Beginning Chinese I is designed for Chinese language beginners. Students will:

• build a solid foundation of methods for learning Chinese,
• develop language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing,
• focus specifically on pronunciation, colloquial communication, and character recognition,
• gain an understanding of Chinese culture through the study of the language.

Upon completion of this course, students will reach the Novice level on the American Council on the Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL). This course aims to help students become cross-cultural communicators and meet the SUU’s curriculum goals.

This course consists of four class meetings every week. Class time will mainly be used for lectures and relevant activities to ensure that students produce grammatically correct and socio-culturally appropriate Chinese.

This course is designed for beginners with no previous knowledge of Chinese. If you have taken Chinese in high school or at another college (or anywhere else) or if you have other experience speaking or reading Chinese (e.g. family background, etc.), you must inform the instructor at the beginning of the semester so that you can find the class that is most appropriate for you.

• Yuehua Liu and Tao-Chung Yao. 2017. Integrated Chinese: Textbook 1, Simplified Characters, 4th Edition. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company.
• 2017. Integrated Chinese: Workbook 1, Simplified Characters, 4th Edition. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company.
• 2017. Integrated Chinese: Character Workbook 1, Simplified and Traditional Characters, 4th Edition. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company.

All books are available for purchase at the SUU bookstore.

Useful online resources

• Chinese Program at SUU: https://www.suu.edu/hss/languages/chinese/
• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1989125181445299

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Pronunciation: Master Hanyu Pinyin, the romanization system used for standard Mandarin Chinese especially mastering the lexical tones (the pitch variations used to distinguish word meanings).
• Conversation: Ability to converse in Mandarin on subject matters covered in course content.
• Listening: Ability to understand classroom Chinese and everyday Chinese on the topics covered in and relevant to the textbook.
• Reading: Ability to understand and read aloud correctly texts in both Pinyin and Mandarin characters covered in the course content.
• Orthography (Chinese characters 汉字): Describe the basics of the Chinese writing system, including the “radical” components in the classification of Chinese characters. Correctly recognize 250 Chinese characters and accurately write 50 characters with correct stroke order from memory.
• Grammar: Correct use of all grammatical patterns taught in this semester.
• Writing: Use basic grammar and sentence patterns in short written compositions in Chinese characters.
• Cultural proficiency: Demonstrate basic understanding of Chinese culture, including Chinese greetings, family construction and development, Chinese names and kinship terms, Chinese calendar, and some Chinese etiquette.

SUU learning outcomes

• Communication: Students develop and express ideas and will be able to do so in a variety of ways, namely in writing, by speaking, visually, kinesthetically, through design or aurally.
• Intercultural Knowledge and Competence: Students demonstrate that they possess a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.

USHE Humanities Breadth General Education Learning Outcomes

• Breadth Humanities
• Humanities: Upon successful completion of the General Education Humanities requirement, students will be able to:

1. Examine: Examine how humanities artifacts (such as oral narratives, literature, philosophy, media, and artworks) express the human condition;
2. Explain: Explain how humanities artifacts take on meaning within networks or systems (such as languages, cultures, values, and worldviews) that account for the complexities and uncertainties of the human condition;
3. Analyze: Analyze humanities artifacts according to humanities methodologies, such as a close analysis, questioning, reasoning, interpretation, and critical thinking;
4. Compare and Contrast: Compare and contrast diverse humanistic perspectives across cultures, communities, and/or time periods to explain how people make meaning of their lives; and
5. Apply: Using humanities perspectives, reflect on big questions related to aesthetics, values, meaning, and ethics and how those apply to their own lives.

Doing well in a language class requires consistent, but not exhausting, effort. If you budget your time outside of class to make sure you practice regularly, you will succeed. Because of the nature of the subject, cramming at the last minute will almost surely lead to unsatisfactory performance in Chinese—in other words, don’t fall behind!

Culture Activity
We have three extracurricular cultural activities scheduled for this semester. These activities are considered part of the course. Students are expected to attend all of them, as they will take place in place of regular class sessions. Students can also earn extra credit by participating in these activities.

Participation (15%)
Students are expected to actively participate in all in-class activities in every session. No cell phone, laptop, pad, or any other technical devices are allowed to be used in the class unless required by the instructors. In addition to doing homework, students should expect to spend up to four hours outside of class each week to prepare for and review class sessions.

Character copy (9%)
Copy Chinese characters in the character workbook. Students need to hand in the assigned character workbook homework on due date in class. Students can use character workbook for reference in writing assignments, and chapter tests.

Homework Sheets and Workbook (8%)
Students must submit the assigned workbook homework on the due date at the beginning of class.

Chinese Language Clinics (5%)
Language clinics take place on a weekly basis. Students are required to attend language clinics at least 5 times during the semester. Tutors help students review the class content and prepare them for the chapter oral test. Please always schedule with the tutors before attending the required weekly language clinic. Students are welcome to attend extra meetings with the tutors. Students will earn one extra credit point for each additional meeting with the tutors, up to a maximum of five extra credit points.

Vocabulary Quizzes (18%)
Tests students’ character recognition and writing.

Chapter Tests (20%)
There will be four chapter tests. The tests include listening and reading comprehension, grammar, and Chinese characters. You can use the character workbook for reference while writing the tests. You are highly encouraged to remember how to write the characters. If you don’t use the character workbook, you’ll get 10 extra scores on top of your grade.

Projects (20%)
There will be two projects. Students are obliged to attend both sessions for each project. Rubrics for each project will be given in advance. Please pay attention to further announcements on the details.

Grading Scale
A: 93-100; A-: 90-92.99; B+: 87-89; B: 83-86; B-: 80-82; C+: 77-79; C: 73-76; C-: 70-72; D+: 67-69; D: 63-65; D-: 60-62; F < 60

Assignment Weights

Schedule (This syllabus is subject to change. Updates will be announced and posted to Canvas if changes occur.)

L = Lesson; D = Dialogue; N = Narrative; WB = Workbook; CC = Character Copy.

Homecoming Parade SAT, Oct 24, 9:30-10:30: Class Replacement

No Final Exam! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Homework Late and Makeup Policy

Homework including workbook and character copy are assigned on a daily basis and should be turned in immediately upon arrival at the classroom of the due date. Homework turned in more than 24 hours late will receive 75% of the total grade. Homework turned in later than 48 hours will be corrected but receive no grade. Late homework because of medical reasons, only when accompanied by a physician’s note, will be accepted as homework finished on time. Computer problems will not be accepted as a reason for late homework. Homework missed due to an excused absence must be made up within one week of the absence.

Tests and Quizzes

All students are expected to take tests and quizzes as they are scheduled. No make-up test is allowed unless there is a physician’s note to certify that the student cannot take the test at the scheduled time. The late test with excused absence must be made up within one week from the absent date, or it will be corrected but not graded. There are no makeup quizzes; however, you can take a quiz earlier if needed.

Classroom Technology and Work Habits

• No cell phone, laptop, pad, or any other technical devices are allowed to be used in class unless required by the instructor.
• In addition to doing homework, students should expect to spend up to four hours outside of class each week to prepare for and review class sessions.
• Please keep all your graded written homework in case you want to check your grades; it can also help you review what you have learned.
• Please schedule with tutors before attending required weekly language clinics.

Use of AI/ChatGPT/Translation Tools

This language course is designed to enhance your language proficiency. The use of AI, such as ChatGPT, or any form of translation tools for completing homework or projects is prohibited. Using such tools otherwise will violate the policy of academic integrity. The most effective way to find answers to homework questions is to consult your textbook first. You may also seek guidance from tutors, but they will not provide direct answers.

Students are expected to attend all class sessions and actively participate in all hours of language instruction. Attendance will be taken on a daily basis.

• You are allowed SIX unexcused absences during the entire semester (10% of total class meetings) without affecting your grade.
• Additional absences (beyond six) are considered excessive and will be penalized by deducting 1% point per additional absence from your final grade. Example: If you finish the course with a 90% but have missed class seven times, your final grade will be 89%.
• If you have a family, medical, or personal emergency that makes completing an assignment by the due date and time impossible, please reach out to the instructor via email as soon as you are able.
• Documentation is not required to excuse the first four absences; however, documentation is required if, due to your absence, you have missed an assignment deadline (this especially applies to non-Connect assignments).
• Arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving early will be defined as being absent.
• Extra credit will be awarded if you attend every session during the semester.