Course Description:
This introductory course is designed for students who have little or no prior exposure to Mandarin Chinese. The main objective of the course is to help students build understanding of Chinese language and culture with themes and subjects that are relevant to their daily lives focusing on interpersonal, interpretational, and presentation skills. The pedagogical instruction employs a step-by-step approach that reinforces oral communication and a solid foundation of the Chinese phonetic system (pinyin) and writing system (characters). After completing the course, students should achieve proficiency level of novice mid to novice high as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. They will be able to 1) engage in simple conversations on familiar topics; 2) comprehend readings related to the materials learned; 3) give interactive presentations on cultural topics after much preparation; 4) begin to demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the Chinese culture; and 5) recognize 200 characters.