This course introduces Mandarin Chinese to beginners. Students will receive training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing while immersed in a world of Chinese culture. Expect to be wowed by this beautiful and unique language that does not use a single Western alphabetic character. Having developed for two thousand years and influenced Japanese and Korean, Chinese is a language with a long history. Spoken by one-fifth of the world population today, it is a language of the present. It might also be the language of the future with the fast development of the Chinese economy. By learning Mandarin Chinese, you will gain access to a world of international business, international relations, Chinese art, rich history and culture, Eastern philosophy, martial arts, natural wonders, fine cuisine, the 2008 Olympics, cool tattoos, and much more.

By the end of this course, you should be able to

• master Pinyin, the romanization sound system, so you can correctly pronounce any Chinese character in Pinyin;
• know the difference between the traditional and simplified written Chinese, and choose one as your writing style;
• accumulate about 350 Chinese vocabularies;
• comprehend simple sentences by listening;
• initiate simple conversations in Chinese on familiar subjects;
• perform a five-minute scripted skit in Chinese with a partner; and
• be aware of basic aspects of social etiquette in Chinese society.

Cost: $750

Instructor: Li Yang

Dates: August 27 - December 8, 2008

Time: Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 10:45 am, in addition to Mondays from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon

Location: Room 408B, Academic Services Building-North

Enrollment period: Enrollment period begins June 9 at 8:00 am, and continues through August 26, 2008

Native speakers of Mandarin Chinese are not eligible for this course. If you cannot determine your language level, please contact the instructor at pleasantvalley@gmail.com prior to your enrollment for approval.

For more information about the content of this course, contact the instructor.