Chinese 1011

Chinese 1011

Beginning Modern Chinese

Fall 2007

Course Description

Beginning Modern Chinese is a course that teaches Chinese as a foreign language. It is the first semester of a two-semester sequence in first-year modern Standard Chinese. This course introduces elementary Mandarin pronunciation, grammar, and orthography (in both Pinyin and characters) to beginners with no prior exposure to the language (students who are heritage speakers of Chinese are advised to take CHN 1015 ACCELERATED BEGINNING CHINESE). Chinese 1011 consists of two lectures per week, plus recitation sections on a daily basis. Lectures and recitations aside, students are expected to spend ten to twelve hours per week in private study. ** Please note that before class preparation is critical in this course. Before each lecture, you are required to listen to the text online three times. The purpose of discussion sections is not to introduce new materials, but rather to further the students’ understanding of the materials, which the students have studied during the lecture, and then to put those new concepts into practice during the discussion sections. **

Course objectives

Upon the completion of the course, the learners will be able to acquire the following skills:

Pronunciation: Accurate pronunciation of all Chinese sounds and all the words and characters learned in this semester.
Listening: Ability to understand classroom Chinese and everyday Chinese on the topics covered in and relevant to the textbook.
Grammar: Correct use of grammatical patterns introduced in Level 1, Part 1 of Integrated Chinese (see below – Required Texts).
Reading: Ability to understand and read aloud correctly texts in both Pinyin and Mandarin characters covered in Level 1 Part 1 of Integrated Chinese.
Conversation: Ability to converse in Mandarin on subject matters covered in Level 1 Part 1 of Integrated Chinese.
Orthography: ability to recognize correctly 370 Chinese characters, and to write accurately 100 characters with correct stroke order from memory.

Required Texts

There is one set of materials which are required for this course composed of books and audiotapes:

Integrated Chinese (Traditional Character Edition, 2^nd Edition) Level 1, Part 1 in three volumes (Textbook, Workbook, and Character Workbook) edited by Tao-chung Yao, Yuehua Liu, et al. (Cheng & Tsui Company). Available in the university bookstore.

Chinese TV and Audiovisual Resources

There are several resources available to students of Chinese here at the University:

The Chinese Program has subscribed to a Chinese TV program, Phoenix TV, available in Jones Hall 135 in the CLA Language Center every Tuesday. The Language Center also has an extensive library of useful audio and video materials which can be used to supplement all levels of language study in their Multi-Media Lab (Jones Hall 135). Staff will be on hand to help direct you to what you need, and to assist with any technical problems you might encounter. Please see their website (http://languagecenter.cla.umn.edu/lc/hours.html) for hours and further information.

This course has a website to facilitate learning. The following URL will bring you to the website. (http://www.all.umn.edu/chinese_language/)

This textbook is integrated with a website (http://www.chineseyard.com/ResourceIndex/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=1379) designed specifically by the developers and other Chinese instructors of this textbook to aid the student. You are encouraged to utilize this resource.

Students are encouraged to use the following web site for Pinyin practice: http://www.pinyin.org.

Ground Rules

Attendance & participation. This course consists of two parts: lecture and recitation. The attendance and participation grades will be based on preparation, regular attendance, participation and efforts. During the whole semester, only five hour’s unexcused absence is allowed. Each additional unexcused absence will cost 1 point of the full percentage (10%) of the Attendance portion of the final grade. Entering the classroom 5 minutes after the class starts is considered tardiness and three times of tardiness will be considered as one absence.

Excused and Unexcused Absence. Absence from class with a physician’s note is excused absence and will not result in any deduction of point from the Attendance portion of the final grade. Notification of absence by email or telephone without a physician’s note will not be accepted as excused absence, and will count toward the five hour’s unexcused absences, and result in deduction of point from the Attendance portion after the first five unexcused absences are taken.

Permission for Absence. Since all instructors, including both the lecturer and recitation leaders, will be responsible for determining the Attendance & Performance portions of the final grade, students should ask permission for absence from both the lecturer and recitation leader. Failure to contact both the lecturer and the recitation leader may result in deduction from the Attendance & Performance portions of the final grade.

Homework. Homework is assigned on a daily basis and should be turned in on time and before discussion class.

Requirement for Recording Assignment. Each student should prepare a computer- compatible microphone for recording.

Make-Up Tests and Quizzes. All students are expected to take tests and quizzes as they are scheduled. No make-up test or quiz is allowed unless there is a physician’s note to certify that the student cannot take the test or quiz at the scheduled time.

Please keep all your graded homework. Please keep all your graded homework, in case that you want to check your grades. In doing so, it can also help you to review what you have learned.

Registration for Next Semester. As students’ achievements for this course will greatly impact continuing Chinese language learning, those whose final grades for this class are lower than C- are strongly advised not to continue into Chinese 1012 next semester unless they get permission from the department.

Grading

Attendance: 10%

Performance: 10%

Homework: Characters 5%

Recording 10%

Written 10%

Vocabulary Quizzes: 5%

Quizzes: 10%

Tests: 15%

Mid-term: 10% (Oral 50%, Written 50%)

Final: 15% (Oral 50%, Written 50%)

Total: 100%

Teaching Staff

Lead Teacher: Wang, Ling wangx333@umn.edu

Jiang, Liping: purelily08@yahoo.com.cn

Jin, Yaliang: jinx0017@umn.edu

Liu, Zhigang: liuxx326@umn.edu

Hao, Ji: haoxx015@umn.edu

Qu ,,Wanling: quxxx010@umn.edu

Sun, Na: nsun@mpr.org

Liu, Jia: jliu@econ.umn.edu

Jesse Field: fiel0165@umn.edu

Office Hours (tentative)

Monday: 10:00-11:00 a.m (Jessica)

1:10-2:20 pm (Qu, Wang Ling)

5:00-6 :00pm (Jia Liu)

5:00-6 :00pm (Li, Chi-ping)

Tuesday: 12:30-1:30 p.m (Jiang, Liping)

1:15 - 2:15 p.m (Jin, Yaliang)

4:30-5:30 p.m (Liu, Zhigang)

Wednesday 10:00-11:00 a.m (Wang, Ling)

12:30-1:30 p.m (Jiang, Liping)

3:30-4:30 pm (Hao, Ji)

5:00-6:00 pm (Jin, Yaliang)

Thursday: 11:15am -12:15pm (Liu, Zhigang)

5:00-6:00 p.m (Wang, Ling)

Friday: 1:15–2:15pm (Jesse)

2:20-3:20 pm (Sun, Na)

3:30–4:30 pm (Li Chi-ping)

And by appointment with any of the instructors

Office: 444 Folwell Hall

Telephones: 612 625-0047 612 624-2366 612 626-9746

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