Credits: (3)
Instructional Method: Three hours lecture and language practice.
Note(s): General Education and Applied Learning designated course.
This is the first semester of a three-credit hours college course in Mandarin Chinese.
It embeds custom and cultural aspects emphasizing four skills 鈥� listening, speaking,
reading, and writing the Chinese language. The course is L designation in REAL - Applied
Learning to explore professional practice through the application of knowledge, skills,
and critical reflection.
Content
This is an introductory course in Chinese. Cultural contexts and situations covered include: learning how to address people and conduct greetings, how to express and understand basic information about oneself and others, and how to communicate using times and dates. In the first week of the semester, the instructor will introduce an overview of the Chinese language including a brief description of Chinese dialects; the fundamental rules of learning the Chinese script, the basic strokes, the five tones; the character components, and their historical development. Students will spend the rest of the semester learning and practicing their pronunciation, basic conversation skills, and writing and reading Chinese characters.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Class instruction targets communication practice utilizing the situations, intentions, vocabulary, culture, and grammar related to a variety of personal and professional contexts. Other activities include vocabulary explanation, pronunciation practice, listening comprehension exercises, writing, and grammatical drills. Class is conducted 50% in the target language because some languages are more difficult to learn than others, especially for native English speakers. The Chinese language falls into that category. Chinese is a less commonly taught language. Faculty will have to take more time to prepare and coach students to learn Chinese Pinyin, Chinese tones, Chinese pronunciation, and the writing of Chinese characters early in the semester and throughout students鈥� learning of Chinese
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
1. use Pinyin to capture Chinese pronunciation;
2. recognize different tones in Chinese pronunciation;
3. produce oral speech using isolated words and learned phrases with predictable areas of need;
4. pronounce most Chinese sounds accurately;
5. recognize Chinese radicals and building of Chinese characters;
6. known material and isolated words and phrases when supported by context;
7. comprehend some words and phrases from simple questions, high- frequency commands, and courtesy formulae about topics that refer to basic personal information or the immediate physical setting;
8. while reading: identify learned material and understand some new material when strongly supported by radicals, context, or online assistance;
9. while writing: meet limited practical needs (e. g., writing short, simple messages and taking down simple notes) that include simple statements and questions;
10. analyze and produce the most basic grammar in graded sentences; explore similarities and differences between their own and the target cultures;
11. explain contemporary international issues from the perspectives of their own and the target cultures.Review and Approval
Assessment Measures
Speaking progress is evaluated in class and oral interviews. Written homework assignments provide a basis for the evaluation of writing progress. Quiz, reflections, and exams test listening and reading comprehension and grammatical accuracy. In most of these testing situations, students will also either demonstrate or further expand (in the case of new linguistic excerpts containing new cultural topics) their familiarity with cultural topics and current global issues. Students 鈥� success in using Chinese will therefore demonstrate their linguistic abilities and cultural competence to anticipate, identify, and simulate the use of different cultural perceptions and behaviors through the new language.
Students are asked in oral discussion, written exercises exams, or language lab exercises to reflect critically on how studying Chinese is helping them work toward professional goals and what lessons they have learned in Chinese 100 that will be important to keep in mind as they prepare to use Chinese in a professional context. They are also asked to identify strengths and areas of potential growth in their Chinese knowledge/skillset that will help them in a given professional context; one exercise: in the field of tourism, what jobs require students to use their language skills, in which locations, and what skills/ how their skills are essential on the job. One written exercise or test question: How could/has your study of Chinese impact(ed) your professional plans? In most of these testing situations, students will also either demonstrate or further expand (in the case of new linguistic excerpts containing new cultural topics) their familiarity with cultural topics and current global issues. Students鈥� success in using Chinese will therefore demonstrate their linguistic abilities and cultural competence to anticipate, identify, and simulate the use of different cultural perceptions and personal and professional behaviors through the new language.
Other Course Information
To supplement linguistic and cultural encounters in class, students are expected to participate in some extracurricular activities such as conversation with native speakers, joining RU Chinese Club, watching Chinese language movies, and inquiring about Chinese-speaking cultures employing the multitude of media available as informational resources. Chinese 100 is for beginners and students with no Chinee background or no more than two years of Chinese in high school. The conversational contact with native Chinese speakers from abroad will lead to comparisons in preparation for a profession and help our students think more precisely and internationally about their professional plans. Once students complete Chinese 100, they are qualified to apply for the Kirk Scholarship, where they will get to travel to China or Taiwan with the faculty for 21 days as an incentive to study more Chinese.
Date Action Reviewed by
February 2004 Revised Philip Sweet
Revised June, 2023