CHIN110: Elementary CHINESE
(6 credits; no prerequisite)

Instructors:

 MW 9:20-10:20 and 
by appointment

 M 11:00-12:00 and
by appointment

Course Description

This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Chinese. CHAPTER 1 – CHAPTER 7 of the main textbook are covered. The course focuses on developing basic four skills in language and culture necessary to communicate orally and in writing with native mandarin Chinese speakers. It includes practice in writing Chinese characters using essential vocabulary and elementary grammar for oral and written communication, exploring aspects of Chinese culture and society, and comparing between the Chinese language and culture and those of the students. In addition, authentic text or audiovisual materials are used to enhance development of communicative competence.

Course Materials

1. Integrated Chinese Level I, Part I (3^nd edition): textbook, workbook, character

    workbook (required).

2. Audio CDs or tapes for Integrated Chinese Level I, Part I (3^nd edition) (optional).

Course Objectives

Language Objectives

ØBe able to read and write pinyin form premier Chinese and to recognize around 300 characters.

ØBe able to understand and use words and expressions introduced in Chapters 1 to 7.

ØBe able to understand and use basic sentence structures introduced in Chapters 1 to 7.

Communication Objectives

ØBe able to communicate in writing and speaking in a culturally appropriate manner.

ØBe able to understand authentic texts or audiovisual materials presented in class.

Culture Objectives

ØUnderstand different aspects of Chinese culture such as manners and daily life of Chinese people.

ØAppreciate the richness and beauty of Chinese culture

Course Requirements

As students, your strong commitment, hard work, and consistent cooperation will be the key to the success of this course; otherwise, it not only hurts your own individual progress, but can also negatively affect the morale and progress of the entire class. In order to ensure your learning experience enjoyable and fruitful, it is highly important and imperative that you meet the requirements and follow the rules outlined below. 

1.  Attendance. Attendance of class sessions is crucial. Students should keep in mind that part of their grade is based on attendance and that absences count against them regardless of the reasons. There will be no penalty for the first two missed classes. After that, however, each absence will reduce the final grade by one percentage point.

2.  Preparation & In-Class Performance. Students are required to preview and review the materials covered in each session. A detailed session-by-session schedule is provided for this purpose.  Besides, they are also expected to participate in all class activities. Students' in-class participation and performance will be graded on a 15-point scale for each session. Absence, of course, scores a zero. Pagers and cell must be turned off before the beginning of class.

3.  Quizzes and Tests. At the beginning of each session, there will be a quiz on a ten-point scale on speaking, listening, vocabulary and character recognition. After each lesson, a test on a 100-point scale will be given. There will be no make-up quizzes or tests. Students are allowed to drop two quiz grades and one test grade (including zero for a missed quiz or test).

4.  Homework Assignments. Homework will be due on the due day as marked in the session-by-session syllabus. We’ll do the listening and speaking exercises in the workbook together in class. Students are responsible for sections of the reading comprehension, grammar and usage, and translation for which help is available from the course website (http://mason.gmu.edu/~kzhang/homeworkanswers.html). The last section of essay writing listed in the workbook is optional and just for extra credits. Late homework will be corrected, but penalized 50% of the possible score.

5.  Oral Presentations and Oral Test. In order to encourage students to use what they have learned and also to improve their speaking, students are required to give an oral presentation after each lesson. Students are expected to incorporate as much of the studied material/ grammar/vocabulary as possible, be creative in terms of the form and content of their presentations. For example, the presentation can be a role-play, the telling of a story, the description of a picture or scene related to what is covered in each lesson. At the end of the semester, in addition to a final oral presntation in front of the class, there is an oral test. Students are required to have a one-on-one meeting with the instructor. The conversation covers the topics we have learned in class. Besides, students are asked to read a dialogue/text of their choice, followed by another dialogue/text of instructor’s choice.

6. Final Exam. There will be no midterm but  a final written exam. 40% of the  the final exam will cover Lessons 1-6, and 60% of the final exam will cover L7. The comprehensive exam will test each student’s listening, reading, and writing skills, and knowledge of grammar and cultural aspects. More details will be given in class.

7.  Honor Code. The George Mason University Honor Code is in effect throughout the entire duration of the course and applies to all course work carried out inside and outside the classroom. It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the GMU Honor System and Code as laid out in the Student Handbook. Please refer to http://www.gmu.edu/mlstudents/handbook/honor.html for detailed information.

8. Policy on Disabilities. Students with disabilities who seek accommodations in a course must be registered with the GMU Disability Resource Center (DRC) and inform the instructor, in writing, at the beginning of the semester. Please see www.gmu.edu/student/drc or call 703-993-2474 to access the DRC.  

Coursework Breakdown

Students’ final grades are composed as follows:

Class Participation 10 %
Homework            20 %
Quizzes and Tests   30 % (Quizzes 10%；Tests 20%)
Oral Presentations  15 % (Presentations for L 1-6 9%; final presentation 6%)
Individual Oral Test10 %
Final Exam             15 %

Session Schedule