Modern Languages at Carthage

This course focuses on elementary spoken Chinese (pinyin) through introduction of culture and current events and issues. Students are expected to get sensitized to the four tones in Mandarin Chinese and to be able to communicate orally with most basic linguistic structures in a culturally acceptable manner. Students learn to write about thirty to fifty Chinese characters (ideograms). Oral approach is the main mode of instruction.

Based on Chinese 101, this course takes students to a second level of Chinese language acquisition. Students are expected to use their vocabulary in briefly-structured conversations on topics such as daily activities, classes, nationalities/languages, family, friends, numbers, birthdays, and holidays. Students are required to master fifty to seventy ideograms in order to write simple notes and short compositions. The communicative approach is the main mode of instruction. Audiovisual material is used to create a stimulating linguistic and cultural environment.

In this course, while students continue to develop their four linguistic skills: speaking, listening, writing, and reading, more emphasis will be placed on writing. Ideograms powerfully represent China's cultural identity. It is said that understanding China is to understand Chinese ideograms. Students are required to read simple Chinese texts and to master 150-200 characters in writing. Pinyin still will be used for the purpose of oral communication. Students are expected to talk about topics beyond their immediate reality, such as cultural mannerisms, traveling, interesting people, new places, etc.

This class aims to engage students in communication on more complex and sophisticated topics, such as career plans, feelings, opinions, and negotiations, as well as current social, economic, and diplomatic issues, in simple terms. Students are expected to master about 400 Chinese characters and to be able to write their resume, greeting letters, career objectives, business memos, personal notes, and diaries. Simple literary readings in modern Chinese will be presented. Pinyin will be continued in oral communication. Calligraphy will be introduced as the essence of the Chinese language.

The course continues the oral, written, and cultural experiences of Chinese 201/202. Actively engaging the students with literary, philosophical, and historical topics is the main mode of instruction, and provides linguistic and cultural contexts for grammar studies. Class discussions, debate, role-playing, oral presentations, and guided dialogues are designed to interpret, analyze, or act texts written in or translated to Chinese, while reading and compositions are intended to enhance students' ability to express themselves and write Hanzi correctly. They should be able to recognize 1,000 and produce 600-800 Hanzi by the end of the term. Calligraphy continues as an integral part of the course.

The course continues the oral, written, and cultural experiences of Chinese 301. Authentic texts and original compositions provide opportunities for students to communicate about topics pertinent to Chinese history, culture, and society while continuing their grammar studies. Class discussions, debate, role-playing, oral presentations, and guided dialogues are designed to interpret, analyze, or act out texts written in Chinese. Hanzi is used throughout. Students should be able to recognize 1,300 and produce 800-900 Hanzi by the end of the term. Students will study song-style calligraphy.