Dept. of Asian and Asian American Studies

California State University, Long Beach

CHIN301

Advanced Chinese

Syllabus

Summer 2008

Instructor: Ching-I Tsao

Office Hours: TBA

Office Phone: 562-985-4515

Office: FO3-304

Instructor’s email: chingitsao@yahoo.com.tw

Course email address: csuslichn301@hotmail.edu (for submitting  homework)

Course Description

CHIN 301 is the Mandarin Chinese course for the students who have completed CHIN 202 or have similar speaking and reading proficiency of the Mandarin Chinese language. This is an upper division course with the special emphasis on discussing, narrating, reading and essay-writing. Students are expected to reach the Intermediate-high/Advance level based on the ACTFL proficiency guide-line.

Most of the class time will be used for practice. Students are expected to preview each lesson before class. Students are also expected to prepare for discussions, essay writing and oral presentation. About sevens lessons will be covered in the Fall semester. Supplementary online reading materials or video tapes will be used to help students in learning. The class meets twice a week (Monday and Wednesday, 3:30-4:45, at PSY 152).

Course Objectives

By completing this course, students will be able to:

• Discuss the related topics and make oral presentations;
• Read the Chinese text at intermediate/advanced level;
• Compose essays on the assigned topics;
• Type and use email in Chinese.

Course Material       

• Required textbook: Beyong the Basics by Bai Jianhua et al. Cheng and Tsui Company, 1996
• Online readings will be available in course web site and Beachboard.

Recommended Learning Tools:

Dictionary 

Concise English-Chinese/Chinese-English Dictionary. The Commercial Press & Oxford University Press, 1986.

Software and web sites

• Microsoft Chinese IME (input method editor) with Word.
• Course web page-http://www.csulb.edu/~txie/301/ or Beachboard.
• Learning Chinese Online page - http://www.csulb.edu/~txie/online.htm

Class Schedule (subject to change)

Tests and Examinations

Students are expected to actively participate in discussion and presentation. Discussion and presentation will help compose essays. Essay-writing is a part of the test and it will be graded based on the vocabulary usage, grammatical correctness, discourse appropriate­ness and organization. Essays can be typed using computers. Printed essays are encouraged.

Oral presentation will be basically conducted in discussion classes. The grade of the oral presentations will be counted as a part of your tests and exams.

All tests and examinations (midterm and final) are obligatory. The tests will be given on the assigned days only. All the tests will be conducted in the lab using computers. No requests for taking the tests before or after the set date will be honored without a valid excuse or documentation.

Grading Policy

5 tests (including oral presentations)      50%                

Midterm                                               20%                                                    

Final                                                     20%                                                    

Homework                                           10%

     .

Notes

1. Please submit homework on time. Homeworks and essays are accepted in printed form or as electronic files.
2. Missing a homework assignment or failing to attend a class without any valid excuses or documentation will lead to losing one point toward your final score.
3. Any changes will be announced in class or through email. Students are responsible to check email regular to avoid missing any important announcements or assignments.
4. Any additional handouts used for class will be available online. Students should print the handouts and bring them to class.

University Withdrawal Policy

It is the students' responsibility to withdraw from classes. Instructors have no obligation to withdraw students who do not attend courses, and may choose not to do so. Withdrawal from a course after the first two weeks of instruction requires the signatures of the instructor and department chair, and is permissible only for serious and compelling reasons, such as documented illness and a change in work hours/schedule. Students should be aware that the definition of "serious and compelling reasons" as applied by faculty and administrators may become narrower as the semester progresses. During the final three weeks of instruction, withdrawals are not permitted except in cases such as accident or serious illness where the circumstances causing the withdrawal are clearly beyond the student's control and the assignment of an incomplete is not practical. Ordinarily, withdrawals in this category involve total withdrawal from the university. The College of Liberal Arts adheres to this policy strictly, and does not sign withdrawal forms in the final three weeks of class for other reasons.