CHINESE 5310 CHINESE I
YEARLONG COURSE
Students build a foundation in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Emphasis is placed upon the mastery of the Mandarin Chinese sound system, basic vocabulary, and fundamental characterwriting concepts. Aspects of Chinese culture and history are also explored.
5320 CHINESE II
YEARLONG COURSE
• Prerequisite: Chinese I This course is a continuation of Chinese I with a review of grammar and the further development of reading and writing skills in Mandarin. Throughout the year, students explore cultural themes. Students learn to comprehend and produce simple sentence structures, with a focus on expressing individual interests through interpersonal communication and the presentational mode. Students in this course begin to accumulate more sophisticated vocabulary and grammar.
5330 CHINESE III
YEARLONG COURSE
• Prerequisite: Chinese II Designed for students who have completed two years of high school level training in Chinese, this course further develops the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students focus on solidifying essential language skills: comprehending and producing paragraph-level Chinese, understanding face-to-face conversations on familiar topics, and giving factual accounts. Students continue to explore cultural topics throughout the year.
5345 HONORS CHINESE IV YEARLONG COURSE
• Prerequisite: Chinese III and departmental approval In this rigorous course, students will develop proficiency in Chinese composition and reading. Students will learn to read and write complex sentence structures as they undergo a comprehensive study of Chinese grammar and the practice of formal writing intended for a variety of uses. Students will also develop both their handwriting and keyboarding skills. Vocabulary acquisition will be emphasized, as well as the conversation skills necessary to communicate proficiently with native speakers. Coursework will be based in the presentational mode, with students creating and sharing their original Chinese compositions. Authentic materials including movies, news reports and songs form the basis for cultural and linguistic study throughout the course.
5390 AP CHINESE LANGUAGE, CULTURE, & LITERACY YEARLONG COURSE
• Prerequisite: Honors Chinese IV and departmental approval Throughout this course, students hone their language skills across the three communicative modes: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational. In so doing, they develop necessary knowledge of Chinese language, including pronunciation, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, grammatical structures, and written characters. Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to initiate and sustain two-way communication with native speakers in culturally appropriate ways, comprehend a wide variety of oral and written texts, compose email or personal letters to 2021-22 COURSE OF STUDIES 25
