The course begins with a practical and balanced training in speaking, listening, reading as well as writing. Students are exposed to the Chinese culture via cultural notes, trips to Chinese restaurants and visits to Chinese families. Dictation quizzes, writing exercises, oral drill practices, structural patterns of sentences and tape recordings will accompany each lesson. Students are encouraged to compose songs, skits and other materials in class and are expected to achieve active command of more than 500 Chinese characters by the end of the sequence. This course is designed to enhance oral and writing communication and to converse in everyday Chinese.
Translations constitute the major part of the test for each lesson.
Oral dictation, sentence patterns and tapes will accompany assignments. Students make trips to Chinatown and engage in speech contests. Students are expected to read and write approximately 1,200 characters by the end of the sequence. The course requirement for a minor in Chinese includes at least 24 credit hours of Chinese courses. To fulfill the requirement, students need to complete Elementary Chinese, Intermediate Chinese and Advanced Chinese satisfactorily, plus Introduction to Linguistics and Independent Study.