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Course Materials | Course Work | RMCTS | Digiclass | Ground Rules | Syllabus

CHINESE 101: ELEMENTARY CHINESE (2007)
COURSE INFORMATION & SYLLABUS

Chinese 101-102 is a beginning level course. It is assumed the students have no previous knowledge of spoken or written Chinese. It is university policy that if you can already speak Chinese but want to learn how to read and write, you are NOT allowed in this class. Please take Intensive Reading and Writing (Chinese 121), which is also offered this semester: MW Period 5 in Murray 114. That course is designed especially for you.  Your college deans will delete any credit you earn in Chinese 101 and/or 102 if they find out you were overqualified for the class -- even if you have completed the course -- and we cannot do anything about it.  That is not this case if you take Chinese 121.

Chinese 101-102 Section 70 is a Distance Learning class taught simultaneously on the Rutgers New Brunswick and Newark campuses via live video.  Students in Newark and New Brunswick are in class together over the Rutgers Distance Learning Network.  The instruction originates from New Brunswick, though the instructors also make occasional visits to the Newark classroom.  In course content, classroom drills and interaction, and all homework and exam requirements, Section 70 is 100% identical to all the other sections.

Class times and classrooms

Instructors

R. VanNess Simmons

Lihui Zhu Jing Ning
Juan Yin
Teaching Assistant

Jie Chen

Drill Assistant

Jing Ning
COURSE MATERIALS

1. REQUIRED: Kung Fu (I): An Elementary Chinese Text.  By John C. Jamieson and Lin Tao.  Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2002.  [referred to in the syllabus as KF]

2.REQUIRED: Kung Fu (I): Student Exercise Manual.  By John C. Jamieson and Lin Tao.  Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2002.  [referred to in the syllabus as EM]
 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  The Student Exercise Manual is the workbook for this class from which most of the homework assignments will be drawn.  However, students are required to copy out the homework assignments by hand on separate sheets of paper before completing them. DO NOT turn your homework in on pages torn from this book.  The reasons for this are: (1) The additional copying required will allow you more practice writing Chinese; (2) some separate assignments are on the front and back of the same page/sheet in the book and if you hand in one side you will not have access to the other side for the next assignment; and (3) leaving the exercise book blank will allow you to use it to test yourself for review and practice.  The Chinese character assignments can be done on practice sheets in the course packet (see below), of which you should make copies if you run out.

3. OPTIONAL: Audio CD for Kung Fu (I): An Elementary Chinese Text.  By John C. Jamieson and Lin Tao.  Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2002.

4. OPTIONAL: Oxford Starter Chinese Dictionary; Oxford University Press, 2000.

All the above materials are available from the University Bookstore at One Penn Plaza, opposite the New Brunswick train station, and probably also from New Jersey Books, 108 Somerset St. You are ALSO REQUIRED to get a copy of the COURSE PACKET--available from Pequod Printing, 119 Somerset Street--which we will use right away.

The course packet contains a Pronunciation Packet that you are required to go through on your own, at your own pace the first three week of the semester, in the Language Lab, ask for "Tape Series 101-102 D."  The Pronunciation Packet contains keys for all of the exercises it includes.

Course Packet Contents

While we recommend that you purchase the preprinted copy of the Course Packet and bring it with you to class daily (as that way you can be sure you will have it ready to work with whenever necessary), we have also made it available for download as .pdf files that you can print yourself by following the below links in the web copy of this syllabus at

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~rsimmon/Chi101KFsyl.htm

1. Pronunciation Packet
2. Pinyin Drills (also includes some brief notes on Chinese character structure and writing)
3. Supplementary Class Exercises for Kung Fu Lessons 1 to 10
4. Character Practice Sheets
5. Character Reference Sheets for Kung Fu Lessions 1 to 10 (and part of 11)

The following file contains material that was produced by a student and is not included in the Course Packet.  But we include it here in case you might find it useful:

6. Supplementary reference sheets for the Chinese characters in Kung Fu Lessons 1 to 10

While purchase of the CD for the text is optional, you are still ALSO REQUIRED to work with the CD or audio tapes of the lessons. If you do not purchase the CD, you may work with the CD or tapes in the Language Lab--we receive a record of your attendance there. If you purchase the CD, you must let your section instructor know so that you do not lose credit for not being listed on the Language Lab attendance sheets.

NOTE: You should actively use the audio recordings for practice.  That is you should not only listen to them, but you should also repeat after them, imitating the sounds of Chinese.  You should do that over and over again for each lesson.  You will find it difficult, if not nearly impossible, to make progress in learning Chinese if you do not constantly use the audio tapes for listening and reading practice.


RUTGERS MULTIMEDIA CHINESE TEACHING SYSTEM and DIGICLASS@RUTGERS

To supplement your work in the Language Lab and with the textbook the Rutgers Department of Asian Languages and Cultures has developed the Rutgers Multimedia Chinese Teaching System (RMCTS).  It is now on-line and ready for your use at http://chinese.rutgers.edu.  This site contains extensive text and audio practice with challenging and interesting content to supplement our Chinese language courses.

Note:  While you can access the site from any computer connected to the Internet, if the computer is not set up to display Chinese characters, you might only be able to view the English and pinyin on the site and the Chinese will appear as nonsense text.  However you can easily view the Chinese on the computers in the Rutgers Asian Languages and Cultures Computer Lab in 340 Scott Hall and in the Rutgers New Brunswick Language Labs, all of which are set up to display Chinese.  Recent versions of most browsers can usually automatically enable Chinese display.  If not, you can also try manually setting the encoding to Chinese.  To learn how to set up your own computer to display and type Chinese, you may also follow the links under http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~rsimmon/#Learning Chinese.

Digiclass:  In addition to RMCTS, the Chinese language program also participates in the Rutgers Digiclass language site at http://fas-digiclass.rutgers.edu/.  The Chinese section of this site currently contains interactive exercises geared to the KungFu lessons -- listed under "KF1-10" -- as well as the RMCTS lessons.  Beginning the 4th week of classes, these exercises are a required component of your course homework, though you are allowed to complete them at your own pace.  However, credit will only be granted to students who complete the Digiclass Kung Fu 101 exercises regularly as the semester progresses, in-step with the lessons.  (Credit will NOT be given to students who wait until the last minute and complete the Digiclass exercises all at once or in two or three sessions.)  To receive the homework credit, have the results e-mailed to your section instructor.

Please explore RMCTS and the Chinese Digiclass and visit them often this semester.  We urge you to come to us anytime with questions, comments, and criticism regarding the RMCTS and Digiclass sites.


COURSE WORK

Learning a language, especially one as difficult as Chinese, is a very demanding task. You are required to attend every class, and to regularly attend the Language Lab.

You must also complete and turn in ALL assigned homework on time before class begins.  Some (about half) of the homework assignments will be corrected orally in class to be turned in for credit; others will be corrected and graded by the instructor.  Your instructor will determine which assignments are to be graded and which are to be corrected orally and let you know after the assignment is due.

Note: If you have tapes made for work at home, you must still sign the attendance sheet each time you pick up a tape and indicate you are taking a tape for work at home; if you purchase the tapes, you should let us know so that you are not penalized for not attending the Language Lab.

The "Language Lab & RMCTS/Digiclass Assignments" are listed on the syllabus according to the day you should try to begin the work for a given lesson in the Language Lab and in RMCTS & Digiclass.  In fact, you should not try to finish the Language Lab and RMCTS/Digiclass work in one sitting.  Instead, you should make regular daily visits (including on the weekends!) to the the Language Lab and the RMCTS/Digiclass sites, pacing your work in increments timed to finish one lesson before you begin work on the next.

In addition to regular classroom work there will be weekly tests or quizzes, three hour exams, and a final. There may also be spot quizzes given without notice. All tests and exams are cumulative.


GROUND RULES

1. Absolutely NO make-ups will be given for tests or quizzes. If you are ill (and present a note from your doctor) or observing a religious holiday, you will be excused from that test or quiz.

2. You are allowed only one free, unexplained or unexcused absence. Any further unexcused absences will not be tolerated. We will make daily note of your attendance and your final grade will be reduced by three percentage points for each day you are absent after the first time. Absences can be excused only for religious reasons or by presentation of a note from your doctor stating a valid medical cause.

3. If you are tardy more than three times, the instructor will no longer be responsible for including you in drill or answering your questions regarding missed lesson in class.

4. All homework assignments should be finished and handed in before the class begins. Exercises handed in on time will be corrected, graded, and returned to you promptly. Late assignments will be noted but will NOTreceive grades.

5. Your final grade will be calculated as follows:

  1. Effort 10% (or more)
  2. Homework/assignments 10%
  3. Tests/quizzes 20%
  4. Hour Exams 30%
  5. Final 30%
6. The "effort" grade will be based on regular attendance, preparation, and class participation. Students will loose points for unexcused absences, tardiness, leaving class early, poor classroom attitude, failure to regularly attend the language lab, and failure to hand in homework on time. Remember: You, the student, are the one who is learning the language; we, the instructors, can only provide you with the opportunity to learn.

7. Please feel free to come to our office hours when you have questions that cannot be satisfactorily solved during class time, or simply when you need extra help. But you should not get in the habit of missing class and then trying to make up what you missed during our office hours.

Finally: Welcome to class! We hope you enjoy learning Chinese and discovering the world that the language opens up for you.


CHINESE 101: SYLLABUS, FALL 2007

Week 1
Week 2 (Language Lab opens)
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15

Final Exam
(Through KF Lesson 10 and KF11a-b Hànzì)
{Scheduled as required by university policy, see http://scheduling.rutgers.edu/fallfinals.htm}