George Mason University
Department of Modern & Classical Languages

Spring 2010 CHINESE 250-001 – Gateway to Advanced Chinese

Class Meeting Time:      MW 3:00 p.m.- 4:15 p.m.
Class Meeting Place:      RA125
Instructor:                       Lin, Jia
Office Location:            Thompson Hall 234A
Office Hours:                 MW 1:45 p.m.- 2:45 p.m. and by appointment
E-mail:        jlin9@gmu.edu                

Course website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~kzhang/index.html

Course Objectives


This course is a sequel to intermediate Chinese.  It will continue to focus on oral proficiency in daily communication and essential social interactions in Chinese, on expansion of both oral and written vocabulary, and on competent usage of Chinese idiomatic expressions and grammatical structures. By the end of the semester, students are expected to be able to:

Textbooks:   
Integrated Chinese Book I, Part II(L12-15), Simplified Character Edition, 2nd  Edition, Cheng & Tsui Company  (includes Textbook, Workbook, Character Workbook)

Course Requirements
Students’ own work is the key to the success of this course. You are required to:

1. Preview and review the lessons by listening to the tape/CD before and after classes
2. Participate actively in class with the teacher and your classmates
3. Do the homework in the Workbook, and turn it in on due day
4. Attend class consistently and on time.  There will be no penalty for the first two missed classes.  After that, each absence will reduce your final grade by one percentage point.  (That is, twelve absences in one semester will result in a 10% point deduction from your final grade.  So even if you get perfect scores on all tests and homework, you will get a "B" for the course due to your absence).

Quizzes and Tests
There will be 4 tests that cover Lessons12 to 15 respectively. The tests will test listening, reading, and writing skills, as well as knowledge of grammar and cultural aspects. Each test is worth 5% of the student’s final grade. There will be 2 quizzes for each lesson. There are a total of 8 quizzes for the whole semester, but students are allowed to drop 2 quiz grades. There will be no make-up quizzes and tests.

Oral Exam
There will be a final oral exam at the end of the semester. Each student is required to give a presentation of approximately 5 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. In addition to the oral presentation you are expected to have an individual meeting with the instructor in her office. More details will be given about the format of the individual meeting in class.

Final Exam
There will be a written final exam at the end of the semester. 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.

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

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.

 

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Grades
Students’ final grades are composed as follows:

Class Participation   20 %
Homework              20 %
Quizzes                   10 %

Lesson Test             20%
Oral                        15 % (10%+5%)
Final                       15 %

________________________________________________________

                             100% minus attendance penalty (if any)

Grading Scale

A         100-93
A-         92-90
B+         89-87
B           86-83
B-          82-80
C+         79-77
C           76-70
D           69-60
F            59- 0

 

Session Schedule

Date

Class

Homework

Week 1
1/20 W

Introduction to the Course&  Review

 

Week 2 1/25 M

L12 Dialogue I

 

1/ 27W

L12 Dialogue I Grammar

 

Week3

2/1  M

Quiz & L12 Dialogue II

 

2/3  W

L12 Dialogue II Grammar

   

Week 4

2/8  M

Quiz & L12 Workbook & Exercises

 

2/10 W

L12 Review & Test 

 L12 Homework Due

Week 5

2/15 M

L13 Dialogue I

 

 

2/17W

L13 Dialogue I Grammar

 

Week 6

2/22 M

Quiz & L13 Dialogue II

 

2/24 W

L 13 Dialogue II Grammar

 

Week 7

3/1  M

Quiz & L13 Workbook & Exercises

 

3/3 W

L13 Review & Test

 L13 Homework Due

Week 8

3/8 M

Spring Break!

No Class

 

3/10 W

Spring Break!

No Class

 

Week 9
3/15 M

L14 Dialogue I

 

3/17 W

L 14 Dialogue I Grammar

 

Week 10

3/22 M

Quiz & L 14 Dialogue II

 

 3/24 W

L 14 Dialogue II Grammar 

 

Week 11

3/29 M

Quiz & L 14 Workbook & Exercises

 

3/31 W

L14 Review & Test

 L14 Homework Due

Week 12

4/5 M

L 15 Dialogue I

 

4/7 W

L 15 Dialogue I Grammar

 

Week 13

4/12 M

Quiz & L 15 Dialogue II

 

4/14 W

L15 Dialogue II Grammar

 

Week 14

4/19 M

Quiz & L15 Workbook & Exercises

 

4/21 W

L 15 Review & Test

 L15 Homework Due

Week 15

4/26 M

Preparation for Oral Presentation

Sign up for individual meeting

4/28 W

Oral Presentation & Course Evaluation

 

Week 16

5/3  M

Review

 

Week17

5/10 M

1:30p.m.-4:15p.m.

Final Written Exam.  (in our classroom)

Happy summer vacation! J