This course aims to help students improve their language acquisition skills and advance their language proficiency beyond the Beginning Chinese II level. After finishing this course, students are expected to significantly improve their ability to engage in longer conversations with native speakers, to articulate words with precision and accuracy, and to be capable of recognizing and writing more simplified characters.

The course is conducted mostly in Chinese. All in-class and out-of-class communications with the instructor and tutor, whether oral, written, or electronic, require the use of Chinese.

Students are expected to meet the ACTFL’s language proficiency standard at the Intermediate level by the end of the course.

• Yuehua Liu and Tao-Chung Yao. 2018. Integrated Chinese: Textbook, Simplified Characters 2, 4th Edition. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company.
• Integrated Chinese: Workbook, Simplified Characters 2, 4th Edition. 2018. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company.
• Integrated Chinese: Character Workbook, Simplified and Traditional Characters 2, 4th Edition. 2018. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company.

All books are available for purchase at the SUU bookstore.

As a continuation of the previous sequence of Chinese courses, this course will focus more on vocabulary, grammar, and text:

• Grammar: CHIN 2010 and CHIN 2020 focus on grammar. Start to increase awareness of discourse structure in the text. Learn how to use connecting devices to form a paragraph in speaking and writing.
• Reading: Be able to recognize high frequency vocabulary. With larger vocabulary size, be able to make inferences in reading comprehension.
• Listening: Ability to understand classroom Chinese and everyday Chinese on the topics covered in and relevant to the textbook as well as some simple narratives.
• Conversation: Ability to converse in Mandarin on subjects covered in the textbook.
• Characters: As the vocabulary from this level of Chinese course increases exponentially, you must form a habit of memorizing Chinese characters and be able to recognize and associate characters that appear in different words. Correctly recognize 400 Chinese characters. At SUU, we only teach simplified characters. If you’re also interested in traditional characters, you are very welcome to use it in a consistent way.
• Writing: Use correct grammar and sentence patterns to write complete narratives or compositions with attention to coherence and collocation.
• Cultural proficiency: Demonstrate basic understanding of Chinese culture, including college life, rent, ordering food at a Chinese restaurant, shopping, and other topics related to Chinese culture.

USHE Humanities Breadth General Education Learning Outcomes

• Examine how humanities artifacts (such as oral narratives, literature, philosophy, media, and artworks) express the human condition.
• 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.
• Analyze humanities artifacts according to humanities methodologies, such as close analysis, questioning, reasoning, interpretation, and critical thinking.
• Compare and contrast diverse humanistic perspectives across cultures, communities, and/or time periods to explain how people make meaning of their lives.
• Apply humanities perspectives to reflect on big questions related to aesthetics, values, meaning, and ethics and how those apply to their own lives.

Additional 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.

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—don’t fall behind.

Culture Activity

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

Participation (30%)

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 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 (6%)

Copy Chinese characters in the character workbook. Submit the assigned character workbook homework at the beginning of the first session of a new text. You may use the character workbook for reference in writing assignments and chapter tests.

Review Sheets and Workbook Homework (8%)

Submit the assigned workbook homework on the due date in 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. Please schedule with the tutors before attending. Students are welcome to attend extra meetings with the tutors. Students will earn one extra credit point for each additional meeting, up to a maximum of five extra credit points.

Vocabulary Quizzes (18%)

Quizzes test students’ character recognition and writing. In 2000-level classes, the instructor will reduce the proportion of teaching how to write characters. Students should prepare for character analyses and writing before the first session of a new text. A vocabulary quiz will be given at the beginning of the second session for each text.

Chapter Tests (15%)

There will be three chapter tests, including listening and reading comprehension, grammar, and Chinese characters. You may use the character workbook for reference while writing the tests; however, you are highly encouraged to remember how to write the characters. If you do not use the character workbook, you will receive 10 extra points on top of your grade.

Projects (10%)

There will be two projects. Rubrics for each project will be provided in advance; watch for announcements with details.

Teaching Lab (8%)

The classroom will be flipped. Students are assigned to teach fellow students vocabulary and grammar. The language lab will be graded according to the student-teachers’ teaching plan, teaching performance, and the result of teaching. A rubric will be provided.

Grade Breakdown

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

No Final Exam.

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.

No Final Exam. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Homework Deadlines

• Homework (including workbook and character copy) is assigned on a daily basis and is due upon arrival to class on the due date.
• Homework submitted >24 hours late will receive 75% of the total grade.
• Homework submitted >48 hours late will be corrected but receive no grade.
• Late homework due to medical reasons will be accepted as on time only with a physician’s note.
• Computer problems are not accepted as a reason for late homework.
• Homework missed due to an excused absence must be made up within one week of the absence.

Make-Up Tests and Quizzes

• All students are expected to take tests and quizzes as scheduled.
• No make-up tests are allowed unless a physician’s note certifies that the student could not take the test at the scheduled time.
• Approved late tests must be completed within one week of the absence, or they will be corrected but not graded.
• There are no make-up quizzes; however, you may schedule to take a quiz early with the instructor if needed.

Classroom Technology and Participation

• No cell phones, laptops, tablets, or other devices may be used in class unless specifically required by the instructor.

Communication Expectations

• The course is conducted mostly in Chinese. All in-class and out-of-class communications with the instructor and tutor (oral, written, or electronic) must be in Chinese.

Extra Credit Opportunities

• Perfect attendance earns extra credit.
• Each additional meeting with language tutors beyond the five required clinics earns 1 extra credit point, up to five extra credit points.
• Participation in scheduled cultural activities may also earn extra credit.

Use of AI/Translation Tools

This language course is designed to enhance your language proficiency. The use of AI (e.g., ChatGPT) or any translation tools for completing homework or projects is prohibited. Seek answers in your textbook first; tutors may provide guidance but will not give direct answers.

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

• You are allowed six unexcused absences during the entire semester (10% of total class meetings) without affecting your grade.
• Each additional unexcused absence beyond six will result in a deduction of 1 percentage point 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, email the instructor as soon as you are able.
• Documentation is not required to excuse the first four absences; documentation is required if, due to your absence, you have missed an assignment deadline (especially applies to non-Connect assignments).
• Arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving early will be defined as being absent.
• Extra credit is awarded for perfect attendance for the semester.

• Chinese Program at SUU: https://www.suu.edu/hss/languages/chinese/
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1989125181445299
• Gerald R. Sherratt Library: https://www.suu.edu/library/