George Mason University
Department Of Modern and Classical Languages
CHIN 101, Section A01, Elementary Chinese I, Summer 2007
Instructor: Chen, Xi
Office: 234-A Thompson Hall
Class Meeting Time: MWF:
Class Meeting Place: Thompson Hall 106
Office Hours: MWF
Phone: (703) 993-1631
Email: xchen8@gmu.edu
Website for the course: http://mason.gmu.edu/~kzhang/
This course is designed for beginners. The goals of this course are to learn
the sound system of Mandarin Chinese by using Hanyu
Pinyin and the writing system of Chinese characters. The course will emphasize
communicative activities and stress the learning of both receptive and
productive skills. By the end of the course, students are expected to be
modestly proficient in the use of the vocabulary of approximately 400 words, to
know how to use the basic grammatical structures, and to know how to read and
write approximately 200 characters.
Another objective is to develop the discipline required to learn
Chinese. The successful study of Mandarin demands a considerable amount of
dedication on the student's part. Lack of such dedication not only hurts the
particular student's progress, but can also affect morale and progress of the
entire class. Therefore, in order to ensure that your venture into this new and
challenging world will prove fruitful, rewarding, and enjoyable it is very
important to follow the class rules as outlined below and to devote a part of
your time each day to practicing the skills needed to learn Chinese.
Textbooks: Integrated Chinese Book I, Part I
Boston: Chen & Tsui Company, second edition(includes Textbook, Workbook, Character Workbook)
Class 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, thirteen absence 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 homeworks 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. 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.
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. Homeworks will be
due no later than the day of the quiz. Late homeworks
will be corrected, but no credit will be given for it.
5. Exams. There will be no midterm but a written final
exam at the end of the semester. 60% of the final exam will cover Lessons 1 to
4, and 40% of it will cover Lesson 5. This comprehensive exam will test the
student’s listening, reading, and writing skills,
knowledge of grammar and cultural aspects. More details will be given in class.
In addition to the written final, you are expected to give a 3-5 minutes
oral presentation in class at the end of the semester. Furthermore, you are
going to meet with your instructor in his/her office to have a short chat
in Chinese. More details about the format of the final exam will be given in
class.
6. 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.
Grading
In-class
Performance
20%
Homework 20%
Quizzes 30%
Oral / Aural
Tests 10%
Final
Exam 20%
________
100%
minus attendance penalty (if any)
Your letter grade is given based on the following point 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 schedule
|
|
|
Date |
Class |
Homework |
|
|
5/21M
5/23W
5/25F |
Introduction; Pinyin
Initials ; Pinyin Finals ;Tones & Combinations Chinese
Written System; Basic Chinese Radicals ; Classroom Expressions; Survival
Expressions; Numerals No
class |
|
|
|
5/28M
|
Memorial
Day No Class |
|
|
|
6/4M
|
L1
Review & Quiz; L 2 Dialogue 2 Grammar, Pattern Drills L2
Review & Quiz; L3 Dialogue 1 |
L2
Homework Due |
|
|
6/11M
|
L3
Review & Quiz; L4 Dialogue 1 |
L3
Homework Due |
|
|
6/18M
|
L5
Dialogue 2, Grammar, Pattern Drills, |
|
|