CHINESE 102: ELEMENTARY CHINESE (2003)
COURSE INFORMATION & SYLLABUS
Course Materials | Course Work | WebCT | RMCTS | Summer in Nanjing | Ground Rules | Audio Tape Guide | Syllabus | Final

Chinese 101-102 is a beginning level course. It is assumed the students have no previous knowledge of spoken or written Chinese. If you can already speak Chinese but want to learn how to read and write, please take Intensive Reading and Writing (Chinese 121) offered in the Spring semester. That course is designed especially for you.

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 may 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 Sections 1 and 2.


Instructors

R. VanNess Simmons

Xiaoyan Lin Lihui Zhu Liping Chen Youping Zhang
  • WebCT instructor
  • Scott Hall 335 ** Office Hours: Tu 11:15-12:15 or by appointment
  • Office Phone: 932-5624 ** Email: youping@eden.rutgers.edu
    • Teaching Assistant

    Yvette Hsieh


    COURSE MATERIALS
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    1. REQUIRED: Practical Chinese Reader--Elementary Course (Traditional Character Edition), Books One and Two, by Beijing Language Institute, published by Cheng & Tsui Co. [referred to in the syllabus as PCR]

    2. REQUIRED: Practical Chinese Reader I: Patterns and Exercises (Traditional Character Edition), by Madeline Men-li Chu, published by Cheng & Tsui Co. And Practical Chinese Reader II: Patterns and Exercises (Traditional Character Edition), by Ling-hsia Yeh, published by Cheng & Tsui Co. [referred to in the syllabus as PE1 and PE2, respectively]

    3. REQUIRED: Practical Chinese Reader Companion (Traditional Character Edition), Volume B--Lessons 21-35, by Yihua Wang, published by Cheng & Tsui Co. [referred to in the syllabus as CP]

    4. REQUIRED: Practical Chinese Reader I & II: Writing Workbook (Traditional Character Edition), edited by Shou-hsin Teng, published by Cheng & Tsui Co. [referred to in the syllabus as WW]

    5. OPTIONAL: Audio Tapes for Practical Chinese Reader, Books One & Two, Beijing Language Institute. Also available at Cheng & Tsui Co.

    6. OPTIONAL: A) Practical Chinese Reader (Simplified Character Edition), Books One and Two, Beijing Language Institute. B)Practical Chinese Reader I: Patterns and Exercises (Simplified Character Edition), by Madeline Men-li Chu, and Practical Chinese Reader II: Patterns and Exercises (Simplified Character Edition), by Ling-hsia Yeh, both published by Cheng & Tsui Co. C) Practical Chinese Reader Chinese Character Exercises, Books One and Two (Simplified Character Edition), Beijing Language Institute.

    7. OPTIONAL: Read and Write Chinese, by Rita Mei-Wah Choy, published by China West Books.

    8. OPTIONAL: Oxford Concise English-Chinese/Chinese-English Dictionary; published by Oxford University Press.

    9. OPTIONAL: Pinyin Chinese-English Dictionary, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

    All the above materials are available from the University Bookstore at One Penn Plaza, opposite the New Brunswick train station, and also probably from New Jersey Books, 108 Somerset St.

    COURSE WORK
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    Regular classroom work will be occassionally supplemented with video, computer CD ROM, and internet work.  There will be weekly Tests, a Midterm, and a Final.  There may also be spot quizzes given without notice.  All tests and exams are cumulative.  Learning a language, especially one as difficult as Chinese, is a very demanding task.  You are required to attend every class, including video classes. And you must thoroughly prepare the scheduled lesson material before class.  You must also complete and turn in on time all assigned homework.

    While purchase of the audio tapes for the text is optional, you are still ALSO REQUIRED to work with the audio tapes of the lessons.  Language Lab tape assignments are given italicized inside brackets "[ ]" in the syllabus on the dates you should start listening to the tapes of a lesson.  If you do not purchase them, you may work with the tapes in the Language Lab--we receive a record of your attendance there.  The Language Lab is also authorized to make personal copies of a current lesson if you do not purchase the tapes but still wish to work with them at home.  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.

    WEBCT DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES
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    To help students get familiar with the Chinese word processing tool and practice Chinese in an authentic language context, we require all students to do WebCT discussion activities in Spring 03.  Students in Section 70 and Section 02 are required to do WebCT discussion activities in Week 3, Week 5 and Week 7. Students in Section 01 and Section 03 are required to do WebCT discussion activities in Week 9, Week 11 and Week 13.

    During the first two weeks of the semester, a workshop will be scheduled for each section to show you how to install the NJStar Chinese fonts, how to set up your WebCT account, how to do Chinese word processing and how to do on-line discussion in Chinese on WebCT.  For the week that has WebCT assignment, a topic related to a PCR lesson will be posted on your class WebCT site every Monday on a bi-weekly basis.  You are required to use NJStar, a Chinese word processing tool to write a response to each topic.  In addition, you are required to respond to at least one posting of your classmates and respond to all the questions directed to you from your classmate(s) and/or your instructor.  The WebCT discussion activites are regular homework assignments and will be graded on a 10 points basis.  Once the topic is posted, you should write your response and  interact with your classmates and/or the instructor on line within that particular week.  Your WebCT assignment is due by Friday noon at 12:00 of that particular week.  In addition to receiving homework grades for the WebCT assignments, you will earn extra credits for active participation in the WebCT discussion activities. If you have any questions, please contact Zhang Laoshi at youping@eden.rutgers.edu

    Youping Zhang
    Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University
    Phone: 732-932-7496 ext.8228
    http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/~youping
    RUTGERS MULTIMEDIA CHINESE TEACHING SYSTEM & DIGICLASS
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    RMCTS:  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 designed to parallel the class text and to enrich and supplement the vocabulary you are learning.  The lesson numbers of the RMCTS system match the Chinese 101 and 102 syllabus.  For example, for the on-line material for the lesson we begin with this semester, Lesson 22, simply go to Lesson 22 in RMCTS.  You may also go to the earlier lessons to review material from last semester.

    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 easliy 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.  Some of the more recent versions of MS Internet Explorer might automatically enable Chinese display.  If not, to learn how to set up your own computer to display and type Chinese, you may 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 contains interactive exercises that are geared to the RMCTS lessons and include vocabulary, reading and listening drills and practice.  To encourage your participation, we will give extra credit to students who use the site often and regularly submit the exercises to their section instructor via e-mail.

    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.

    ANNOUNCEMENT: SUMMER IN NANJING
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    This coming Summer 2003, the Rutgers University Department of Asian Languages and Cultures will hold its second summer program in China in the ancient city of Nanjing. The program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to study Chinese in a native environment. Located on the southern banks of the Yangtze River, Nanjing is a major political, commercial, historical, and cultural center of the lower Yangtze Region. Its historical status as a national capital and proximity to the Mandarin speaking North make the city of Nanjing a fine environment for the study of Standard Chinese. Nanjing University is one of the best and oldest universities in the country and is located in the middle of the city, within a 10 minute walk of downtown Nanjing. The famous cities of Shanghai, Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou are also all very near - within a half-day's ride by train or bus. The Summer 2003 Session will be under the direction of a Professor of Chinese at Rutgers.

    For more information, visit the program web page at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/%7Eeasian/lang-culture/announcements/nanjing.html.

    Students in the program last year had a grand time and learned a lot.  We encourage all our students to join us in Nanjing next summer and reinforce all that you will learn this semester in an exciting native environment.

    COURSE GROUND RULES
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    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 assignments should be 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 NOT receive grades.

    5. Your final grade will be calculated as follows:

    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: Happy New Year & Welcome to class! We hope you continue to enjoy learning Chinese and discovering the world that the language opens up for you.


    CHINESE 101-102
    Audio Tapes for Practical Chinese Reader:
    Content Guide
    In the Language Lab, these tapes are catalogued as
    TAPE SERIES: CHINESE 101-102 E

    BOOK ONE

    BOOK TWO
    CHINESE 102: SYLLABUS, SPRING 2003
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    Week 1
    Week 2--Language Lab opens
    Week 3
    [WebCT discussion-topic related to Lesson 24]
    Week 4
    Week 5
    [WebCT discussion-topic related to Lesson 26]
    Week 6
    Week 7
    [WebCT discussion-topic related to Lesson 28]
    Week 8
    SPRING BREAK: Week of 3/17

    Week 9
    [WebCT discussion-topic related to Lesson 30]
    Week 10
    Week 11
    [WebCT discussion-topic related to Lesson 32]
    Week 12
    Week 13
    [WebCT discussion-topic related to Lesson 33]
    Week 14
    Week 15
    FINAL EXAM: PCR1-35
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