George Mason University
Department of Modern & Classical Languages
Fall 2007: CHINESE 480 – Fourth Year Chinese I
Class Meeting Time: T & Th 12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Class Meeting Place: KH242
Instructor: Chen,Xi
Office Location: Thompson Hall 234A
Phone: 703-9931631
Office Hours: T & Th 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. or by
appointment
E-mail: xchen8@gmu.edu
Prerequisites, Course Description
& Objectives
This course is 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, 1995.
Recommended Dictionary:
The Oxford Chinese Dictionary. New International
Edition. Chinese-English/ English-Chinese.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
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 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 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(L1-L6).
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 homeworks 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.
Please refer to http://www.gmu.edu/mlstudents/handbook/honor.html for detailed
information.
Quizzes & Final Exam
We will study Lessons 1 through 7 in the textbook.
There will be six quizzes that cover Lessons 1 to 6 respectively. Material of
Lesson 7 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.
Oral 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.
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 Schedule
|
Date |
Class |
Homework |
|
Week 1 |
Introduction&L1 Vocabulary |
|
|
Thurs, August 30 |
L1Vocabulary&Text |
|
|
Week 2 |
L1 Text & Discussion |
|
|
Thurs, September 6 |
L1 Grammar (Supplementary Vocabulary) |
|
|
Week 3 |
L1Quiz |
L 1 Homework Due |
|
Thurs, September 13 |
L 2 Vocabulary |
|
|
Week 4 |
L 2 Text & Discussion |
|
|
Thurs, September 20 |
L 2 Grammar (Supplementary Vocabulary) |
|
|
Week 5 |
L 2 Quiz |
L 2 Homework Due |
|
Thurs, September 27 |
L 3 Vocabulary |
|
|
Week 6 |
L 3 Text & Discussion |
|
|
Thurs, October 4 |
L 3 Grammar(Supplementary Vocabulary) |
|
|
Week 7 |
Tuesday Classes Do not Meet this Week |
|
|
Thurs, October 11 |
L 3 Quiz |
L3 Homework Due |
|
Week 8 |
L 4 Vocabulary |
|
|
Thurs, October 18 |
L 4 Text & Discussion |
|
|
Week 9 |
L 4 Grammar (Supplementary Vocabulary) |
|
|
Thurs, October 25 |
L 4 Quiz |
L4
Homework Due |
|
Week 10 |
L 5 Vocabulary |
|
|
Thurs, November 1 |
L 5 Text & Discussion |
|
|
Week 11 |
L 5 Grammar (Supplementary Vocabulary) |
|
|
Thurs, November 8 |
L 5 Quiz |
L5 Homework Due |
|
Week 12 |
|
|
|
Thurs, November 15 |
L 6 Text & Discussion |
|
|
Week 13 |
|
|
|
Thurs, November 22 |
Happy Thanksgiving (No Classes) |
|
|
Week 14 |
|
L16 Homework Due |
|
Thurs, November 29 |
L17 Text &Discussion |
|
|
Week 15 |
L17 Grammar (Supplementary Vocabulary) |
|
|
Thurs, December 6 |
Final Oral Presentation & Review |
|
|
Tuesday, December 11 |
FINAL EXAM (in our classroom) |
L17
Homework Due |