Course Description
This subject is the first semester of two that form an introduction to modern standard Chinese, commonly called Mandarin. Though not everyone taking this course will be an absolute beginner, the course presupposes no prior background in the language. The emphasis is on developing (a) basic conversational abilities (pronunciation, fundamental grammatical patterns, common vocabulary, and standard usage), (b) basic reading skills (in both the traditional character set and the simplified) as well as writing skills (in one or the other), and (c) an understanding of the language learning process so that you are able to continue studying effectively on your own.
The Textbook
The main text is J. K. Wheatley’s Learning Chinese: A Foundation Course in Mandarin, part I (unpublished, but available as bound Xerox, as well as online). Learning Chinese consists of several introductory chapters, seven core lessons (labeled 1, 2, 3…) and six character lessons (labeled A, B, C…). The two sets of lessons will be interleafed, with lesson 1 followed by A, lesson 2 by B, etc. We will cover as much of part I as is feasible in the first semester, and then complete it and continue with part II in the second (21F.102).
FlashCube
Assistance in internalizing lesson material is provided by way of a computer program called flashCube, developed by Jordan Gilliland while a graduate student at MIT. As the name suggests, flashCube delivers through the medium of the computer what has traditionally been provided by the folk-method of the flashcard, the vocabulary or phrase notebook, and the tape recorder. FlashCube stores, in a compact and Course Description convenient format, much of the Chinese material presented in Learning Chinese, and allows students to test themselves into and out of the spoken or written language. The sound files for flashCube are still being recorded and the full set may not be available until several weeks into the course.
Recommended Dictionaries
DeFrancis, John, ed. ABC Chinese-English Dictionary (regular or pocket edition). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1996. ASIN: 0824817443 (regular); ISBN: 0824821548 (pocket).
Yuan, Boping and Sally Church, eds. The Starter Oxford Chinese Dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN: 0198602588.
Manser, Martin H., ed. Concise English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. ASIN: 0195911512.
Schedules; Assignments; Tests
The semester calendar shows holidays, test days, and other major assignments. The textbook itself contains exercises for monitoring progress, and though these will not always be collected, you should do them and ask questions if necessary (via email or in class or office hours). As the calendar shows, there are four tests over the course of the term, and an oral interview. There are also frequent quizzes (not always announced), whose cumulative weight is equal to two tests. There is no final examination this term.
Written tests will cover pinyin transcription (including tone), grammatical knowledge, usage (choice of words), appropriateness (choice of expression in a context), comprehension, reading in characters, and writing characters. The oral interview will test pronunciation, fluency, accuracy, and appropriateness of speech, and comprehension.
Grading
The course grade will be based on class performance, and on tests. Class performance will be evaluated on the basis of attendance (including promptness), and preparedness. Other factors may come in to play, eg: improvement versus stagnation over the course of the semester, and progress relative to starting level. Quizzes or tests missed without written excuse cannot be made up. Attendance and promptness is assumed; no more than four unexcused absences (i.e., a week’s worth) are allowed.