductory Chinese. The course aims at developing four basic skills, reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and at building a solid foundation in preparation for more advanced studies.
This is a college level course and is available for 11th, 12th and college students only.
Prerequisite: CN105 or approval by BSN Instructor
Enduring Understanding
This is the third part of a two-year course in Beginning Chinese. The dialect taught is Mandarin and the course is designed for students who have had little prior exposure to Chinese language.
The emphasis in this class is on building up vocabulary and sentence patterns in communicative contexts, and building a solid foundation in pronunciation. Students will expand their ability to carry out simple conversations in Chinese on a limited range of topics, such as campus and family life, social issues and aspects of Chinese culture. Reading and writing (using simplified or complex characters) will be more developed in conjunction with speaking and listening skills. Students will be expected to speak, read, and write all new words that appear in vocabulary lists in the main textbook unless otherwise noted by the instructor. The students will be exposed to a limited amount of slightly modified authentic materials. This may include menus of restaurants, the invitation letters or magazine articles.
Course Design
- Lecture presentation.
- Reading and interpretation of written material and in-class exercises, including discussion using that material.
- Oral repetition to refine pronunciation.
- Listening comprehension with tapes and DVDs.
- In-class writing and translation drills.
- Research project on cultural aspects of the Chinese-speaking-world.
- Speech presentation, pair and group work about cultural aspects of China and other Mandarin-Chinese-speaking places and communities.
- Film viewings and cultural discussions.
Additional Resources Needed
Required Textbooks:
- Integrated Chinese, Level 1 Part 2, Textbook, 3rd Edition (Simplified) Paperback Third Edition by Yuehua Liu, Tao-chung Yao, Nyan-Ping Bi, Liangyan Ge, Yaohua Shi
Publisher: Cheng & Tsui Published: 2008
ISBN-13: 9780887276705
ISBN-10: 0887276709
- Integrated Chinese, Level 1 Part 2, Workbook, 3rd Edition (Simplified) Third Edition by Yuehua Liu, Tao-chung Yao, Nyan-Ping Bi, Yaohua Shi, Liangyan Ge
Publisher: Cheng & Tsui Published: 2008
ISBN-13: 9780887276743
ISBN-10: 0887276741
- Integrated Chinese, Level 1 Part 2 Character Workbook, 3rd Edition (Simplified and Traditional) Third Edition by Yuehua Liu, Tao-chung Yao, Nyan-Ping Bi, Yaohua Shi, Liangyan Ge, Yea-fen Chen
- Publisher: Cheng & Tsui Published: 2008
- ISBN-13: 9780887276767
- ISBN-10: 0887276768
Publisher link
- Integrated Chinese, Level 1 Part 2 Audio CDs (Ind.), 3rd Edition
Publisher: Cheng & Tsui Published: 2008
ISBN-13: 9780887276774
ISBN-10: 0887276776
Required Technology:
- Computer that meets the minimum system requirements listed on the Live Classroom page
- Internet connection (Broadband preferred)
- Headset with microphone combination
- E-mail account (recommended)
- Printer
- Scanner or access to a fax machine (Your school should have this available for you
- DVD Player (in PC or consumer player)
- Web camera for computer optional +(recommended
- Writing tablet (recommended)- Bamboo [Small] Pen tablet with pen only - $70 - from Amazon.com
Content Topics
Unit 1
Text: Dining
Unit 2
Text: At the Library
Unit 3
Text: Asking Directions
Unit 4
Text: Birthday Party
Unit 5
Text: Seeing a Doctor
Unit 6
Text: Dating
Key Skills
Listening
- Listen to recordings of each lesson after studying the vocabulary list;
- Do listening comprehension based on more mini-dialogues or solo narrations.
Speaking
- Ask concrete, personal questions related to our daily lives. By stringing together short questions and answers, students will be able to construct their own mini-dialogues, practice in pairs or take turns asking or answering the questions;
- Express own opinions on a number of topics in paragraph-length discourse
Reading comprehension
- Read sentences the instructor provides; answer questions.
- Read the short passage which is related to the lesson learned.
- Read slightly modified authentic materials, such as a personal ad or movie listings.
Writing and Grammar
- Clearly understand the important grammar points
- Answer questions or complete sentences using specific grammatical forms.
- Translate sentences or paragraphs given by the instructor.
- Write simple compositions on daily topics after expressing orally.
- Vocabulary quizzes.
- Write statements based on information given in class by the instructor or induced by audio and audio visual materials.
- Demonstrate correct character writing on Character workbook.
- Write or read basic dialogues emphasizing cultural aspects of the Mandarin-Chinese-speaking-world.
- Present one project related to Chinese culture.
Assessments
- Attendance, regular practice/drills and classroom participation: 20%
- Home work: 15%
- Project: 5%
- Quizzes: 10%
- Midterm: 20%
- Final: 30%