Chinese 101 is the first of two courses designed to introduce students to modern Mandarin Chinese. The course begins with an introduction to the sound system of Mandarin Chinese and moves on to training of basic skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Classes have an additional aim of introducing students to aspects of Chinese culture.
No prerequisites except serious interest and willingness to work. By increasing students' vocabulary and their knowledge of sentence patterns, the course focuses on speaking and writing in coherent and well-formed paragraphs. VC.1 and GER post-freshman writing requirement and old writing requirement. An examination of twentieth-century Chinese society through cinematic productions and a critical reading of the writings of major Chinese writers in translation. Emphasis on self and society in a changing culture and the nature and function of literature in the modern nation-building.