This course aims to enhance your overall language skills on a variety of daily topics in the contemporary Chinese speaking countries, with a focus on raising intercultural awareness and competence. It seeks to strengthen your language performance with emphasis on listening, speaking, reading and writing. Relevant societal topics and perspectives in Chinese-speaking countries 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 and Chinese culture.

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 8262A 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 societal topics, oral presentations, grammar exercises, etc.