Chinese 1 - Elementary Chinese 1
Section  # 2015 - Course Syllabus

Instructor Contact

Emily Peng (Péng Lǎoshī)

Email: epeng@santarosa.edu 

Office Hours via Zoom: TTH 3:30-4:00 pm (30 minutes prior to Zoom meeting twice a week before group class meetings.) 

Contact Response Time: Within 24 hours. If you don't hear back from me in 24 hours, assume I did not receive your email and resend it.

Class Meetings via Zoom

Join URL: https://santarosa-edu.zoom.us/j/97595462314

There will be synchronous meetings required for this class. We will be using Canvas as our learning management system and will meet via Zoom twice a week TTh 4:00-6:00 pm as listed on course descriptions.

Course Description

Introduction to elementary traditional Mandarin Chinese grammar and development of all language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) needed to effectively communicate using Chinese cultural patterns and conventions.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Initiate, maintain, and comprehend simple conversations in Chinese on everyday topics using statements and questions with appropriate pronunciation in the present and past tenses.
2. Write coherent paragraphs containing descriptions of people, places, and everyday activities.
3. Read level appropriate material written in traditional Chinese.
4. Utilize Mandarin Chinese in linguistically and culturally appropriate ways at the beginning level.
5. Demonstrate cultural awareness and insights about the Chinese speaking world as well as the Chinese-speaking communities in the United States.

Objectives:

1. Utilize common Chinese vocabulary related to everyday topics.
2. Read simplified passages from original Chinese texts  for general meaning and basic comprehension.
3. Communicate in traditional spoken and written Chinese.
4. Employ greetings and polite expressions in a culturally appropriate context and manner.
5. Develop and organize short sentences and paragraphs in Mandarin Chinese.
6. Identify and use the correct Mandarin Chinese tones in pronunciation.
7. Develop insight into Mandarin Chinese culture, traditions and society.
8. Correctly express  thoughts in written form utilizing appropriate traditional Mandarin Chinese characters.
9. Pronounce the phonetic symbols in Chinese "Pinyin".

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas course web site for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmate's work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.

Textbook and Workbooks

• Integrated Chinese Textbook 4th Ed. Volume 1 (ISBN: 9781622911356 )
• Integrated Chinese Workbook 4th Ed. Volume 1 (ISBN: 9781622911363)
• Integrated Chinese Character Workbook Volume 1 (ISBN: 9781622911370)
  

You can locate and order textbooks online via the SRJC Bookstore. Note that if you want to pick your books up in Petaluma, you need to order them from the Petaluma Bookstore website.

Required Technology

Internet Connection

Recommend: a Broadband/DSL connection to most effectively view the online videos and participate in video conferences

Computer

 You will need the following software for this course. 

• Adobe Reader
• Microsoft Office 365​,​ ​Google Docs​, and/or Apache Open Office

What you need to know about Zoom meetings

• Connecting to Zoom and Meeting Etiquette
• Zoom Etiquette (Video)

Important Dates

Date Class Begins: 8/17/2021

Date Class Ends: 12/9/2021

Last Day to Add without instructor's approval: 8/22/2021

Last Day to Add with instructor's approval: 9/5/2021

Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: 9/5/2021

Last Day to Opt for Pass/No Pass: 12/17/2021

Last Day to Drop with a 'W' symbol: 11/14/2021

Date Final Exam: 12/14/2021

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, for several consecutive, unexplained absences, the instructor may drop a student.

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline, and add the option online with TLC or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by 12/17/2021. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. A “Q&A Forum” is also on Canvas to ask for assistance of your classmates or instructor.

• Notification Preferences (Video)
• How do I add contact methods to receive Canvas notifications as a student?
• How do I set my Canvas notification preferences as a student?

Attendance, Participation and Preparation

• Students who fail to attend the first Zoom meeting class or do not log-in to an online class after the second class Zoom meeting of the semester will be dropped from the class.
• It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact me to avoid being dropped from the class.
• Participation (in other words, interaction with others) is crucial to learning to understand and to speak a new language. Therefore, we will do many activities and tasks that foster peer interaction in Zoom meetings.
• Students are expected to have prepared for classes ahead of time by previewing new lesson texts, audio files, and vocabulary.
• Attendance is not marked by your body in a class, but rather by your participation within the class activities.

  Here are the brief "guidelines" we will follow to structure participation:

  • check-in and interact in the course at least twice a week;
  • participate in all discussions—the first reply each week is due on Wednesday;
  • complete assignments on the due date;
  • connect with me beforehand if you are not going to be participated in Zoom meetings.

  This course follows a weekly schedule. Each week you will interact with your peers in weekly discussions, and complete a series of activities and assignments. The weekly schedule allows us to learn from one another, and it keeps everyone on a path toward our learning goals.

  With each of your assignments, I will provide feedback, which opens another opportunity for revision, learning, and growth. Working within our weekly schedule allows both you and me to plan our time.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at midnight PST 11:59 pm on the due date. A late submission will receive a 20% penalty. Submissions more than one week late are not accepted without prior arrangement. Late work will not be graded unless student sends instructor an email with URL for late work.

To best help you complete the course successfully, I ask that you strive to meet deadlines, especially on interactive elements of the course. Please contact me as soon as possible so I can help you stay as current and provide as much support as possible.

Exams

There will be online quizzes and, midterm and final exams. The material comes from the textbook, class lectures and supplemental materials. If any exam is missed, a zero will be recorded as the score. It is your responsibility to take the online quizzes and exams by the due date.

Grading & Feedback

Each assignment includes a detailed grading rubric. Please review the rubric before submitting your work to ensure you have addressed all the required elements of the assignment. If your work is submitted on time, I will review and comment on the work within 72 hours.  I encourage you to review the feedback, and, if needed, submit a revision. 

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade once a week and post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

Grades

A	90%	90 points or more
B	80%	80 to 89 points
C	70%	70 to 79 points
D	60%	60 to 69 points

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least 70% of the total class points and complete the midterm exam and the final exam to pass the class.

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's policy on Academic Integrity

Other Important Policies and Practices

Avoid Plagiarism Like the, er, Plague

Although most students have likely heard about plagiarism during their years of schooling, it still is prevalent-even in higher education.

The video below reviews what plagiarism is and how not to do it.

Plagiarism: How to avoid it

Netiquette, or Why Is It Harder to Be Polite Online?

Netiquette refers to using common courtesy in online communication. All members of the class are expected to follow netiquette in all course communications. Use these guidelines:

• Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
• Forward emails only with a writer's permission.
• Be considerate of others' feelings and use language carefully.
• Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is plagiarism).
• Use humor carefully. It is hard to "read" tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like :) for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
• Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
• Text speak, such as "ur" for "your" or "ru" for "are you" etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Special Needs

Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278), as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Course Summary

1. Important Due Date

• Assignments: Every Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays
• Discussions: Between Fridays and Sundays
• Assessment Quizzes: Every Mondays

2. Course Content

Module 1: Introduction to phonetics

• Chinese Pinyin: initials (consonants) and simple/compound finals (vowels)
• Tones: four tones and neutral tone
• Modern standard Chinese: Mandarin

(Regional dialects of Chinese: Mandarin, Wu, Hakka, Southern Min, Northern Min, Cantonese, Xiang, and Gan)

Module 2: Introduction to Chinese writing system

• Formation of characters
• Basic radicals
• Basic character structures
• Basic strokes
• Stroke orders

Module 3: Chinese vocabulary & grammar

• Reading practice
• Writing practice

Module 4: Important Grammatical Features

• Basic sentence structure
• Measure words

Module 5: Lesson 1 Greetings

Module 6: Lesson 2 Family

Module 7: Lesson 3 Time and Date

Module 8: Lesson 4 Hobbies

Module 9: Lesson 5 Visiting Friends

Module 10: Recap L1-5

Tentative Course Schedule

Chinese 1 Tentative Course Schedule (Maybe revised during the semester)
Week	Module	Zoom	Course Content	Assignments & Assessment
1	1	8/17	Introduction of phonetics Pinyin reading practice vocabulary & sentences Textbook p.2-12	Workbook p.2-10 Quiz - Pinyin & Tones
		8/19
2		8/24
	2	8/26	Introduction of Chinese Writing System Strokes Stroke orders Radicals Chinese characters Textbook p.13-17	Character Workbook p.1-15 Quiz - Describing and writing radicals/Chinese characters
3		8/31
		9/2
4	3	9/7	Chinese vocabulary & grammar Reading practice Writing practice	Quiz - Chinese radicals and characters
		9/9
5		9/14
	4	9/16	Important Grammatical Features Reading practice Textbook p.18-20	Review: Pinyin Radicals Vocabulary Grammar
6		9/21
		9/23
7	5	9/28	Lesson 1 Greetings Vocabulary Dialogue In class practice Textbook exercises p.25-29, 33-41	Workbook p.12-25 Character Workbook p.17-26 Quiz-L1
		9/30
8		10/5
		10/7
9	6	10/12	Lesson 2 Family Vocabulary Dialogue In class practice Textbook exercises p.50-55, 60-67	Workbook p.28-44 Character Workbook p.27-36 Quiz-L2 Presentation script
		10/14
10		10/19
		10/21
11	7	10/26	Lesson 3 Time and Date Vocabulary Dialogue In class practice Textbook exercises p.76-86, 91-96	Workbook p.46-62 Character Workbook p.37-47 Quiz-L3 Presentation
		10/28
12		11/2
14	8	11/4	Lesson 4 Hobbies Vocabulary Dialogue In class practice Textbook exercises p.106-113, 118-121 11/11 Veterans Day - No Zoom Meeting	Workbook p.64-80 Character Workbook p.49-58 Quiz-L4
		11/9
15		11/16
		11/18
16	9	11/23	Lesson 5 Visiting Friends Vocabulary Dialogue & Narrative In class practice Textbook exercises p.130-138, 141-145 11/25 Thanksgiving - No Zoom Meeting	Workbook p.82-98 Character Workbook p.59-66 Quiz-L5 Presentation
		11/30
17		12/2
		12/7
18	10	12/9	Recap: L1-5 Textbook exercises p.149-150 Review	Review L1-5 Workbook p.99-101
19		12/14	Final Exam & Presentation You did it. Congratulations! :)