This course aims to enhance your overall language skills on a variety of daily topics in authentic context, with a focus on raising intercultural and global awareness. It seeks to strengthen your language performance with emphasis on listening, speaking, reading and writing. Relevant current phrases, topics and perspectives in Chinese-speaking societies will be covered and practiced in various tasks. Different genres may be used to foster learner’s autonomy. The course is also designed not only to help students grasp conversational and listening skills through, but also enhance understanding of content knowledge of Chinese contemporary society at a graduate level setting. Some classic reading materials will be our special topic units throughout the semester, be Chinese allegorical story, Three Kingdoms and stratagems, etc.

The format of the 6-hour class comprises listening and speaking section, reading and writing section and practicum section. For the listening and speaking section, CHLA 8235A is based on interactive learning from video and audio featuring native speakers, and from the instructor and other classmates. For the reading and writing section, after the spoken course, highest-frequency characters will be systematically introduced in cultural context. In the practicum section, we will practice target grammars through communicative methods. Reading exercises will help students develop connecting the dots-known characters and words, to enhance their reading comprehension. Assignments include different forms of listening exercises, dialogues, pragmatic function practice, discussion about cultural topics, oral presentations, grammar exercises, etc.