I. Course Description:

This course is designed for students with prior experience in the language, namely the listening and speaking abilities of daily Chinese, but who know little of how to read and write Chinese. While students will be trained in developing their comprehensive competence in all the four communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), more emphasis will be given to reading and writing Chinese characters. In addition, the acquisition of standard pronunciation and Chinese cultural awareness will be also stressed. Prerequisite: Instructor approval is required to register for this course.

II. Instructors:

Section A:	Dr. Sue-mei Wu (BH 245A)
Telephone:	268-5949
E-mail:	suemei@andrew.cmu.edu
Office Hours:	Tues. 3:30-4:20; Fri. 3:30-4:20; or by appointment

III. Class Schedule and Rooms:

Section A	MTWF	12:30-1:20	CFA 110
Modern Languages	Resource Center	(MLRC)	PH 225C

IV. Textbooks; Audio tapes
Textbooks: PRACTICAL CHINESE READER I: Bejing Language Institute. 1988. Cheng & Tsui Company
Workbook I:PRACTICAL CHINESE READER I ; II--Writing Workbook. Shou-hsin Teng. 1993. Cheng & Tsui Company
Supplementary Readings: Will be distributated in class.
Audio Tapes: Audio tapes for PCR is available at the Modern Languages Resource Center (MLRC) in PH 225C

V. Requirements:
1.Tapes: It is very hard to learn to speak a foreign language without adequate contact with the language. One hour of class a day is not enough. Therefore, students are required to make full use of the MLRC for practice outside of class time. Part of the homework for each lesson will be done with the help of the audio tapes. Students are strongly advised to practice with the tapes as much as possible to lay a good foundation for further training in spoken Chinese. Don't just listen, but also repeat after the tapes, imitating the voices of the native speakers.

2. Attendance: Class attendance and participation is VERY IMPORTANT for this course. Students are required to attend ALL classes scheduled and take an active part in classroom activities. Attendance will be recorded every day. If, for some justifiable reason, you are not able to come to class on a certain day, advance notice to the instructor is required, except for emergency cases. Supporting documents (e.g. doctor's note) should be submitted in order for an absence to be excused. Class participation accounts for 10% of your total grade. If your absences from the class exceed 15 class hours, you will get a zero for attendance and participation

3. Character quizzes: in order to build a good foundation of Chinese writing and reading skills, practicing and reciting Chinese characters regularly are essential. Character quizzes will be held regularly. They will account for 10% of your total grade. Missed Character quizzes cannot be made up. To allow flexibility for excused absences, emergencies, and "bad days", your three lowest scroes on character quizzes for the semester will not be included in your average.

4. Assignments: Exercises will be assigned for each lesson. The instructor will give you the due date. Late submission will result in a deduction of points from your grade. Homework received more than one week after the due date will receive no credit. If you forget to bring your homework to class, you may leave it in the folder outside the instructor's office (BH 245A).

5. LaLL-Learning about Language Learning : To learn a foreign language well, knowledge of language learning strategies is very important. For this purpose, this course also provides you with some theories on language learning. Lectures and classroom discussions on how a foreign language can be learned will be part of the course. Students are required to attend the lecture, watch the video tape, participate in all the discussions. There will be writing assignments as well.

6. Test: There will be lesson tests regularly during the whole semester. The final exam will be all in oral interview and performance. It will cover everything we learn during the semester. The guidelines will be provided during the semester.

7. Make-up tests or exams will not be permitted except in the case of illness or emergency situations. Written proof needs to be presented to the instructor for rescheduling.

8. The classroom will be highly student-centered. What this means is that the instructor will be doing very little in the way of explaining or lecturing. Rather, classroom learning will be achieved mainly through group/pair work, role playing, and other activities geared toward your active production of the Chinese language. So, it is very important to study the material for a given day before coming to class.

9. In order to promote your reading, writing skills, and Chinese cultural awareness, we will provide some readings related to Chinese traditions and culture. There will also be some short essays and weekly journals as part of the requirements. The guidelines for these activities will be provided later.

10. WA: In order to improve your reading and writing skills in Chinese, we will provide a Writing Assistant (WA) to help. You will be required to meet with her to perform some assigned activities as well as discuss your drafts before making corrections and revisions. The final drafts of your writing assignments will be graded.

VI. Web Materials: Please check the course web site frequently for up-to-date announcements, grammatical notes and class schedules. There will also be periodic web assignments for you to complete which will count as part of your homework grade. Note: There are instructions here on how to get the resources you need to read Chinese online.

VII. Grades:

Calculation	Distribution	Total 100%
A= 80-100	Class participation; Character quizzes	10%; 10%
B=80-89	Lesson Homework	20%
C=70-79	Lesson tests	30%
D=55-64	Shart essays; Weekly Journals	10%; 10%
F=Below 55	Final Oral Exam	10%

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