Chinese

This course examines the Cantonese language as spoken in Hong Kong. The language will be discussed in its areal and historical context. Grammatical topics will include parts of speech in Cantonese, verbal aspect, noun classifiers, and sentence-final particles, with a particular focus on aspects of syntax which diverge from written Chinese and Putonghua such as dative, passive, and comparative constructions. Topics of sociolinguistic interest such as the use of Cantonese as a written language, ‘lazy pronunciation,’ and Cantonese as an endangered language will also be addressed.

Taiwan is a rich and diverse country. This course combines language and culture, and covers various topics and situations about tourism and customs around Taiwan. The course strengthens language skills and vocabulary when recognizing famous attractions around Taiwan. After students complete this course, they will be able to correctly and fluently apply the appropriate vocabulary and sentences to real travel situations, such as buying tickets, booking hotels, asking for directions, and solving emergencies. In addition, they will also have a higher level of awareness in regards to the customs of the country.This course is taught mainly in Chinese.

This Chinese language course is for students who have taken General Chinese Language course - Beginning Chinese III or those who have taken Chinese for at least 250 hours. The course enables students to express one's opinion effectively; to write a short essay of at least 300 words to express oneself; and to communicate about daily life activities all in Chinese. The course helps students develop proficient language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing that would enable them to communicate effectively in their daily lives. Through the course, students further understand Taiwanese culture and language. Text: “Practical Audio-Visual Chinese II” (chapter 8~) and “Practical Audio-Visual Chinese III” (~chapter 3) Assessment: attendance and participation (20%), quizzes (20%) (usually once a week at the end of the week), assignments (20%), midterm exam (20%), final exam (20%).

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. gain a general impression of Chinese culture and society, history, family and gender relationships, propaganda and new media, and the interaction between China and the world, by attending lectures, reading articles and watching films. 
2. acquire a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and society by giving presentations, participating in debates and completing a mid-term exam.
3. improve their cultural analysis and communication skills through watching films, reading film reviews, conducting interviews and making their own videos.
4. summarize and further express their own critical opinions of Chinese culture and society through the writing of a final essay.

Content

In this course, we will look at China from the inside out. During the first half of the course we will start by looking into current developments in China through three topics: 1) historical events that still influence modern-day China; 2) family relationships, such as marriage and divorce, children and parents, family planning policy, and gender issues; 3) old and new propaganda methods, new media and cutting-edge technologies. During the second half of the course we will tackle the issues which show the interaction between China and the world. Based on knowledge of Chinese philosophical ideas, we will try to understand the identity construction of Chinese people abroad, business culture and foreign policies. Besides reading related academic materials, we will mainly try to gain a deeper understanding of China through Observing, Doing and Communicating. Therefore, our course includes various of these ‘ODC’ activities, such as observing objects that contain Chinese cultural elements; celebrating the Chinese New Year; watching documentaries about China; making short videos and presenting your encounters with China in the Netherlands, such as visiting China Town, discovering the changes in Chinese companies and different generations of Chinese immigrants. Besides, this course will maintain its interdisciplinary feature by inviting guest lecturers from various fields.

The aim of Spoken Chinese is to enhance the proficiency of oral communication by learning common vocabularies and sentences.

Elementary Class: For those who have vocabulary skill of more than 200 Chinese words. The class mainly teaches basic grammar and daily expressions.