DEPARTMENT OF ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

Overview of class 
coming soon!

Learning Objectives

Teaching Method

Evaluation Method

Class Materials (required)

Overview of Course
coming soon!

Learning Objectives

Teaching Method

Evaluation Method

Class Materials (required)

Overview of class 

This three-quarter sequence of beginning college level Chinese is designed for true beginners with no previous background in the language. This course is an introduction to Chinese, its basic grammar, pinyin system, vocabulary, usage, and the Chinese writing system. It also focuses on developing basic communicative skills and knowledge of the Chinese culture. There will be extensive student-oriented practice in pronunciation, conversations, listening comprehension, and sentence structures in class.  Our goal is to lay the solid ground work for your study of Chinese whether you plan to have a concentration in Chinese or to satisfy a language requirement. Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students are expected to reach Novice-High level of the ACTFL proficiency guidelines. https://www.actfl.org/uploads/files/general/Resources-Publications/ACTFL_Proficiency_Guidelines_2024.pdf

Registration Requirements
Except for Chinese 111-1, students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Have a good command of the pronunciation system of Mandarin Chinese.
• Have a good command of Chinese characters in both handwriting and typing.
• Use Mandarin Chinese to carry out conversations on daily-life topics (e.g., food preference, hobbies and activities, shopping, visiting a doctor, Chinese culture and relationships.
• Write short passages on the topics above.
• Gain and demonstrate cultural knowledge discussed in the units.

Teaching Method
There will be extensive student-oriented practice in pronunciation, conversations, listening comprehension, and sentence structures in class. English will be used mainly for instruction on sentence structures and patterns. Interaction between instructor and among students will be in Chinese.

Evaluation Method
Attendance and participation 
Written assignments
Dictations
Oral quizzes
Written quizzes
Final exam

Class Materials (Required)
Fall quarter and Winter quarter
Textbook and Workbook: Modern Chinese 1A Simplified Characters (second edition)
Publisher: Better Chinese ISBN: 978-1-60603-573-3 (textbook); 978-1-60603-572-6 (workbook) 
Price: $64.99 (textbook) $ 34.99(workbook)

Spring quarter
Textbook and Workbook: Modern Chinese 1B Simplified Characters (second edition)
Publisher: Better Chinese ISBN: 978-1-60603-578-8 (textbook) 978-1-60603-579-5 (workbook)
Price: $64.99 (textbook) $ 34.99(workbook)

Overview of class 

This three-quarter sequence of beginning college level Chinese is designed for true beginners with no previous background in the language. This course is an introduction to Chinese, its basic grammar, pinyin system, vocabulary, usage, and the Chinese writing system. It also focuses on developing basic communicative skills and knowledge of the Chinese culture. There will be extensive student-oriented practice in pronunciation, conversations, listening comprehension, and sentence structures in class.  Our goal is to lay the solid ground work for your study of Chinese whether you plan to have a concentration in Chinese or to satisfy a language requirement. Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students are expected to reach Novice-High level of the ACTFL proficiency guidelines. https://www.actfl.org/uploads/files/general/Resources-Publications/ACTFL_Proficiency_Guidelines_2024.pdf

Registration Requirements
Except for Chinese 111-1, students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Have a good command of the pronunciation system of Mandarin Chinese.
• Have a good command of Chinese characters in both handwriting and typing.
• Use Mandarin Chinese to carry out conversations on daily-life topics (e.g., food preference, hobbies and activities, shopping, visiting a doctor, Chinese culture and relationships.
• Write short passages on the topics above.
• Gain and demonstrate cultural knowledge discussed in the units.

Teaching Method
There will be extensive student-oriented practice in pronunciation, conversations, listening comprehension, and sentence structures in class. English will be used mainly for instruction on sentence structures and patterns. Interaction between instructor and among students will be in Chinese.

Evaluation Method
Attendance and participation 
Written assignments
Dictations
Oral quizzes
Written quizzes
Final exam

Class Materials (Required)
Fall quarter and Winter quarter
Textbook and Workbook: Modern Chinese 1A Simplified Characters (second edition)
Publisher: Better Chinese ISBN: 978-1-60603-573-3 (textbook); 978-1-60603-572-6 (workbook) 
Price: $64.99 (textbook) $ 34.99(workbook)

Spring quarter
Textbook and Workbook: Modern Chinese 1B Simplified Characters (second edition)
Publisher: Better Chinese ISBN: 978-1-60603-578-8 (textbook) 978-1-60603-579-5 (workbook)
Price: $64.99 (textbook) $ 34.99(workbook)

Overview of class

Accelerated Chinese 115 (115-1, 2, 3) is designed for advanced beginners who demonstrate relatively strong listening and speaking proficiency. This course builds on students’ existing oral abilities and systematically develops their reading and writing skills in Chinese. By the end of the sequence, students are expected to reach an Intermediate Mid-level of literacy proficiency.

Registration Requirements

Except for Chinese 115-1, students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives     

By the end of the course, students will be able to 1) engage in conversations on familiar topics such as personal background, daily life and community experiences using appropriate vocabulary, sentence structures and sociocultural norms; 2) Read and write short, theme-based texts including personal stories and simple narratives, expressing ideas related to their own experiences; 3) Use pinyin-based input systems to type in Chinese and produce written communication for various audiences and purposes; and 4) Explore and reflect on personal connections to Chinese language and culture and express reflections in spoken and written Chinese.

Teaching Method
This course meets four days a week and is conducted in Chinese. Students engage with theme-based unites through an interactive approach: they complete preview tasks before class, and class time is used for guided practice, discussion, and communicative activities.

Evaluation Method
Classroom attendance and participation, reading and writing assignments, presentations, dictations, written quizzes and one final exam

Class Materials (Required)
Fall quarter, Winter quarter & Spring quarter:

传承中文 Modern Chinese for Heritage Beginners: Stories about Us
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781032399775
Price: $42.95

Overview of class

This year-long course is designed for students who have completed Chinese 111 at Northwestern or the equivalent elsewhere. It aims to further develop students’ Chinese proficiency through: (1) consolidating the foundation built in students’ beginning modern Chinese courses; (2) introducing them to more complex grammatical structures, varieties of language styles, and cultural information. Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students are expected to be able to handle various types of more complex daily conversational situations and short passages on familiar topics. Successful completion of CHINESE 121-3 will satisfy the WCAS foreign language requirement. In addition, they will reach Intermediate mid to Intermediate high in reading, writing, listening and speaking according to ACTFL proficiency guidelines.

Registration Requirements

Students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to

• Speak in full sentence-length on topics of daily life with relative ease.
• Give descriptions and presentations in a short paragraph on topics covered in the course.
• Comprehend written texts on the topics covered in the course.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Chinese culture covered in the course.

Teaching Method

This course is conducted mostly in Chinese. Class time mainly focuses on speaking and listening skill development. There will also be reading and writing activities and assignments. Students are expected to be fully prepared for each lesson. 

Evaluation Method

Class attendance and participation, assignments, quizzes, oral tests, presentations, midterm and final exam.

Class Materials (Required)
Fall quarter
Textbook and workbook: Modern Chinese 1B (Second Edition) Simplified Characters 
Publisher: Better Chinese 
ISBN: 978-1-60603-578-8 (textbook): 978-1-60603-579-5 (workbook) 
Price: Price: $64.99 (textbook) $ 34.99(workbook)

Winter and Spring quarters
Textbook and workbook: Modern Chinese 2A Simplified Characters 
Publisher: Better Chinese 
ISBN: 978-1-60603-487-3(textbook); 978-1-60603-488-0 (workbook)
Price: $69.95 (textbook); $34.95(workbook)

Overview of class

Accelerated Chinese 125 (125-1, 2, 3) is an intermediate course primarily designed for students at ACTFL intermediate-mid level of proficiency in listening and speaking, and intermediate-low in literacy skills. This course aims to help students further hone all four skills with an emphasis on reading and writing. The literacy goal is to master 1500-2000 characters and to reach an intermediate-high level of literacy proficiency.  

Registration Requirements

Students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives

The goals of this course are to help students: (a) achieve a basic level of reading competency; (b) express themselves clearly in written Chinese on a variety of topics using learned grammar patterns and vocabulary; (c) reinforce their speaking proficiency on a broad range of topics; (d) cultivate their intercultural competence and ability to juxtapose and communicate across different cultures.

Teaching Method

Four regular class hours are for learning of the key vocabulary, analysis of sentence structure, familiarity with Chinese culture, awareness of different registers, and discussion of topics related to the texts and supplementary readings. Students are expected to write and report on topics that have been covered in the texts and supplementary readings. 

Evaluation Method

Class performance, written assignments, oral reports, written quizzes, and a final exam.

Class Materials (Required):

Fall quarter:
Textbook and workbook : Integrated Chinese, Level 2, Part1 (3rd ed.); 
Publisher: Cheng & Tsui Company.
ISBN: 9780887276798 (textbook); 9780887276835 (workbook)
Price: $58.99(textbook); $27.99 (Workbook)

Winter quarter & Spring quarter:
Textbook and workbook : Integrated Chinese, Level 2, Part2 (3rd ed.); 
Publisher: Cheng & Tsui Company.
ISBN: 9780887276880 (textbook); 9780887276927 (workbook)
Price: $59.99(textbook); $28.99

Overview of class

Accelerated Chinese 125 (125-1, 2, 3) is an intermediate course primarily designed for students at ACTFL intermediate-mid level of proficiency in listening and speaking, and intermediate-low in literacy skills. This course aims to help students further hone all four skills with an emphasis on reading and writing. The literacy goal is to master 1500-2000 characters and to reach an intermediate-high level of literacy proficiency.  

Registration Requirements

Students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives

The goals of this course are to help students: (a) achieve a basic level of reading competency; (b) express themselves clearly in written Chinese on a variety of topics using learned grammar patterns and vocabulary; (c) reinforce their speaking proficiency on a broad range of topics; (d) cultivate their intercultural competence and ability to juxtapose and communicate across different cultures.

Teaching Method

Four regular class hours are for learning of the key vocabulary, analysis of sentence structure, familiarity with Chinese culture, awareness of different registers, and discussion of topics related to the texts and supplementary readings. Students are expected to write and report on topics that have been covered in the texts and supplementary readings. 

Evaluation Method

Class performance, written assignments, oral reports, written quizzes, and a final exam.

Class Materials (Required):

Fall quarter:
Textbook and workbook : Integrated Chinese, Level 2, Part1 (3rd ed.); 
Publisher: Cheng & Tsui Company.
ISBN: 9780887276798 (textbook); 9780887276835 (workbook)
Price: $58.99(textbook); $27.99 (Workbook)

Winter quarter & Spring quarter:
Textbook and workbook : Integrated Chinese, Level 2, Part2 (3rd ed.); 
Publisher: Cheng & Tsui Company.
ISBN: 9780887276880 (textbook); 9780887276927 (workbook)
Price: $59.99(textbook); $28.99

Overview of class

This is a year-long three-quarter course in advanced modern Chinese (Mandarin).  Students will transition from basic, functional communicative skills to more in-depth academic exchanges with themes about the real Chinese world. Besides rigorous training in oral proficiency, it focuses on upgrading reading and writing skills. Topics include Chinese cultural concepts, social change, economic development, and human relationships. Students will discuss the above-mentioned topics from a cross-cultural perspective. Proficiency goals (per ACTFL guidelines): Advanced-Low in oral skills and Intermediate-High to Advanced-Low in literacy skills  

Registration Requirements

Students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives

(1) Increase students’ awareness and knowledge of social issues in Modern China. 

(2) Expand vocabulary, improve fluency, and enhance the accuracy in output.

(3) Students will learn to, in written and spoken Chinese, organize ideas better, produce coherent paragraph-level outputs, make solid arguments, and express themselves formally. 

Teaching Method

We use Chinese to discuss our readings. Students are also expected to write short essays based on the topics discussed in class.

Evaluation Method 

Attendance and Participation, essays, oral presentations, quizzes or exams 

Class Materials (Required)

Textbook “ Reading Into a New China” by Duanduan Li & Irene Liu,
Publisher: Cheng & Tsui Company, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-88727-627-9
Price: $49.99

Overview of class 

Coming soon!

Registration Requirements

Teaching Method

Evaluation Method

Class Materials (Required)

Class Materials (Recommended)

Overview of class 

coming soon!

Registration Requirements


Teaching Method


Evaluation Method

Class Materials (Required)

Class Materials (Recommended)

Overview of class

Japanese I (JAPANESE 111-1, 2, and 3) is a yearlong course that covers the first half of college-level elementary Japanese.  In Japanese I, students will build a solid foundation for Japanese language learning while developing the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.  Students will also learn various aspects of Japanese culture and society through in-class activities and written assignments.  Careful and thorough review and preparation for each class session are required.

Registration Requirements

Except for JAPANESE 111-1, students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives

The year-end goal of Japanese I is to bring students’ overall Japanese proficiency to the Intermediate-Low level defined by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines.  Upon completing the course, students can greet, introduce themselves, describe their families and friends, describe their familiar places, and discuss their daily routines, experiences, and opinions. 

Teaching Method 

This course is conducted mostly in Japanese, and class hours are spent mainly on oral proficiency development.  Written assignments are given for reading and writing proficiency development.

Evaluation Method 

Class participation and performance; assignments; quizzes; oral, listening, and written examinations.

Class Materials (Required) 

Oka, M. et al.  (2021).  TOBIRA 1: Beginning Japanese.  Tokyo: Kuroshio Publishers.  ISBN 978-4-87424-870-6.

 Oka, M. et al.  (2022).  TOBIRA 1: Beginning Japanese Workbook 1 – Hiragana/Katakana, Kanji, Reading, Writing.  Tokyo: Kuroshio Publishers.  ISBN: 978-4-87424-910-9.

Oka, M. et al.  (2023).  TOBIRA 1: Beginning Japanese Workbook 2 – Vocabulary, Grammar, Listening.  Tokyo: Kuroshio Publishers.  ISBN: 978-4-87424-950-5

Class Materials (Suggested)

Endo-Hudson, M. (1994). English Grammar for Students of Japanese. Ann Arbor: The Olivia and Hill Press. ISBN: 0-934034-16-8; Makino, S. & Tsutsui M. (1989). Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo: The Japan Times. ISBN 4-7890-0454-6; Kodansha. (2012). Kodansha's Essential Kanji Dictionary. Tokyo: Kodansha. ISBN: 978-1568363974.

Overview of class

Japanese II (JAPANESE 121-1, 2 and 3), sequel to Japanese I (JAPANESE 111), is a yearlong course that covers the second half of college level elementary Japanese and prepares students for intermediate Japanese (JAPANESE 211). In this course, students will continue developing the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) and learn various aspects of Japanese culture and society through readings, videos, written assignments, and in-class activities.

The emphasis will be on developing the skills necessary to describe not only their own experiences and daily lives, but also their community, general trend, and what is happening in society, while increasing vocabulary and sentence structures that they can use more precisely. Students will also practice summarizing a story that they heard, read, or watched. Careful and thorough review and preparation for each class session are expected. With consistent oral and written feedback from the instructor, students will enhance their language and cultural awareness, leading to increased understanding, appreciation, and utilization of the target language, to become autonomous learners.

Registration Requirements

Students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives 

The year-end proficiency goal of Japanese II is for the students to reach the Intermediate-Mid level defined by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines, and A2 - B1.1 defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR), as closely as possible. Upon the satisfactory completion of the course, students will be able to handle various types of more complex daily conversational situations and passages with some fluency. 

Teaching Method

This course is conducted mostly in Japanese. Class hours are spent mainly on development of oral interpersonal communication skills, and written assignments are given for reading, listening, and writing proficiency development.

Evaluation Method

Class participation and performance, assignments, quizzes, oral and written examinations, and essays

Class Materials (Required)

Oka, M. et al. (2022). TOBIRA II: Beginning Japanese. Tokyo: Kuroshio Publishers. ISBN 978-4-87424-900-0.

 Oka, M. et al. (2023).  TOBIRA II: Beginning Japanese Workbook 1: Kanji | Reading | Writing. Tokyo: Kuroshio Publishers. ISBN 978-4-87424-960-4

 Oka, M. et al. (expected in 2024).  TOBIRA II: Beginning Japanese Workbook 2
-Vocabulary, Grammar, Listening. Tokyo: Kuroshio Publishers. 

Class Materials (Suggested)

English Grammar for Students of Japanese. Ann Arbor: The Olivia and Hill Press. ISBN 978-0934034166; Makino, S. & Tsutsui, M. (1989). Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo: The Japan Times. ISBN 978-4789004541.

Overview of class
Japanese III (JAPANESE 211-1, 2, 3) is a yearlong college-level intermediate course, the sequel to Japanese II (JAPANESE 121-1, 2, 3).  In Japanese III, students will continue developing the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, and learning various aspects of Japanese culture and society through reading materials, TV dramas, class discussions and interview projects (211-2, 3).  The formal writing styles are introduced, and students will learn to distinguish formal/casual speech and writing styles.  The yearend proficiency goal of 211 is Intermediate-High, defined by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines. 

Registration Requirements
Students must have completed the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

 Learning Objectives
Upon the successful completion of the year-long course, the students will be able to 1) comfortably and appropriately handle daily situations, 2) describe and narrate daily events and personal experiences in an organized manner, 3) summarize the main points of a short presentation or a story, 4) use casual/formal speech and written styles, 5) attain a working knowledge of kanji that are frequently used in media, and 6) communicate with native speakers on familiar topics in informal settings. The students are also expected to 7) deepen their understanding of customs, culture, and social phenomena of contemporary Japan, and 8) learn strategies to become autonomous learners.

Teaching Method
Discussion.  This course is conducted in Japanese.

Evaluation Method
Class participation and performance, assignments, quizzes, oral and written examinations, projects.

Class Materials (Required)

JAPANESE 211-1

Yasui et al. (2019).  QUARTET: Intermediate Japanese Across the Four Language Skills, Vol.1 (English Edition). Tokyo: The Japan Times. ISBN: 978-4789016957

JAPANESE 211-2 and 211-3

Yasui et al. (2020). QUARTET: Intermediate Japanese Across the Four Language Skills, Vol.2 (English Edition). Tokyo: The Japan Times. ISBN: 978-4789017459

Class Materials (Optional)

Kano et al (2015).  [新版] Basic Kanji Book Vol. 2.  Tokyo: Bonjinsha.  ISBN: 978-4-89358-883-8

JAPANESE 211-1

Yasui et al. (2019). QUARTET: Intermediate Japanese Across the Four Language Skills, Vol.1, Workbook (English Edition). Tokyo: The Japan Times.  ISBN: 978-4789016964

JAPANESE 211-2 and 211-3

Yasui et al. (2020). QUARTET: Intermediate Japanese Across the Four Language Skills, Vol.2, Workbook (English Edition). Tokyo: The Japan Times.  ISBN: 978-4789017466

Overview of class
This is a year-long first-year course designed for beginning learners without previous knowledge in Korean language. The course aims to build students' all-around communicative ability in speaking, reading, listening and writing with a great emphasis on developing the conversational skill.  Students will learn basic aspects of Korean culture throughout the course.

 Registration Requirements
111-1: None

111-2: Completion of 111-1 with C- or above or the departmental placement test

111-3: Completion of 111-2 with C- or above or the departmental placement test

Learning Objectives

This course is designed to have students reach their oral proficiency at the Intermediate Low level of the ACTFL guideline by the end of year. It aims to achieve the competency in interpersonal, presentational and interpretive communication and culture in conjunction with the National Standards. 

 Teaching Method
Students will learn the basic elements of Korean language such as pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure. In this student-centered class, students will actively participate in speaking, reading, writing and listening activities. Related supplemental materials such as video clips and reading texts will be incorporated to enhance students' listening and reading skills as well as the cultural understanding.

Evaluation Method
Grade will be based on attendance and participation, vocabulary quizzes and lesson tests, assignments, oral tests and performance, and final examination.

Class Materials (Required)
Integrated Korean (3^rd edition): Beginning 1 & 2 (University of Hawaii Press) 
978-0-8248-7619-7 & 978-0-8248-8331-7

Workbook (3^rd edition): Beginning 1 & 2 (University of Hawaii Press)
978-0-8248-7650-0 & 978-0-8248-8336-2

Registration Requirements
121-1: Completion of 111-3 with C- or above, or the departmental placement test
121-2: Completion of 121-1 with C- or above, or the departmental placement test
121-3: Completion of 121-2 with C- or above, or the departmental placement test

Learning Objectives
This course is designed to have students reach their oral proficiency at the Intermediate Mid level of the ACTFL guideline by the end of year. It aims to achieve interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive communication as well as cultures in conjunction with the National Standards. 

Teaching Method
Various communicative activities will be employed to develop the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills. Also, authentic reading, writing, and visual materials that cover a wide spectrum of cultural topics will be provided to enhance student’s overall competency and cultural understanding.

Evaluation Method
Grades will be given based on attendance and class participation, vocabulary quizzes, lesson tests, assignments, oral test and performance, and final examination.

Class Materials (Required)

Integrated Korean (3^rd  edition):  Intermediate 1 & 2 (University of Hawaii Press)      
978-0-8248-8677-6  & 978-0-8248-8682-0
Workbook (3^rd edition)  : Intermediate 1 & 2 (University of Hawaii Press)
978-0-8248-8676-9 & 978-0-8248-8683-7

Overview of class
This is a year-long third-year course designed to further develop students’ linguistic and cultural ability, particularly to enhance the overall communicative skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing toward Advanced level.  The vocabulary, contents, tasks, and topics covered in class are to address a wide spectrum of linguistic, discourse and socio-cultural aspects.  Students will gain in-depth knowledge in academic discourse skills and understanding of Korean language, culture, and society.

Registration Requirements
211-1: Completion of 121-3 or 125-3 with C- or above, or the departmental placement test

211-2: Completion of 211-1 with C- or above, or the departmental placement test

211-3: Completion of 211-2 with C- or above, or the departmental placement test

Learning Objectives
This course is designed to have students reach their proficiency at the Intermediate High level of the ACTFL guideline by the end of year in interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive communication along with comparisons and cultures. 

Teaching Method
Various communicative activities will be employed with the emphasis on developing three modes of communication in advanced proficiency: Interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication.  Related authentic and cultural materials will be incorporated to enhance intercultural competence.

Evaluation Method
Grades will be given based on attendance and class participation, vocabulary quizzes, lesson tests, assignments, essays, oral performance, and final project.

Class Materials (Required)
Sogang Korean 4A & 4B Students’ Book (2015) Sogang University

978-89-92491-84-6 18710 and 978-89-92491-88-4 18710

Sogang Korean 4A & 4B Workbook (2015) Sogang University

978-89-92491-92-1 13710 and 978-89-92491-91-4 13710