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CHN101 “Introductory Chinese I”

Dates: 8 Sept. – 7 Dec. 2020

Thursday. 10 AM-12 PM. This Mandatory class will be Synchronous, meeting

and interacting with instructor and students on Zoom.
CHN101 Meeting ID: 633 261 5937 Password: CHN101
Sec. 031 (for students enrolled in this section ONLY)

Monday 4-5 PM. Class will be Asynchronous and students will work
independently or with group members.

Instructor: Dr. Renee Rui Wang (王瑞老师 Wáng Ruì Lǎoshī)

Email: renee.wang@ryerson.ca Use only Ryerson e-mail or gmail accounts for communication
between faculty and students in this course. Note: All hotmail.com e-mail will be deleted without
being opened. Put CHN101 and section number in the Heading. In general, all email messages
will be responded to within a day or two. Saturday and Sunday are reserved for study and
reflection; therefore, the instructor will respond to all weekend email messages on Monday.

Office Hours: Thursday 12-1PM or by appointment online via Zoom.

Meeting ID: 633 261 5937
Password: OFFICE101

Course Description
This course is designed to help a novice with no prior background in the Chinese language to
develop basic functional communication abilities in all four language skills in spoken Mandarin and
written Simplified Chinese characters. By using the standard Hànyŭ Pīnyīn phonetic system,
students will learn to make statements, ask questions, respond to questions and create
conversations. We will cover all 15 lessons in the HSK Level 1 Course Textbook.
This is a Lower Level Liberal Studies elective course.

Course Requirements
This course is being taught remotely via Zoom. Therefore, students
- - must have access to a strong internet service. See: https://www.ryerson.ca/covid-19/students/
- - Zoom will be used for in-class lectures and conversations during office hours.
- - Interaction and communication are essential in learning a new language. For this reason, the use
of a camera will be required for all language courses during oral presentations, class discussions,
and oral exams. You may of course turn off your camera during lecture time, use a background or

懷雅遜大學/怀雅逊大学 Huáiyăxùn Dàxué

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English Translation: “Cherish the Elegant and Respectful University”

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blur your background if you wish. Please follow the camera/mic etiquette discussed in the first day
of class.
- - are required to be available to answer questions in Mandarin and interact with their fellow
classmates in break-out groups during the class period.
- - must be available on the day and at the time as scheduled on RAMMS.
- - If you have any questions, please contact me.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students will be able to greet someone in Mandarin Chinese, ask about a
person’s name, make statements about family members, talk about today’s date, talk about a desire
such as drinking tea, ask about where a person works, ask permission to do something, ask about
the time, ask about the weather, make a statement about what a person is doing right now, and make
statements about shopping. In addition, students will able to recognize, write and type around 150
Simplified Chinese characters that they have learned in the course.
Respect and Manners
In order to collectively create a positive learning environment, it is essential that all of us (instructor
and students) create an environment that fosters mutual respect and intellectual contributions. While
course material may sometimes be challenging or controversial, everyone in the class is expected to
express their ideas in a thoughtful and mutually respectful manner.
Land Acknowledgement
Toronto is in the “Dish With One Spoon Territory.” The Dish With One Spoon is a treaty between
the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share the territory and
protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and peoples, Europeans and all newcomers have
been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect.
The Ryerson Approach
Ryerson uses both a Collaborative and Communicative Approach to learning. Student-teacher and
student-student interaction play a significant role at this stage of development as a learner.
Practicing Introductions [of self to others] as well as creating Oral Skits [giving simple culturally
appropriate language] not only enrich the student’s learning experience but also increase the
student’s confidence in speaking Mandarin.

In class we use the 汉语拼音 Hànyŭ Pīnyīn Romanization Phonetic System because it is used in
China as well as all over the world to teach Chinese as a Foreign Language [CFL] in universities
and colleges. It is also used in the Library of Congress, the United Nations, and the Chinese
Language Teachers Association.
D2L for the course
Weekly reference to D2L is required for this course. Please use your Ryerson University e-mail
address and password. With your ID card, you have access to D2L where many useful handouts,
exercises, Chinese character handouts, etc. are posted. Both In-class and Out-of-class exercises
should be written on this Chinese Grid Sheet Paper, and each character should be written in
Simplified characters with Hànyŭ Pīnyīn below each character. Students will need to read and write
in Simplified Characters. The exercises on D2L will provide materials for practicing the language in
the classroom.

Required Textbooks

• Jiang, Liping. Standard Course HSK 1. Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture Press,
2013. [1 MP3 audio CD Included]. A kindle version of this text is available online for

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 purchase. Our Textbook: ISBN: 978-7-5619-3709-9 is required for daily in-class oral and
written work. I highly recommend a hard copy, which is less than US $15.
https://www.purpleculture.net/hsk-standard-course-1-with-audios-p-17661/

• E-books can be purchased from the following links.

https://www.phoenixtree.com/product-page/ebook-hsk-standard-course-1-textbook
https://www.phoenixtree.com/product-page/ebook-hsk-standard-course-1-workbook

HSK Learning Resources:

https://www.confuciusinstitute.manchester.ac.uk/study/testing/hsk/hsk-learning-resources/

Optional Reading
• Chai, May-Lee and Winberg Chai. China A to Z: Everything you need to know to
understand Chinese customs and culture. NY: Plume, (2007) 2014.
ISBN: 978-0-14-218084-6.
• Jiang, Liping. Standard Course HSK 1. Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture Press,
2013. [1 MP3 CD Included]. This workbook is available for purchase online. Workbook:
ISBN: 978-7-5619-3710-5
• McGraw-Hill’s Chinese Pronunciation. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, Live ABC, 2009.
ISBN: 9780071627368, 0071627367 Excellent Source. Shows location of tongue.
eText ISBN: 9780071627368, 9780071785464, 0071785469.

Expectations
Attendance: Active Participation in each class is a key factor to becoming successful as a learner of
a foreign language. Listening to the audio MP3 recording and preparing the lessons before coming
to class is also very important. Active Participation is defined as having a textbook, studying it
before class, answering questions in each class session, doing all the Written Assignments assigned
in class as well as posted on D2L, and always being prepared for each class.
Time Required: In general, to do well in the course most students should review, practice and study
at least 3-4 hours before EACH (3-hour) class session. It is ideal to listen to the audio MP3
recording for an hour a day, two days a week, in preparation for each class session.
Exemptions: Those who have studied Chinese previously and can read and write more than 150
Chinese characters (Traditional or Simplified) will NOT be allowed to take this course for credit.
You may qualify for CHN201 or higher. Taking a course in a foreign language in which a student
already has proficiency is perceived of as Academic Misconduct by the university. The student is
dropped from the course and a letter is placed in the student’s academic record. To be clear, I am
sure that this situation will not apply to anyone in this course. If you have any questions at all,
please talk to me on the first day of the course.
Permission to take the course
First, before registering for a foreign language course at Ryerson, each student must take a
placement assessment and be placed into a course. Within a few days, the Academic Coordinator
will send the student an email with the appropriate course in which to register. Second, submit to
your instructor the completed the Information/Survey Sheet.

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Only students with approval from the instructor or Academic Coordinator will be allowed to stay in
the course. If you have any questions, please contact jstowe@ryerson.ca
If you have not taken the placement assessment, please visit the website www.ryerson.ca/llc [at the
bottom of the page] of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.

Evaluation
Written assignments:
Lessons 1-15, 150 Chinese characters [over 30 pages of work]
Out-of-Class Written Work [Each week do the written assignments]
All Chinese characters should have Hànyŭ Pīnyīn, written BELOW each character.
Keep all the graded work in a Portfolio (folder) which will be checked by the instructor
during week 7 and 11. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20%

Written Test # 1 on Less. 1-4 ……………………………………….. (Week 4) . …….10%

Written Test # 2 on Less. 5-8 ……….………... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Week 7) . ... . .. 10%
Oral Introduction ……………………………………………………..(Week 7) . …... 10%
Written Test # 3 on Less. 9-12 . . ………………………………..…... (Week 10)……. 10%
Written Test # 4 on Less. 13-15……………………………………… (Week 12)……. 20%
Oral Presentation/skit …………………………………..….(Final Exam Period)…….20%
.
Note: In general, all work will usually be graded within a week after it has been uploaded onto
D2L. Also, all students will have a one-week grace period to do all written work.
Three weeks after the due date, the work will NOT receive full credit.

This course is an excellent foundation for learning Chinese. All students who put in the time
and are very serious about learning will do very well in the course.

Tentative Course Outline

Week 1 We meet on Thursday. (1) Submit the Information/Survey Sheet to D2L.

Sept. 10, 14 (2) Verify that you are ready to take CHN101 on D2L at Ryerson.
That is, you have access to the internet and will be able to upload assignments
and take tests in Chinese. We need to verify this in the first 2 weeks.
Introduction to the course (go over course outline and course requirements)
Go over Lesson 1: Greetings and Introductions. Practice the verb 是 shì “to be.”

Respond to questions about the Chinese language and sentence structure.

During the 1-hour session, all students should be practicing the
weekly reading and writing Chinese characters. All Written Assignments
should be uploaded onto D2L and will be evaluated (20% of the final grade)
during Week 7 and Week 11.

Week 2 Practice Chinese Phonetics [Hànyŭ Pīnyīn]. Pronounce new phrases.

Sept. 17, 21 Review Lesson 1: 你好 Nĭ hăo. Greetings and Introductions. Practice the verb
“是 shì” (to be) and Lesson 2 谢谢你 Xièxie nĭ (Thank you/Goodbye),
Go over Lesson 3 你叫什么名字 Nĭ jiào shénme míngzi? (What is your name?)
and Lesson 4 她是我的汉语老师. Tā shì wŏde Hànyŭ lăoshī. (She is my teacher)
Review the Basic Chinese Sentence Structure: Topic and Comment.
Review two common ways to ask a question: “ma” or “choice question.”

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 There is a third way to ask a question in Chinese - “with a question word.”
Ask 5 classmates these questions:
“请问您贵姓 Qĭng wèn, nín guì xìng? What is your last name?” and
“请问你叫什么名字 Qĭng wèn, nĭ jiào shénme míngzi? What is your name?”
In each class session, first, students have prepared before coming to class.

Second, students will go over the lessons in class then ask 5 students orally
these questions will make up Written Assignment # 1.
Submit Assignment # 1 on D2L before Week 3.

Week 3 Practice asking and responding to “What is your name (and nationality)”?
Sept. 24, 28 Practice listening and writing down what you hear. Learn 4-5 new countries.
Students will go over the lessons 3 and 4 in class then ask 5 students orally
these questions will make up Written Assignment # 2.
Practice Recognizing 45 Chinese characters (Lessons 1-4)
Submit Assignment # 2 on D2L before Week 4.

Week 4 Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Happy the Moon Festival!

Oct. 1, 5 祝大家 中秋节 快乐。 十月一日(号) 晚上 看月亮

Zhù dàjiā Zhōngqiújié kuàilè. Shíyuè yīrì (hào) wănshang kàn yuèliang
Review Lesson 4: 请问，你汉语 老师是 哪国人？
Qĭng wèn, nĭ Hànyŭ lăoshī shì nă guó rén?
(which country does your teacher of Chinese come from?)
Go over Lesson 5 (Her daughter is 20 years old this year). 他女儿今年二十岁。
Tā nǚ’ér jīnnián èrshí suì. Practice using 几 jĭ and 了 le.
Go over Lesson 6 (I can speak Chinese). 我会说汉语。Wǒ huì shuō Hànyǔ.
In class do Pair Work with 5 different people. Be prepared to talk about yourself.
Prepare 4-5 sentences about yourself. Prepare for your Oral Introduction.
Introduce yourself in Mandarin to 5 classmates.
Submit Assignment # 3 on Less. 5 and 6 on D2L this Week 4.
Take Test # 1 on Lessons 1-4 and classroom discussions. Submit on D2L.

Week 5 Practice Lesson 6 (I can speak Chinese). 我会说汉语。Wǒ huì shuō Hànyǔ.
Oct. 8, 19 Go over Lesson 7 (What’s the date today?) 今天几号？Jīntiān jĭhào?
Practice asking and answering questions.
Practice using “会 hui [able to/skills at]” and “怎么 zĕnme [how come?]”

Oct. 12-16 Study Week. Ryerson University is closed for Reading/Study Week.

Week 6 Practice Lesson 7 (What’s the date today?) 今天几号？Jīntiān jĭhào?

Oct. 22, 26 Ask 5 classmates: “Qǐngwèn, nǐ de shēngrì jĭyuè jĭhào?”
Go over Less. 8 (I’d like to have some tea.) 我想喝茶. Wǒ xiăng hē chá.
Ask 5 classmates: “Qǐngwèn, nǐ xĭhuan hē shénme chá?” Green tea (绿茶 lǜchá),
Jasmine tea (茉莉花茶 mòlìhuā chá), Pu’er tea (普洱茶pǔ'ěr chá)
Practice using Measure Words: 个 (ge – generic M.W. for things),

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 口 (kŏu - mouth)，杯 (bēi - cup)，本 (bĕn - volume)， 位 (wèi)

Week 7 Practice Lessons 1-8 material in the first half of the class.
Oct.29, Nov.2 All students should know the vocabulary, sentence patterns, Chinese grammar,
and be able to recognize 102 Chinese characters (give English or Hànyŭ Pīnyīn).
Students may use 1.5 hours to take this closed book exam.
Take Test # 2 on Lessons 1-8 and classroom discussions. Submit on D2L.
Oral Introduction (on Zoom or Submit on D2L).

Week 8 Go over Lesson 9 (Where does your son work?) 你的儿子在哪儿工作？

Nov. 12, 16 Practice using “在哪儿 zài năr (在哪里 năli)?”
Go over Lesson 10 (Can I sit here?) 我能坐这儿吗？Wǒ néng zuò zhè'er ma?
Practice use 有 (yŏu, existence), 和 (hé, and), 能 (néng, can), 请 (qĭng, please).
Practice prepositions 前面 (qiánmiàn, in front of), 后面 (hòumiàn, in back of)
里面 (lĭmiàn, in front of) and suffixes 我们wŏmen, 桌子zhuōzi, 上头shàngtou

Week 9 Practice Lesson 11 (What’s the time now?) 现在几点？Xiànzài jĭdiăn?

Nov. 19, 23 Practice Lesson 12 (What will the weather be like tomorrow?)
明天天气怎么样？Míngtiān tiānqì zĕnme yàng?

Week 10 Practice Lesson 13 (He is learning to cook Chinese food.) 他在学做中国菜呢。

Nov. 26, 30 Practice asking questions about what someone is doing.
Practice Lesson 14 (She has bought quite a few clothes). 她买了不少衣服。
Take Test # 3 on Lessons 9-12 and classroom discussions.

Week 11 Practice Lesson 15 (I came here by air.) 我是做飞机来的。

Nov. 30th Practice the 是 shi … 的 de pattern，Practice writing the date .…年 … 月 … 日
Use some class time to prepare for the Group Oral Skits.

Week 12 Review Lessons 1-15. Prepare Test # 4 and Oral # 2.

Dec. 3,7 Optional = Take a Simulated Chinese Proficiency Exam [HSK Level I]
Hand in the Answer Sheet for full points.
Use class time to consult the instructor and to practice the Oral Skit
Take Test # 4 [20%] on Lessons 13-15 at home. Submit on D2L.
Written Test # 4 is comprehensive and covers all the grammar, vocabulary,
and sentence patterns in Lessons 1-15, 20 Chinese Radicals, 10 Measure
Words such as 口，个，本，位，杯 plus 150 Chinese characters.
Oral Presentation/Skits. Do on Zoom or video and Submit on D2L
Due by 14th.

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Missed Classes and/or Evaluations

When possible, students are required to inform their instructors of any situation which arises during
the semester which may have an adverse effect upon their academic performance, and must request
any consideration and accommodation according to the relevant policies as far in advance as
possible. Failure to do so may jeopardize any academic appeals.

Health certificates – If a student misses the deadline for submitting an assignment, or the date of an
exam or other evaluation component for health reasons, they should notify their instructor as soon
as possible, and submit a Ryerson Student Health Certificate AND an Academic Consideration
Request form within 3 working days of the missed date. If you are a full-time or part-time degree
student, then you submit your forms to your own program department or school.

Religious, Aboriginal and Spiritual observance – If a student needs accommodation because of

religious, Aboriginal or spiritual observance, they must submit a Request for Accommodation of
Student Religious, Aboriginal and Spiritual Observance within the first 2 weeks of the class or, for a
final examination, within 2 weeks of the posting of the examination schedule. If the requested
absence occurs within the first 2 weeks of classes, or the dates are not known well in advance as
they are linked to other conditions, these forms should be submitted with as much lead time as
possible in advance of the absence. Both documents are available at
http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/forms/relobservforminstr.pdf.

Academic Accommodation Support – Before the first graded work is due, students registered with
the Academic Accommodation Support office (AAS) should provide their instructors with an
Academic Accommodation letter that describes their academic accommodation plan.

Academic Integrity
Ryerson’s Policy 60 (the Academic Integrity policy) applies to all students at the University. Forms
of academic misconduct include plagiarism, cheating, supplying false information to the University,
and other acts. The most common form of academic misconduct is plagiarism – a serious academic
offence, with potentially severe penalties and other consequences. It is expected, therefore, that all
examinations and work submitted for evaluation and course credit will be the product of each
student’s individual effort (or an authorized group of students). Submitting the same work for
credit to more than one course, without instructor approval, can also be considered a form of
plagiarism.

Suspicions of Academic Misconduct may be referred to the Academic Integrity Office (AIO).
Students who are found to have committed academic misconduct will have a Disciplinary Notation
(DN) placed on their academic record (not on their transcript) and will normally be assigned one or
more of the following penalties:

• A grade reduction for the work, ranging up to an including a zero on the work (minimum
penalty for graduate work is a zero on the work)
• A grade reduction in the course greater than a zero on the work. (Note that this penalty can
only be applied to course components worth 10% or less, and any additional penalty cannot
exceed 10% of the final course grade. Students must be given prior notice that such a
penalty will be assigned (e.g. in the course outline or on the assignment handout)

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 • An F in the course
• More serious penalties up to and including expulsion from the University

The unauthorized use of intellectual property of others, including your professor, for
distribution, sale, or profit is expressly prohibited, in accordance with Policy 60 (Sections
2.8 and 2.10). Intellectual property includes, but is not limited to: Slides, Lecture notes,
Presentation materials used in and outside of class, Lab manuals, Course packs and Exams.
For more detailed information on these issues, please refer to the Academic Integrity policy
and to the Academic Integrity Office website.

University Policies
Students must be reminded that they are required to adhere to all relevant university policies found
in their online course shell in D2L and/or on the following URL: http://ryerson.ca/senate/course-
outline-policies

Important Resources Available at Ryerson

The Library provides research workshops and individual assistance. Inquire at the

Reference Desk on the second floor of the library, or

www.ryerson.ca/library/info/workshops.html

Student Learning Support offers group-based and individual help with writing, math, study
skills and transition support, and other issues.

● The Library provides research workshops and individual assistance. If the University is open, there
is a Research Help desk on the second floor of the library, or go to Workshops.

● Student Learning Support offers group-based and individual help with writing, math, study skills,
and transition support, as well as resources and checklists to support students as online learners.

● You can submit an Academic Consideration Request when an extenuating circumstance has
occurred that has significantly impacted your ability to fulfill and academic requirement. You may
always visit the Senate website and select the blue radial button on the top right hand side entitled:
Academic Consideration Request (ACR).

● Ryerson COVID-19 Information and Updates for Students summarizes the variety of resources
available to students during the pandemic.

● Familiarize yourself with the tools you will need to use for remote learning. The Continuity of
Learning Guide for students includes guides to completing quizzes or exams in D2L or Respondus,
using D2L Brightspace, joining online meetings or lectures, and collaborating with the Google Suite.

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