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Introduction to Chinese History and Culture RATIONALE According To Yuxiao Du 杜宇潇 Syllabus Design HUID: 51233727 Introduction to Chinese History and Culture RATIONALE According to World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages, there should be five goal areas for language learning (5Cs): Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. In traditional language classrooms, however, oftentimes students mainly receive practices on interpretive and presentational communication skills, with a particular focus on reading and writing. Even in progressive language classes that integrate new teaching methods like Communicative Language Teaching and Task Based Learning, students are still primarily exposed to the modern, daily register of Chinese. It is understandable, considering that many language learners learn the language mainly to engage in conversations and contemporary materials. However, when Chinese learners have already progressed to the Advanced Level, they should be able to approach the language, the country and the culture from a more systematic, profound and academic perspective. Therefore, this course is designed to bridge that gap, by introducing advanced Chinese learners the history of China, engaging them to understand the culture based on that history, and cultivating their language skills necessary for intellectual conversations in Chinese. All these sets of knowledge and skills will help them meet the World Readiness Standards in a more comprehensive and profound way. Specifically speaking, the five goal areas are met in the following ways: 1) Communication: All modes of communication (whether it’s interpretive, interpersonal or presentational), should not be restricted to daily and informal contexts. The course provides a valuable chance for the students to interpret, discuss, and reflect on Chinese culture through a historical lens, employing sophisticated/academic Chinese language. 2) Cultures: Many language courses do include cultural aspects, but such introduction often remains at a relatively superficial level, with the instructors “transmitting” their knowledge about the target culture, and the students passively memorizing them. This course, by taking students back to history through introducing critical historical facts and topics, may help them understand more deeply certain Chinese cultural perspectives from their origin. Such understandings are presumably more active, profound, and engaging. 3) Connections: This course approaches Chinese history in a rather interdisciplinary manner, integrating methods and evidence in other academic fields, such as anthropology, economy, sociology, and philosophy. Also, the course presents various perspectives that take different or even contrasting stances. In this way, students are given opportunities to expand their knowledge in Chinese to other disciplines, and to practice evaluating diverse perspectives using the target language. 4) Comparisons: Through this course, students will not only be able to make comparisons between their L1 and L2, but also between their C1 and C2, especially with respect to their 1 Yuxiao Du 杜宇潇 Syllabus Design HUID: 51233727 histories. By learning and appreciating Chinese history, they might develop even more advanced cultural competency in Chinese. 5) Communities: Equipped with historical knowledge, students will be more prepared to interact with the global community. They might also gain enjoyment through learning a content area that could promote their desire to commit life-long learning about Chinese (both the language and the culture). COURSE OVERVIEW This is a content-based language course that combines a basic introduction to Chinese history and culture with the cultivation of a more advanced competency in the Chinese language (from advanced-low to advanced-mid/-high). The content of the course focuses on key social, political and economic changes that happen throughout Chinese history, from the prehistory period all the way to the contemporary China. The introduction follows a chronological order, integrating topics and methods in other disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, economy, and philosophy. The course is also designed for Chinese language learners at the Advanced Level so that they can acquire relevant academic vocabulary, grammars and writing norms in the Chinese academia, and thus move towards the Superior Level. Moreover, while the course is introductory in terms of its generic theme, it incorporates various controversial perspectives and thoughts that are heatedly debated currently in the field of history that allow students to probe into specific topics critically. PREREQUISITES 1) Language: Completion of 140B Advanced Modern Chinese, or demonstration of Chinese proficiency that is equivalent or above the 140B level (e.g. Advanced Level set by ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012). If you meet neither of these requirements, you can also reach out to the instructor for special approval. 2) Content: No prerequisites in relevant content knowledge. COURSE GOALS By the end of this course, students will be able to do the following: 1) Content: Grasp the main thread and key facts in Chinese history, and foster enduring understanding of how they are connected to various aspects of Chinese culture. 2) Language: Understand academic Chinese, including vocabulary, grammar, expressions and the general writing style. In terms of different modes of language, interpretive and presentational skills will be trained intensively, with interpersonal skills also involved in extensive classroom discussions. In specific language skill areas, students should be able to: a) Reading: understand the main ideas, supporting explanations, and details presented in Chinese academic articles with the help of domain-specific glossary list; connect the reading texts with previous knowledge base; b) Listening: comprehend narrative and argumentative language spoken in a 2 Yuxiao Du 杜宇潇 Syllabus Design HUID: 51233727 formal style, even when the speakers are somewhat accented; c) Speaking: present and discuss ideas on academic topics with clarity and fluency; d) Writing: write argumentative papers that state and support your ideas with strong logic and language use. 3) Research: Conduct research on China-relevant topics using Chinese (both individually and in groups). Present research findings in various formats, including but not limited to written texts, charts, graphs, and audiovisual materials. 4) Other Skills: Approach historical and societal issues from a wide variety of perspectives, and critically evaluate them to form your own position; Become a good communicator and public speaker who can articulate ideas with proper use of various public speaking techniques (such as pathos, ethos, and logos). REQUIRED TEXTS & MATERIALS 樊树志. (2005). 国史概要. 上海:复旦大学出版社.（精读） Huang, R. (1988). China, a macro history. Armonk: ME Sharpe.（泛读） Other written and audio/visual materials available on the Course Website Selected readings are mainly taken from two books: one from a Chinese author (樊 树志/Fan Shuzhi) approaching the history from the Chinese “insider” perspective, and the other from an American author (黄仁宇/Ray Huang) taking a relatively neutral Western perspective. Both books cover and pinpoint essential themes in major historical periods, and are meant to complement each other in helping students establish a holistic understanding of Chinese history and culture. The combination of English and Chinese materials might also balance the course’s demand on language and that on content. Considering the level of complexity in Fan’s texts, a list of glossary and background information are provided on Course Website for each class. Each week, certain texts or videos are selected as the intensive reading/listening materials (marked with “精” in the schedule below). All vocabulary, expressions, and grammatical structures that appear in these intensive materials might be tested in the language quiz and dictation in the following week (except those that appear in the glossary list which are usually too uncommon to be useful even in academic contexts). Other materials marked with “泛” are provided mainly for students to help them understand their content instead of studying their language. As the course approaches the end, some audio-visual materials marked with “精” are also introduced to help students develop listening comprehension skills in academic contexts, even when the speakers are sometimes accented (many interviewees in the documentaries selected are indeed accented). COURSE ORGANIZATION In general, the course is organized to familiarize students with key facts in Chinese history, to help them understand Chinese culture more profoundly, to improve their Chinese proficiency especially in the academic context, and to cultivate their communicative, cooperative and analytic skills. To achieve such various goals, the class will meet twice a week, focusing on different skills on different days. 3 Yuxiao Du 杜宇潇 Syllabus Design HUID: 51233727 On Tuesday, the two-hour class usually begins with a 30-minute short lecture on key historical facts, followed by a guided seminar in which students and the teaching team discuss various perspectives that historians have taken to approach that particular historical period, and how they might connect to our understanding of Chinese culture. On Friday, the two-hour class focuses more on language development. You will learn vocabulary, expressions, and grammatical structures that appear in the intensive reading materials for that week. Starting from Week 2, the class will start
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