George Mason University
Department of Modern & Classical Languages
Spring 2010: CHINESE 481 – Fourth Year
Chinese II
Class Meeting Time: TR 1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.
Class Meeting Room: RA101
Instructor: Guo, Fenglan
Office
Location: Piedmont Rm.123
Office Hours: TR 12:15p.m.-1:15p.m.
and by appointment
E-mail: fguo1@gmu.edu;
cnfenglanguo@yahoo.com.cn
Phone:
703-993-7778
Prerequisites, Course Description & Objectives
This course is the continuation of CHIN 480, designed for advanced
students of Chinese. Completion of the Elementary and Intermediate Chinese
courses or equivalent is required. The course is open to students who have
fulfilled this prerequisite at other institutions. With a focus on oral
proficiency, this course also strongly emphasizes the further development of
reading, writing, 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
Textbook
(available in the GMU Bookstore)
Beyond the Basics: Communicative Chinese for Intermediate/Advanced
Learners Textbook by Jianhua Bai, Juyu Sung, and Janet Zhiqun Xing; Cheng &
Tsui, 1996, Printing 2009.
Recommended Dictionary:
The
Course
Requirements & Rules
1. Attendance. Attendance at 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 three missed classes. After that, however, each
absence will reduce the final grade by one percentage point. (That is, thirteen
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 as well as 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. Short vocabulary quizzes may be given
from time to time at the beginning of class to test the level of preparation.
Pagers and cell phones should be turned off before the beginning of class.
3. Quizzes. There will be a quiz after each lesson (L7-L11).
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 penalized 50% of the possible score.
Quizzes & Final Exam
We will study Lessons 7 through 11 in the textbook. There will be four
quizzes that cover Lessons 7 to 10 respectively. Material of Lesson 11 will be
incorporated in the final exam. All quizzes
will test listening, reading, and writing skills, as well as knowledge of
grammar and cultural aspects.
Orl Exam
There will be a final oral in-class presentation at the end of the
semester. Each student is required to give a presentation of approximately 5 to
10 minutes in front of the class on a topic of his or her choice but based on
the material we studied in class. 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.
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.
Policy on Disabilities
If you are a student with a disability and you need academic
accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services
(ODS) at(703) 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged
through the ODS. http://ods.gmu.edu
GMU Email Accounts
Students must activate their GMU email accounts to receive
important University
information, including messages related to this class.
Other Useful Campus Resources
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES “Ask a Librarian”
http://library.gmu.edu/mudge/IM/IMRef.html
COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES (CAPS): (703)
993-2380;
http://caps.gmu.edu
University Policies
The University Catalog, http://catalog.gmu.edu, is the
central resource for university
policies affecting student, faculty, and staff conduct in
university affairs.
Grades
Final grades are composed as follows:
In-Class Performance 20 %
Homework
20 %
Quizzes
30 %
Oral
10 % Final
20 %
Grading Scale
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
________________________________________________________________________
Session by
Session Schedule
|
Date |
Class |
Homework |
|
1/19 T |
Introduction & L7 Vocabulary |
|
|
1/26 T |
L-7
Vocabulary&Text |
|
|
2/02 T |
L-7
Grammar & Supplementary Vocabulary |
|
|
2/09 T |
L-8 Vocabulary |
|
|
2/16 T |
L-8 Text |
|
|
2/23 T |
L-8
Grammar & Supplementary Vocabulary |
|
|
3/02 T |
L-9 Vocabulary |
|
|
3/9-3/11 |
Spring Break |
|
|
3/16 T |
L-9 Text Discussion |
|
|
3/23 T |
L-9 Review & Quiz |
Homework 3 Due |
|
3/30 T |
L-10 Text |
|
|
4/06 T |
L-10
Grammar & Supplementary Vocabulary |
|
|
4/13 T |
L-11 Vocabulary |
|
|
4/20 T |
L-11 Text &
Discussion |
|
|
4/27 T |
Preparation for
Presentation |
|
|
5/04 T |
No Classes |
|
|
5 /06 R |
Final Exam 1:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m. |
|