Introductory Chinese

Textbook(s)
Main: Approaching China by Lening Liu and Ling Yan (The books can be purchased at here. You may use the code “columbia” for free two-day shipping on http://nanhaibooks.com/)

Optional: Colloquial Chinese (the pinyin text with grammar notes in English) by P. C. T’ung and D. E. Pollard (The books can be purchased at Labyrinth Books at 112th St. )

Other: Additional character writing sheets and Stroke Order materials will be handed out in the first session of class. There will be a fee for these materials.

Course Objectives

This course serves the same goals as Elementary Chinese N class, but goes at half the pace of N class. This course only starts in Spring semester every year. Students in the this course are expected to do the following by the end of the academic year:
Listening
• Be able to understand simple questions and answers
• Be able to comprehend short dialogues and passages read or spoken by Chinese natives at normal speed with familiar vocabulary.
Speaking
• Be able to ask and answer questions in Chinese.
• Be able to talk about simple everyday activities with accuracy and fluency.
• Be able to handle simple survival situations (initiating conversations, shopping, asking for directions, etc.).
Reading
• Be able to comprehend short written dialogues and reading passages with familiar vocabulary.
Writing
• Be able to write Chinese phonetic symbols (Pinyin) correctly.
• Know the principles of writing traditional Chinese characters (stroke order, radicals, etc.).
• Be able to write essays of approximately 200-300 characters about simple everyday activities.

 Course Requirements
• Attendance: Attendance in regular class and drill session will be counted in the calculation of your final grade.
• Preparation: You are expected to work a minimum of one and half hours every day. Routine preparation includes listening to the tapes, writing characters, studying the vocabulary, patterns and texts, reading grammar notes.
• Homework Assignments: Written: Character exercises, grammar exercises, and short essays Oral: 1) Recite (from memory) the selected paragraph(s) of each lesson. 2) Audio tape your oral assignments as instructed.
• Oral Sessions: All students in N classes are required to attend the weekly oral sessions.
Note: Unless due to emergencies, no make-up quizzes, tests, exams or late work will be permitted.