Course Description Archive

Bai, Jianhua: Director, Middlebury College Chinese School; Prof. of Chinese, Kenyon College

Students will investigate how theory and research relate to local decisions on organizing and planning for instruction in a CFL program. Through lectures, discussions and, most importantly, hands-on experience, students will learn to: understand what it means for CFL learners to develop their communicative competence; identify critical issues in CFL pedagogy; and develop the ability to plan and implement pedagogically sound and effective classroom activities. Unlike a conventional graduate course of lecture/discussion on theoretical and practical issues, this course creates a learning-by-doing environment where students are active participants in the teaching and learning.

Lightbown, Patsy M., and Nina Spada. How are Languages Learned? Oxford UP, 2006. ISBN 0-19-442224-0. paperback.

徐子亮、吴仁甫. 实用对外汉语教学法. 北京大学出版社 2005. ISBN 7-301-08092-1, paperback.

Brown, H. Douglas. Teaching by Principle: an Interactive Approach to Teaching. White Plains, NY: Longman, 2001. ISBN 0130282839, paperback.

CHNS 6510
INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE LINGUISTICS

Kubler, Cornelius: Stanfield Professor of Asian Studies, Williams College

Is Chinese – whose nouns “lack” number and whose verbs apparently have no tense – a monosyllabic, “primitive” language? Are the Chinese characters a system of logical symbols or “idiographs,” which indicate meaning directly without regard to sound? Should (and could) the characters be done away with and alphabetized? Are Cantonese, Hakka, and Taiwanese dialects or languages? And what is the relationship between Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese? These are some of the questions we will be taking up in this introduction to the scientific study of the Chinese language. Topics to be covered include: the phonological, syntactical, and lexical structure of Modern Standard Chinese; the Chinese writing system; the modern Chinese dialects; the history of the Chinese language; sociolinguistic aspects of Chinese; and language and politics in the Chinese-speaking regions and countries. Readings in English and Chinese, with class discussion conducted primarily in Chinese. Evaluation will be based on classroom performance, written exercises, two short papers, and one longer paper.

Defrancis, John. Chinese Language, Fact and Fiction. University of Hawaii P.  ISBN 0-8248-1068-6, paperback.

Norman, Jerry. Chinese. Cambridge UP. ISBN 0-521-296-53-6,paperback.

Li, Charles N., and Sandra A. Thompson. Mandarin Chinese: a Functional Reference Grammar. Berkeley: University of California P. ISBN 0-520-04286-7 paperback

A course pack will also be provided.

CHNS 6612
SEMINAR ON METHODOLOGY AND MATERIALS FOR BASIC CHINESE

Kubler, Cornelius: Stanfield Professor of Asian Studies, Williams College

As the Chinese saying has it, Wànzhàng gāo lóu píng dì qĭ ‘a tall building of 10,000 feet starts from the level ground.’ Clearly, the basic level of language learning and instruction is the foundation for all that follows, and it is essential to build as solid a foundation as possible. With that in mind, we will be taking up in this course the following topics: definition of basic Chinese, assumptions about learning Chinese, types of learners, language learning strategies, developing learners’ proficiency in the four skills and three modes of communication, the role of culture, curriculum design, teacher training, program administration, assessment, and different learning environments such as high school, college, Chinese heritage community language schools, and study abroad. Readings in English and Chinese, with class discussion conducted primarily in Chinese. Evaluation will be based on classroom performance, written exercises, critical reviews of currently available beginning courses, preparation of sample teaching materials, and one longer paper.

Christensen, Matthew B., and Mari Noda. A Performance-Based Pedagogy for Communicating in Cultures. Ohio State UP., 2002. ISBN 0-87415-346-8

Kubler Pathways To Advanc, ed. NFLC Guide for Basic Chinese Language Programs. Vol. 3. Ohio State UP., 2006. ISBN 978-0-87415-071-1

Walker, Galal, and Scott McGinnis. Learning Less Commonly Taught Languages. Ed. Pathways To Advanced Skil. Ohio State UP. ISBN 0-87415-306-9.

CHNS 6615
CHINESE THOUGHT AND CULTURE: TRADITIONAL PATTERNS, MODERN MANIFESTATIONS

Honey, David B.

This course seeks to explore the influence exerted on modern Chinese society by the traditional philosophies of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Specifically, we will explore how these philosophies are manifested in such cultural forms as aesthetics and art, family dynamics and social structure, politics and economics, and language and communication. We will find that understanding the philosophical foundation of these modern cultural practices reveals continuities of thought and habits of thinking that help us understand why the Chinese act and think the way they do. Through this course students will gain a solid understanding of the main lines of thought of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Students will be able to discuss these concepts in Chinese, and be able to read selected short but foundational passages in classical Chinese and discuss them in modern Chinese. Students will learn to recognize the manifestation of these philosophies in important modern cultural forms. The course requirements include two short papers, one long paper, and a reading log.

Slingerland, Edward G., trans. Confucious Analects, with Selections From Traditional Commentaries. Indianapolis: Hackett Company, 2003. ISBN 0872206351, paper back.

Gao, Ge, and Stella Ting-Toomey. Communicating Effectively with the Chinese. London: Sage Publications, 1998. ISBN 0-8039-7003-X, paperback.

Ames, Roger, and David Hall. Dao De Jing: a Philosophical Translation. Ballantine Books, 2003. ISBN 0345444191.