Chinese

Designed for students with little or no previous experience in the language. Focuses on communicative skills of listening comprehension and speaking, and in developing mastery of the Chinese writing system for basic reading and writing of simple sentences and short paragraphs. Pin yin and Chinese characters are taught so that students will be able to communicate both orally and in written form in the most essential everyday life situations. Students will also learn Chinese customs, traditions, and culture.

Course Learning Outcomes
1. Create simple sentences and basic expressions correctly using the four oral tones in the Chinese language.
2. Write understandable Chinese characters using the correct stroke order.
3. Accurately identify and translate Chinese characters.
4. Accurately respond in Chinese to questions about one or more of the following: family, hobbies, simple social greetings and courtesies, or weather.
5. Identify the celebrations and holidays that occur in the Chinese calendar.
6. Identify basic facts and cultural traditions associated with China.

A continuation of CHI 101 with emphasis on basic language skills for communication and on cultural aspects to promote understanding and appreciation of the Chinese culture.

Prerequisite: CHI 101, the equivalent or permission of the instructor. Memory and length of time since last studied are factors in successful placement.

Course Learning Outcomes
1. Accurately ask and respond in Chinese to questions dealing with one or more of the following: food preferences and tastes, a doctor's consultation, finding appropriate housing accommodations, or travel.
2. Produce correct sentences in Chinese using relatively complex phrases including one or more of the following: passive voice, comparisons, attributives, directional complements, or time expressions.
3. Accurately identify and translate Chinese characters.
4. Identify basic facts and cultural traditions associated with China.

Continued study in Chinese for those with a firm foundation in elementary Chinese communication, written and oral. Grammar and vocabulary are continued at a higher level so that the student develops strong reading and writing skills in order to create complex sentences and short paragraphs. In this class, the student will attain oral and listening skills to successfully function in a variety of daily situations. Cultural topics are included in the study of grammar and structure. Memory and length of time since last studied are factors in successful placement.

Prerequisite(s): CHI 102, or successful completion of equivalent, or permission of the instructor.

Course Learning Outcomes
1. Create grammatically correct sentences in Chinese using the present.
2. Create grammatically correct sentences in Chinese using the past.
3. Create grammatically correct sentences in Chinese using the future.
4. Answer questions concerning a specific reading passage.
5. Accurately ask and respond in Chinese to questions about one or more of the following: weather, health, current events, past, present, and future events, or friends and family.
6. Present an oral report in Chinese of the information contained in newspapers and other mass-market publications.
7. Identify the cultural traditions associated with China and Taiwan, as well as Chinese speakers worldwide.
8. Compose a brief essay using the Chinese writing system and characters.

This course is designed to provide the opportunity to see and experience the richness of China through the unique experience of travel. The core part of this course will be a stay in the country, with visits to the main cities and cultural centers. Class meetings prior to the trip will focus on topics that will help the student to prepare for the experience, and meetings after the trip will provide a time for debriefing, reporting, evaluation and assimilation. The student is expected to complete ten tasks during his/her stay, make an oral presentation, and prepare a portfolio of the trip. This portfolio can be a personal journal, photo display, video recording, or a combination thereof.

Course Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the political and economic systems in China today, and compare it to the American systems.
2. Identify the celebrations and holidays in the country's calendar.
3. Identify the cultural traditions associated with birth, marriage, friendship, social interaction and death.
4. Demonstrate basic proficiency in the understanding and use of the Chinese language by successfully greeting others, ordering food at a restaurant, and using basic local services like transportation, mail and telephone.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of cultural differences and cultural blending by successfully resolving cultural conflicts while living on location.
6. Name, distinguish and explain the main features of the different periods in the country's history.