CHN 441 Chinese Flagship Advanced Language Strategies (4 credits)
Winter 2009-10
INSTRUCTOR:
Weijun Chen 陈老师 346-1773 [email protected] Office Hours: Tues 1:00-3:00 p.m. UO Annex 218
INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM:
Jie Bian 卞老师 346-1773 [email protected] Office Hours: Mon 2:00-4:00 p.m. Gerlinger 103
FRIDAY SUPPORT SESSION COACH (S):
Yu Huo 霍老师 [email protected] Gerlinger 103 Shan-Mei Lo 罗老师 [email protected] Gerlinger 103 Mi Zhao 赵老师 [email protected] Gerlinger 103
CLASS MEETINGS
Tues & Thur @ Earl 2 8:30am-9:50am Fri @ CAPS (Gerlinger 103) 30 minutes
RELATED CLASS This course is offered in conjunction with HIST 191: China Past & Present. To learn more about the content course please go to the UO Flagship website. It is recommended but not required that students take both courses.
TEXTS AND MATERIALS • Articles and online audio-visual materials from various resources, which are related to the topics discussed in the correlated content course. This will be posted on Blackboard weekly.
COURSE OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES This ten-week course is designed for students with advanced-level Chinese language proficiency to acquire advanced high to superior level language skills. By the end of the term, you should be able to: • Content: Have a good understanding of the concepts or issues addressed in the language course (and the correlated content course). • Language: Have a growing command of the specific vocabulary, expressions and grammatical structures introduced in the text materials and be able to use them appropriately for communication.
1 • Research: Be able to conduct group or individual research projects and present your work in Chinese using various media and formats including PowerPoint, written reports, video conferencing, and panel discussions. • Assessment: Gauge personal language growth with the internal and external assessments. • In the following language skill areas, you should be able: Listening: To understand face-to-face or non-technical speech in standard Chinese spoken by a native speaker, in controlled contexts and familiar topics in everyday life; to follow and get the gist of conversations between educated native speakers, reasonably clear telephone calls, and some radio and TV broadcasts on well known current events, routine matters and simple description and narration. Speaking: To engage in conversation and discussion on general topics of public interest in an interactive fashion, to express your ideas and defend your point of view in appropriate vocabulary and relatively clear, connected discourse such as narration, description, and explanation. Reading: To understand the gist of various authentic written materials for general readers within a familiar context and be able to locate and summarize the main ideas and some details in sentences or phrases; to apply reading strategies such as skimming, scanning, and guessing unknown words. Writing: To write routine social correspondence by using some stylistic elements such as opening and closing; to write cohesive and coherent prose in various styles: expository, instructional, descriptive, and argumentative about a limited number of current events or daily situations. Note: As an integrated language program, students are expected to recognize both forms of Chinese characters and write consistently in one of them. The authentic texts selected will aim at providing students with sufficient linguistic resources to communicate, interpret, and present works with topics relevant to the correlated content. Audio- visual materials are employed, if needed, to enrich the understanding of the issues covered and enhance listening comprehension skills. Tasks are designed to cultivate language learning strategies and study/research skills which will be essential to the success of studying or living abroad.
COURSE ORGANIZATION To accomplish the above objectives and maximize student interactions, the course involves a combination of group and individual study activities including class discussions, individual and small-group assignments, and students’ presentation of homework assignments. It is organized to give students daily exposure and opportunities to use Chinese in an academic context.
The class will meet three times a week, based on a weekly learning cycle:
• Tuesdays – we will summarize and discuss the assigned chapters of the documentary 《百 年中国》; thorough preparation is required. • Thursdays – we will have discussions and in-class writing quizzes based on reading materials; thorough preparation is required. • Fridays - students will work individually with a coach to improve their writing and speaking abilities. Students are required to sign up for the individual support session on the first day of class.
2 GRADING Your grade will be based on the following: Class performance: This includes 1) active participation in class; 2) preparation of the assigned texts; 3) demonstrated effort in completing assigned tasks. (Since students’ linguistic abilities vary, grading will take into account the degree of improvement over the term.)
In order to prepare for class, you should be able to 1) summarize the main idea of the assigned readings, 2) raise thoughtful and provocative questions for class discussion or debate, 3) apply new vocabulary and concepts to class discussions.
Class performance will be strictly assessed on a four-point scale with the following criteria: 4 points—well-prepared, engaged, uses new vacab/grammar 3 points—prepared, making effort, tries to use new vocab/grammar 2 points—present, little prepared, speaks, no new vacab/grammar 1 points—unprepared, breathy and present 0 points—unexcused absence
Weekly Writing Quiz: This will be given on every Thursday at the end of class for about 15-20 minutes. It is used for checking your understanding of the materials and improving your in-class writing skills.
Weekly Homework: You need to complete the weekly homework assignment posted on Blackboard and hand it in to the instructor on Tuesday. The homework is designed to help you preview the documentary, and to analyze the text closely and with a critical perspective.
Oral Report: Starting from week 3, each of you are required to give a 8-10 minutes PowerPoint presentation on the Sino-foreign relations of different historical periods. The instructor will give a demo in week2. You may use notes but the goal is to have you SPEAK (not read) your report. More guidance will be given in class.
Writing Portfolio: Four assignments and one in-class spontaneous writing.
Writing assignment topics and instructions are specified below:
Draft copy – An electronic copy of your draft copy is due on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. Please email to both your GTF and instructor. On Friday the GTF will go over your writing with you and provide advice to improve.
Final copy – The finalized copy, with revisions highlighted, is supposed to be emailed to both your GTF and instructor on the following Wednesday by 5:00 p.m.
Note: Remember to double-space and mark the new words and structures you employ in bold. Since you will be asked to present or share some of your writing publicly, do not treat this merely as homework. Write for a real audience, a real purpose and for the fun of expressing yourself and your beliefs about critical issues.
Note: Both copies will be graded, each 50%.
Instructions for writing assignments:
1. W1: Winter reading report on a topic of your choice in Chinese history
3 You will do research on any topic in Chinese history and submit a reflective 1200-character essay (draft). It is encouraged but unnecessary to write about modern Chinese history. The essay should include the following parts: 1. Summary of your reading; 2. Analysis and conclution.
2. W2: Film review You will review the move “The Opium War” or any movie on similar events/backgrounds and write a 1200-character critique essay from a specific perspective (detailed instructions will be given in class)
3. W3: Evaluation of the historical figures You will choose a historical figure in Modern Chinese history and write a 1200-character essay to summarize his/her life or describe his/her thoughts and actions in significant historical events, and give your evaluation. More writing guide in Chinese and sample essay will be given in advance.
4. W4: Freestyle writing “If I could go back in History…” "If I could go back in history…" Almost everyone has this dream at some point. Now you will have a chance to choose a period in Chinese modern history and go back in this 1200-character essay, as a soldier, general, farmer, or student, etc. More writing guide in Chinese will be given in advance.
5. W5: In-class spontaneous writing Topic and writing guide will be given in class in week10. You will have 80 minutes to handwrite an essay in Chinese. NO computer should be used but you can bring a dictionary. This essay will be graded by the instructor.
Translation/vocabulary exercises: You are required to do five Chinese to English/English to Chinese translations this term. The exercises are due to your support session coach on Wednesday by 5:00 p.m. every other week. Meanwhile you will submit a list of vocabulary that you do not understand or do not know how to use. Your coach will check your translations and vocabulary list and discuss with you on Fridays.
Final Project: At the end of the term, each of you will submit a final project to the instructor (no later than Tuesday March 16.) In this project, you will choose a subject in Chinese modern history that you are interested in, trace its change through time or over area, and write a 2-3 page report with bibliography on why and how you carry out your research. You should submit your idea to the instructor no later than week 7. A 5-10 minutes PowerPoint presentation on this subject will be given at the end-of-term colloquium in week10.
Your final grade for the course will be cumulative and will be based on the total average for the course. In terms of percentage, grades will consist of:
1. Class participation/performance (4 pts x 3 x 10)-4 116 2. Weekly writing quiz 8 pts x 8 64 3. Weekly homework 8 pts x 8 64 4. Oral report 24 pts 24 5. Translation + vocabulary 12 pts x 5 60 6. Writing portfolio (4 assignments +1 in-class writing) 24 pts x 5 120 7. Final project + oral interview 40 pts+10pts 50 8. Colloquium Presentation 24 pts 24 Total 522 pts
4 NOTE: Students will be asked to take external tests and complete self-assessment forms to gauge your progress in mastering various language skills
COURSE POLICIES Attendance and Participation Your attendance, punctuality, and active participation in class are crucial to your progress in learning Chinese. Class attendance is mandatory. If you must miss class due to illness or an emergency, please notify your instructor by email as soon as possible. Your grade will be affected considerably after two unexcused absences.
Coming to class well prepared is essential to your learning. All the materials detailed in the syllabus for each class should be read in advance. If you have any questions about the class work, please ask your instructors.
This is an 80-minute class; late arrival is unacceptable. Students arriving up to twenty minutes late will receive half credit for that day’s performance grade. Students who arrive twenty minutes after the beginning of class will not receive any credit for that day.
Make-up All students are expected to turn in assignments and take quizzes and exams on the set dates. There will be no make-up quizzes or exams unless approved by the instructor for the following conditions: • Conflicts with other course schedules • DOCUMENTED personal illness or family emergency.
Late writings or homework will be accepted as late as two days after the due date but will receive half credit. An incomplete will be given only to students whose work is satisfactory at the end of the semester, but who have missed classes due to serious illness or family problems.
Disabilities Students with disabilities who need accommodation in this course should inform the instructor immediately and file documentation of disability with the Office of Disability Services (164 Oregon Hall, 346-1155, http://ds.uoregon.edu/)
Plagiarism All material (text, images, and ideas) that is not your own creation should be cited appropriately. Failing to cite your sources is considered plagiarism, and will result in an F in the course. Please refer to the University policy on academic dishonesty for details [http://studentlife.uoregon.edu/programs/student_judi_affairs/]. If you need additional explanation or clarification please consult the instructor. You may have help from native speakers in editing your written Chinese, but the work must reflect your own ideas and efforts. It is not appropriate to have a native speaker of Chinese translate an English draft into Chinese.
LEARNING STRATEGIES In and outside of class: 1. Be an active learner. During the interactive lecture and drill sessions, listen carefully to the instructors, engage in the discussion, keep laptops closed, cell phones off, and be ready to respond and initiate questions. Speak up! This is an active learning environment that embraces learning through mistakes.
5 2. Study the course schedule carefully so that you will know exactly what to prepare for each session.
3. Preview and review the assigned passages/vocabulary/sentence structures, and prepare to incorporate them in class without looking at the text materials.
4. Schedule regular visits with your instructors during their office hours. Use the time to ask specific questions about texts, projects, interests or concerns you are having. Go to the Academic Director, Professor Epstein, with any questions or concerns you have about scheduling, course conflicts, or academic/ career goals or other issues that go beyond the content of a specific course.
5. Review any errors you have made on homework, quizzes, and tests. Make sure you understand why they are wrong and how to correct them before the next lesson.
6. Get to know your classmates. Be creative with your own language learning and share your success tips with classmates.
7. All the assignments are designed to strengthen your skills and foster the professional development of global leadership skills. So, don’t get frustrated with a few points you miss on quizzes or tests. We are more concerned with how you are meeting the overall objectives of the course and your long-term progress.
8. Visit the Blackboard site for CHN 440 regularly to access assignments and other materials that are posted. When possible, instructors will also email students when new materials are uploaded onto the Blackboard site.
9. Visit the Chinese Flagship Program website at http://casls.uoregon.edu/flagship to learn of the latest news or opportunities offered by the Flagship Program at University of Oregon.
10. Go to Drop-in Chinese Language Help Desk (Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday 3-5pm, EMU Mills International Center south-end computer area) to get help with your homework or practice conversation dialogues.
11. Go to the following websites for any online resources you may need:
Online dictionaries: www.dict.cn http://www.chinesehelper.cn/
Converting between simplified and traditional characters http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/converter-tradsimp.html www.adsotrans.com
Glossing engines: http://g.iciba.com/（谷歌金山词霸） www.wenlin.com http://www.rikai.com/perl/HomePage.pl?Language=Zh http://www.mandarintools.com/dimsum.html
6 Videos, podcasting or webcasting www.tudou.com http://www.ppstream.com/ http://www.laits.utexas.edu/orkelm/chinese/prof05.html# www.chinesepod.com
Readings: http://www.wordchamp.com/lingua2/Reader.do http://www.people.com.cn/
Chinese language and culture learning opportunities: 1. The Chinese living-learning residence hall is designed to facilitate positive student interactions and cooperative learning. The expectation is that you will utilize the opportunities provided for your own academic and personal growth.
2. Take advantage of events sponsored by the Chinese student associations and Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.
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