What will we be studying?
The first semester of the course is designed to further communicative competence and to develop reading and writing skills. We use the textbook HANYU Stage 4 as our source for conversation and MASTERWORKS CHINESE COMPANION for reading and writing. We also use supplementary materials related to Chinese culture and history. In the second semester, students are exposed to authentic materials, such as Chinese newspapers, magazines, T.V. programs, and films. Students increase their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills; improve their narrative and descriptive abilities; and learn to express abstract ideas both orally and in writing.

What will be expected of me?
The students, as in any course, will be expected to complete homework and projects, study for exams, participate in class discussion, and do research on the Internet.

How is the course taught?
The course is taught primarily in Mandarin Chinese. Students are encouraged to use Mandarin as much as possible. Discussions are based on the reading assignments, films, and audio sources. The teacher will provide the historical and social background in order to help further the students' knowledge and understanding of given literary topics.

Details and pre/co-requisites:
Native speakers or three years prior study of Chinese; proficiency in reading and writing Chinese is required.
This is a one year course. If you enroll in FM7X in the fall, you will automatically be programmed for FM8X in the spring.