Principles and Practices of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language

This is a foundational course for teachers of Chinese as a foreign language. Through assigned readings, lectures, student-teacher activities, small-group discussions, individual research reports (oral and written), and other methods, students gain mastery of basic theories of TCFL, progressively form their own educational philosophies. In order to guide the future of their work in the TCFL profession, students will build upon their abilities to teach and research. This course is divided into four units: 1. basic theories of TCFL (language education, language acquisition, cultural communication); 2. an analysis of schools of thought in foreign language teaching; 3. special characteristics and philosophies in teaching Chinese; and 4.Chinese teacher development.

Required Text: Brown, H. D. Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Longman, 2007. ISBN 978-0-13-612711-6.

Liú Xún. Duì Wài Hànyu Jiàoyù Yinlùn. Beijing Languages University Press, 2000. ISBN 978- 7-5619-0874-7.

Introduction to Linguistics

Introduction to Linguistics is the foundational theory class for the linguistics student. Through lectures and discussions, students will gain an understanding of the basic theories and concepts of linguistics, forming a base of knowledge to aid them in further study in each linguistics course. Through interpreting the basic theories of linguistics, this course will enable students to conduct real and integrated analysis of English and Chinese, thus encouraging students to involve perceptual awareness of linguistic phenomena in the theoretical level of their studies. Important units and content include: language and its characteristics, the subjects of linguistic research, roles and functions of linguistics, phonetics, grammar, the relationship and systematic nature of semantics and writing systems, language’s development and language contact, etc.

Goals of the course: a synthesis of standard linguistics theory and specific linguistic analysis, the material covered in this course will be connected and integrated with later coursework, allowing students to better understand complex theories with more clarity; the instructor strives to use lively examples to push forth students’ understanding and encourage participatory discussion.

Xú Tōngqiāng and Yè Fēishēng. Wáng Hóngjūn and Li Juān, editors. Yuyánxué Gāngyào. Peking University Press, 2010. ISBN: 9787301163108 .

Chinese as a Second Language: Research & Implications

This course introduces basic second language learning theories and surveys the research on the acquisition and learning of Chinese as a second language. The topics include the acquisition of different aspects of the Chinese language, including phonology, lexicon, syntax, pragmatics, orthography, and culture. The course also covers learners’ development of the four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. We will also discuss issues related to different learners of Chinese, such as heritage students and advanced learners. Through critically reading the empirical studies, students will gain an understanding of second language acquisition research in general and also issues that are specific to the learning of Chinese. The goals of this course are twofold: 1) to help students synthesize major research findings in each sub-field, and 2) to guide students to make informed pedagogical choices in future language teaching.

This course provides an overall introduction to Chinese civilization and its impact on contemporary Chinese family and society. Course content reflects recent intellectual interests shared in China and United States. Topics include: Chinese language and literature, science and art, geography and ethnicity, religion and education, fashion and cuisine, commercialization and globalization. Meanwhile, the course is designed to improve students’ Chinese language skills to fully express themselves in both academic and informal settings. By the end of the term students will be able to evaluate for themselves both materials from Chinese sources and the varied interpretations given to these sources. The diverse themes and approaches in this course will help students get better prepared for their TCFL profession.

Readings include both English and Chinese texts. Classroom language is mandarin Chinese. Lectures will be facilitated with PPT slides and short videos. Students will be evaluated by their performance of discussions, oral presentations and written reports.

Chinese Phonetics

This class uses the actual phonetic situation of Mandarin Chinese to explore basic concepts and research methods in phonetics.

The specific content in this course includes the biology of phonetics, the physics of phonetics, psychological foundations, an introduction to the real manifestations of Chinese phonetics’ syllabic structure, tones, vowels, consonants, rhythm and intonation. The instructor will detail the procedures for using phonetic experiments to analyze tones, vowels, consonants and intonation. In addition, the course will also cover the process of acquisition of Chinese phonetics for both first- and second-language learners, contact and development between languages and dialects, and other topics, building extensions upon the foundation of basic research.

If prerequisites are met, students may choose one to two themes and undertake an experiment and analysis. This will give students the opportunity to gain real experience with phonetic research, and through involving themselves in the process, they will gain enthusiasm about the topic, and will also develop and strengthen their academic research abilities.

Through lectures and language practice investigation, this course gives students an understanding of basic theories and methods raised by renowned western scholars in the field of pragmatics and some new theories, principles or criteria raised by Chinese pragmatists. Students will master certain rules in Chinese pragmatics and use them to observe, analyze certain pragmatics phenomenon in Chinese; this course also trains students to use basic theories, principles and methods to observe, analyze, study and explain certain pragmatics phenomenon, characteristics and patterns in Chinese; lays foundation for future study and discovering pragmatics rules in Chinese.

This course gives a relatively more comprehensive introduction to the following content: basic theories and methods of pragmatics, main schools of thoughts and theories raised by prominent scholars, and based on which concrete examples will be analyzed; basic theories of context including the definition, classification, characteristics and function of context, and the meaning and value of studying context; phenomenon of indicatives, words and expressions, including the meaning and information of indicatives and all kinds of usages plus all kinds of indicative phenomenon in Chinese and related studies; theory of language behavior and meaning of conversation including principles of conversation and manners, etc.; pre-assumption, information, focus and related theories, analytic techniques, conducting case studies combined with Chinese; conversation structures, etc.

Instruction style: a combination of lecturing, discussion, investigation of language applications, and reading relevant literature.

Sociolinguistics

The object of sociolinguistic research is language in society. Language’s history, language’s current situation and language’s development are all inseparable from groups of people who use language, and all of these have an intimate relationship with humanity and society. Language is the tool of communication for people. Language exists only within society; once one leaves society, there is no language. In both studying and researching language, one cannot leave societal life aside.

The content of sociolinguistics includes hierarchies in language and society, ethnic communities and languages, gender differences in language, linguistic and speech situations, communication and interaction between language and society, language’s ethnic variants, and geographic conditions and language. Sociolinguistics is a branch of linguistics, yet it is also its origin. This course gives an account of sociolinguistic theory and research methods, and through case study analysis, allows students to design their own research proposals, engage in real linguistic studies, and connect theory with reality.

This course examines the cinemas of mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chinese Diaspora, with a focus on how social, political and cultural changes of modern and contemporary China find their expressions in films. Background readings provide historical narratives. Selections of films and class discussions center on key issues, such as birth of nation-state, social realism and socialist realism, gender and transgender, modernity and cultural identity, history and memory, urban culture, relocation and social migration. Students will learn to use and analyze film language, and to develop a critical understanding of Chinese society and culture through film. The course is conducted in Chinese and combines lecture, discussion, and students’ presentations. Readings include English and Chinese publications.

This course is designed for students in their last summer session of the Master’s program. In this course, students will have the opportunity to reflect upon the theories of Chinese teaching that they have already learned, improving their ability to design and effectively implement classroom teaching practices. Students’ assignments will include: readings on TCFL, reflections on the questions and problems brought up in readings, classroom observation, directed course design, class preparation, microteaching activities, and others.

Kubler, Cornelius. Pathways V. 03 NFLC Guide for Basic Chinese Language Programs (2nd Edition). Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. ISBN: 978-0-87415-071-1 <http://flpubs.osu.edu/catalog_details.cfm?PubKey=155>