George Mason
University Class Meeting Time:
TR 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Course website:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kzhang/ Course Description/
Objectives Textbook (two
volumes) Course
Requirements &
Rules 1.
Attendance. Attendance at class meetings 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. (That is, twelve absences over the course of the
semester will result in a ten percentage point subtraction from the final grade,
so even perfect scores on all tests and homework will result in a "B").
2.
Preparation & In-Class Performance. Thorough preparation of the
materials to be covered in each session and in-class performance will be graded
on a four-point scale. Students who come in well prepared and perform well will
get four points each day. Those who are not well prepared, do not participate,
do not pay attention, or disrupt the class, will
receive lower scores accordingly. Absence, of course, scores a zero. Students
are expected to prepare beforehand the material to be covered in class,
such as new vocabulary, grammar, and sentence patterns. A detailed
session-by-session schedule is provided for this purpose. 3. Quizzes.
There will be a quiz after each lesson. The lowest score on a quiz (including
zero for a missed quiz) will be dropped when calculating the final grade. There
will be no make-up quizzes or quizzes taken in advance, unless the student has a
legitimate reason and informs the instructor in a timely fashion.
4.
Homework. Homework will be due no later than the day of the
quiz. Late homework will be corrected, but no credit will be given for
it. 5. 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.
Quizzes &
Final
Exam Oral
Exam Grades Grading
Scale Session
Schedule Date Class
Homework Week
1 Introduction to
the Course 8/28
R L 1 Vocabulary,
Text & Grammar Notes Week
2 9/4
R L2
Text L 1 Homework
Due Week
3 9/11R L1&2
Quiz L 2 Homework
Due Week
4 L3
Vocabulary 9/18
R L3
Text Week
5 L3 Grammar
Notes; Exercises 9/25R L3 quiz L4
Vocabulary L 3 Homework
Due Week
6 L4Vocabulary&
Text 10/2
R L4Grammar
Notes; Exercises Week
7 L4 quiz; L5
Vocabulary L 4 Homework
Due (Translations, Compositions) 10/9
R L5Vocabulary&
Text Week
8 Columbus Day
No Class!
10/ 16
R L5Grammar
Notes; Exercises Week
9 L5 quiz L6
Vocabulary L 5 Homework
Due (Translations, Compositions) 10/ 23
R L6Vocabulary&
Text Week
10 L6 Grammar
Notes; Exercises 10/ 30
R L6 quiz
L 6 Homework
Due (Translations, Compositions) Week
11 L7Vocabulary&
Text 11/ 6
R L7 Grammar
Notes Week
12 L7
Exercises 11/ 13
R L7
quiz L 7 Homework
Due (Translations, Compositions) Week
13 L8
Vocabulary& Text 11/ 21
R L8Vocabulary,
Text & Grammar Notes Week
14 L8
Exercises 11/
27 R Happy
Thanksgiving! No class. Week
15 Preparation for
Final Oral Presentation &Review L 8 Homework
Due (Translations, Compositions) 12/ 4
R Final Oral
Presentation and Course Evaluation Tuesday,
December 16 FINAL EXAM (in
our classroom)
Department of Modern
& Classical Languages
Fall 2008: CHINESE 300 – Reading Skills Development
Class Meeting Place: RA 246
Instructor: Chen, Xi
Office Location: Thompson Hall 234A
Office Hours: T&R 10:45a.m - 11:45a.m. or by appointment
Phone: (703) 993-1631
E-mail:
xchen8@gmu.edu
This course is designed for advanced students of Chinese.
Completion of the Elementary and Intermediate Chinese courses or equivalent is
required. With a focus on reading skills, this course also strongly emphasizes
the further development of, writing, speaking and listening skills.
Specifically, students are expected
·to develop a solid grasp of more
complex Chinese syntax through the intense study and practice of grammar and
common idiomatic expressions
·to broaden their vocabulary and active
character knowledge
·to learn and appreciate various unique aspects of
written and spoken Chinese
·to employ effectively all four skills (speaking,
listening, reading, writing) in classroom activities and homework
assignments
·to appreciate Chinese culture as an integral part of the Chinese
language
A Trip to
China: Intermediate Reader of Modern Chinese by Chih-p'ing Chou. Princeton University Press: Princeton, New
Jersey, 1996. (Text)
A Trip to China: Intermediate Reader of Modern
Chinese - Vocabulary, Grammar Notes, Exercises by Der-lin Chao. Princeton University Press: Princeton, New
Jersey, 1996.
Recommended Dictionary:
The Oxford Chinese Dictionary. New
International Edition. Chinese-English/
English-Chinese.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Please refer to http://www.gmu.edu/mlstudents/handbook/honor.html
for detailed information.
There will be six
quizzes that cover Lessons 1 to 7 respectively. The quizzes will test listening,
reading, and writing skills, as well as knowledge of grammar and cultural
aspects. The written final exam at the end of the semester will cover all eight
lessons.
There will be a
final oral exam at the end of the semester. Each student is required to give a
presentation of approximately 5 to 7 minutes in front of the class on a topic of
his or her choice. Students should try to incorporate as much of the studied
material/ grammar/ vocabulary as possible, but they can be creative in devising
form and content of the presentation. For example, the presentation can be a
role-play, the telling of a story, describing a picture or scene, or a
discussion of socio-cultural issues related to the lessons covered during the
semester. Students are required to submit a draft of the proposed presentation
to the instructor in advance. More details will be given in class.
Final grades are
composed as follows:
In-Class Performance 20
%
Homework
20 %
Quizzes
30
%
Oral
10
%
Final
20
%
A
100-93
A-
92-90
B+ 89-87
B
86-83
B-
82-80
C+
79-77
C 76-73
C-
72-70
D
69-60
F
59- 0
8/26
T
L 1 Vocabulary
9/2
T
L1 Grammar
Notes; Exercises; L2 Vocabulary
(Translations, Compositions)
9/9
T
L2 Grammar
Notes; Exercises
(Translations, Compositions)
9/16
T
9/ 23
T
(Translations, Compositions)
9/30
T
10/7
T
10/
14T
10/ 21
T
10/ 28
T
11/ 4
T
11/ 11
T
11/ 19
T
11/ 25
T
12/ 2
T
1:30p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
HAPPY
HOLIDAYS!