CHINESE 101: Elementary Chinese (Sections 1-3)
Course Syllabus (Fall 2000)
By Miao-Fen Tseng

Class Time & Place:
	Sec 1: 11:00-11:50AM                M-F         #330 Cabell Hall (MTRF), #221 (W)  
	Sec 2: 1:00-1:50PM                  M-F         #330 Cabell Hall (MTRF), #221 (W)
	Sec 3: 2:00-2:50PM                  M-F         #330 Cabell Hall (MTRF), #221 (W)

Instructor:
	Miao-Fen Florence Tseng, Ph.D.
	Office: #B023 Cabell Hall, Tel: 924-0571, Email: mt3z@virginia.edu
	Office hrs: 12:30-1 PM: M, T, Th, F; 10-11AM: Th; or by appointment

Teaching assistant: 
I-Hwey Deirdra Wu, Email: deir117@hotmail.com
Office hrs: Th, 3-5PM or by appointment at #B023 Cabell Hall

Textbooks:
1. Integrated Chinese, Textbook (Traditional Character Edition), Level One, Part I, 
   Boston: Cheng & Tsui, 1997
2. Integrated Chinese, Workbook (Traditional Character Edition), Level One, Part I, 
   Boston: Cheng & Tsui, 1997
3. Integrated Chinese, Character Workbook (Traditional Character Edition), Level One, Part I, 
   Boston: Cheng & Tsui, 1997

Goals & Objectives:
This is a beginning level course in Modern Standard Mandarin Chinese for students with no or 
little prior experience in the language. This course adopts a multi-approach to help students 
gain training in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in standard Mandarin Chinese. 
Students are expected to attain approximately the Novice-High level on the ACTFL ETS (American 
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) proficiency scale. Specifically, students will 
be able to achieve the following:

Audio Tapes: (available at the language lab #221, Cabell Hall)
1. Integrated Chinese, Textbook, Level One, Part I (3 tapes)
2. Integrated Chinese, Workbook, Level One, Part I. (1 tape)


Class requirements:

1. ATTENDANCE
Full attendance will conduce to successful completion of this class. Student absence can have a 
major effect on the progress of the course, your classmates, and your own performance as well. 
Those who have accumulated five unexcused absences will be automatically expelled from class. 
Only four unexcused absences are allowed in this class. You should provide written proof to 
verify your excused absence. Tardiness on three occasions, if exceeding 5 minutes each, will be 
considered the equivalent of one unexcused absence. Anyone who is late for more than 15 minutes 
will be regarded as absent. Valid reasons for excused absence include illness, serious illness 
or death in the immediate family, religious holidays, participation in authorized field trips 
and athletic contests, as well as paper presentation at academic conferences, job interviews 
outside of Virginia.

2. HOMEWORK
Always turn in homework by the end of class on Wednesday. No late homework will be accepted 
except those resulting from an excused absence. You can redo unsatisfactory homework within 
one week after it was distributed to you and half of missed credit will be added to your 
original grade.

3. DAILY PERFORMANCE
All students are expected to participate actively in language practice every day. Students’ 
class participation and performance will be evaluated daily and a final score will be given 
to you on the following scale:

	5 = Present with strong indication of excellent preparation
	4 = Present with some indication of good preparation
	3 = Present with some indication of mediocre preparation 
	2 = Present with some indication of inadequate preparation
	1 = Present with almost no indication of prior preparation
	0 = Absent

4. LAB WORK
You are expected to go to the language lab 221 in Cabell Hall and practice reading aloud 
new vocabulary/dialogues/drills every day. No language can be acquired overnight. You need 
to build up your Chinese language proficiency gradually through constant practice. Two hours 
of individual practice in the lab each week (Monday-Sunday, excluding Wednesday’s lab class) 
is the minimum requirement, effective week 3, Sep 11-17. Failure to meet the requirement on 
a weekly basis will cause a 1/2 point deduction of the final grade of your daily performance. 
Remember to sign up and add the arrival/departure time on the sign-up booklet when you arrive 
and depart from the lab. 

Lab hours are listed as follows:

a. Temporary lab hours September 3, Sunday - September 17, Sunday
   Monday - Thursday              4 - 9 PM
   Sunday                         noon - 8 PM	

b. Regular lab hours starting on September 18:
   Monday - Thursday              10AM - 8PM
   Friday                         10AM - 3PM
   Sunday                         noon - 8PM 

5. WEEKLY QUIZZES/EXAMS
Every effort should be made to take in-class quizzes and exams at the specified times. 
Quizzes/exams cannot be made up unless arrangements are made before being absent from class. 
No one is allowed to make up a missed quiz/exam without a valid, written excuse. 

Grading:
Final grade will be based on the results of the following components:
1.      Daily performance: 20%
2.      Homework: 15% (5% for characters, 10% for sentence-based practice)
3.      Weekly quizzes: 25% (Listening comprehension: 8%; oral performance 7%; 
        reading/writing: 10%; you can drop one lowest grade for each)
4.      Mid-term exam: 15%
5.      Final exam: 25%
(Those who do not maintain a C- or above will be automatically expelled from class.)

Final grade for the semester:
90 and above = A-, A, A+
80 - 89.99 = B-., B, B+
70 - 79.99 = C-, C, C+
60 - 69.99 = D-, D, D+
 0 - 59.99 = F

Weekly routine:
Monday:    Dialogue 1 (vocabulary, text, grammar, & drills) in the textbook
Tuesday:   Dialogue 2 or the equivalent (vocabulary, text, grammar, & drills) in the 
           textbook
Wednesday: Listening comprehension, Integrated training, especially listening/speaking 
           in the workbook
Thursday:  Oral performance, Integrated activities in four language skills, review
Friday:    Weekly quizzes + vocabulary/pronunciation drills for a new lesson
(A five-minute oral/written quiz will be given at the beginning of class M-Th)

 
Course schedule:

Weeks         Dates                Lessons taught                Quizzes/Exams

Week 1        8/30 - 9/1            Introduction                    None
Week 2        9/4 - 9/8             Introduction                    None
Week 3        9/11 - 9/15           Introduction                    Quiz 1
Week 4        9/18 - 9/22           Lesson 1                        Quiz 2
Week 5        9/25 - 9/29           Lesson 2                        Quiz 3
Week 6        10/2 - 10/6           Lesson 3                        Quiz 4
Week 7        10/9 - 10/13          Lesson 4                        Quiz 5
Week 8        10/16 - 10/20         Lesson 5                        None
Week 9        10/25 - 10/27         Review                          Mid-term
Week 10       10/30 - 11/3          Lesson 6                        Quiz 6
Week 11       11/6 - 11/10          Lesson 7                        Quiz 7
Week 12       11/13 - 11/17         Lesson 8                        Quiz 8
Week 13       11/20 - 11/21         Oral practice                   Oral performance
Week 14       11/27 - 12/1          Lesson 9                        Quiz 9
Week 15       12/4 - 12/8           Lesson 10+review                FINAL (Oral part)
 
FINAL EXAM:

1. Oral part: students in all sections have oral performance on Sat. Dec 8th 
5:30-8:30PM at #311, Cabell Hall. 

2. Written part:
Sec 1: Monday, Dec 18		9AM-12 PM	
Sec 2: Monday, Dec 11		9 AM-12 PM
Sec 3: Monday, Dec 18		2-5 PM


MOTTO: The top secret of success in this course is CONSTANT PRACTICE EVERY DAY!!!