2n

Intermediate Chinese (N-Sections)

Textbook(s)

留学中国 Study Abroad in China (I & II)
Price: around $40

This set of course books aims at expanding the learner's ability to handle everyday situations and tasks in Chinese. The lessons are presented in the form of a narrative story. Part I (Lessons 1-9) focuses on such tasks as shopping, writing a letter, making a phone call, renting a room, for looking for a job. Part II (Lessons 10-18) presents more culture-related topics, such as Chinese social norms for politeness, Chinese holidays, Chinese traditional notions of love and marriage etc.

Course Objectives

By the end of the full course (two semesters), the student will be expected to be able to do the following:

Listening: Understand level-appropriate conversations, narratives and informational narration.
Speaking: Cope with everyday tasks; carry on conversations regarding everyday life experiences.
Reading: Read expository and narrative writings with vocabulary control; solve non-complex textual problems with the help of dictionary. Comprehend the main idea of a reading passage which contains a small amount of unfamiliar words. Writing: Write essays in forms of personal narratives, informational narratives, comparison and discussion of viewpoints with level-appropriate vocabulary.
Culture: Understand the basic Chinese norms in socializing introduced in the course and use the language appropriately according to these norms and rules

Course Requirements

Routine Preparations for classs: Listen to tapes, preview the text, consult the dictionary, read notes or grammar sections, do exercises according to the Teaching Schedule.
Class Participation and Performance: Each class requires preparation. Class performance grade will be based on In-Class Exercises on Word usage and Patterns, Grammar, Reading and Listening.
Class Presentation: You are expected to give oral presentations in class (no more than 3 minutes for each student). The topics will be assigned in advance.
Oral Practice Sessions: Unless exempted by the instructor, you are required to attend the weekly Oral Sessions with a TA. There will be a final oral exam for all the students of the class in the final week of classes each semester.
Homework Assignments and Essays: Typical homework assignments include constructing sentences using given patterns and doing the vocabulary or grammar exercises. There are at least three essay writing assignments each semester.
Quizzes, Tests and Final Exams: A vocabulary quiz is given halfway through each lesson. There is one written test on every two lessons and a Final Exam at the end of each semester.