Chinese Classes

National Chengchi University(NCCU), located in a southeastern suburb of Taipei -the capital of the Republic of China -is one of the most prestigious universities in Taiwan. It is at the foot of Mt. Chihnan, which provides a tranquil environment for studying. Mandarin Studies Program, Center of International Education & Exchange, NCCU, which has been established for almost 30 years, is nationally acclaimed for its outstanding teachers as well as its excellent learning facilities and instructional aids.

It is housed in a six-story, air-conditioned building set on a hillside overlooking the Chingmei River. The Mandarin Studies Program of the Center offers a variety of non-credit Chinese courses to foreigners and overseas Chinese students. There are four regular 12-week terms (Spring,Summer and Fall), one 10-week(or 9-weeks) term (Winter) and one-to-one tutorial courses. The instructors at the Mandarin Studies Program are all speakers of standard Mandarin with years of experience teaching Chinese as a foreign language. The student-teacher ratio in the program, excepting tutorials, is 5:1, to insure that each student receives the personal attention that is vital when learning a new language. Individual classes can be arranged according to students' needs or requests.

The Center has a small reading room with a collection of more than 2,500 books and magazines, and over 500 audio/videotapes on Chinese language and culture as well as many recently released movies. Besides the Chinese language courses, the Mandarin Studies Program provides cultural workshops on Chinese calligraphy, Chinese knotting, paper cutting, and field trips related to subjects content. These special workshops are offered to provide students better opportunities to understand the Chinese language as well as culture. Mandarin students are encouraged to enjoy all university facilities on equal terms with regular students. This includes the university medical clinic, fitness center, swimming pool and other sport facilities, as well as the well-stocked library.

1.
Term: 2006 Fall
Placement Test Date: 08/28, 2006
Period of Study: 09/04~11/24, 2006
Hours: 120
Application Deadline: 06/30, 2006

2.
Term: 2006 Winter
Placement Test Date: 11/27, 2006
Period of Study: 12/04, 2006~02/09, 2007
Hours: 100
Application Deadline: 09/30, 2006

3.
Term: 2007 Spring
Placement Test Date: 02/26, 2007
Period of Study: 03/05~05/25, 2007
Hours: 120
Application Deadline: 12/31, 2006

* Regular Courses:
All classes are 120 hours, excluding the winter term 100 hours. They are divided into four levels: beginning, low intermediate, intermediate, and advanced. In each level, courses are further divided into low, intermediate, and upper. Students will be assigned to one of the four levels according to their placement test result.

Beginning Mandarin

This class, which sets a solid foundation for further studies, is for those students who have never studied Mandarin before. It will cover the Mandarin pronunciation system, tone, basic communication skills, Chinese characters and simple sentence structure. Students are expected to learn 700- 900 words in this level and learn how to use Chinese dictionary.

Low Intermediate Mandarin

This class is for those students who have already taken the Beginning Mandarin class or at the same level of study. Students will learn more complicated sentence structures and get a deeper understanding of the language. At the end of the course, students will be able to read and write about 1400-1800 words, converse with native speakers fluently, and understand simple articles.

Intermediate Mandarin

Students who have taken the Low Intermediate course or those with an equivalent understanding of Chinese are best suited for this class. Intermediate Mandarin will advance further in all the major aspects- listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students will be able to read and write around 2500-3000 words, speak nearly flawless Chinese, easily read the newspaper, and understand most television programs.

Advanced Mandarin

Advanced Mandarin will bring students to a 5000-8000 word vocabulary capacity and teach the basics of classical Chinese, allowing for a richer enjoyment of classical texts such as lyrical poetry, essays or treatises. Moreover, students will be able to independently read Chinese literature in arts, religion, history, culture, economy, etc. At the same time, students are trained to write essays in various writing styles, including speeches and recitals.

In order to improve students' listening capabilities, The Center provides cassettes which accompany the required textbooks, and an audio lab located on the sixth floor. Outside of the normal class routine, students are encouraged to check out the cassettes in the reading room, and return them to librarian after listening.

*In addition to regular classes, the Center will provide an extra Pronunciation Class or Writing Class in order to increase opportunities to more effectively use Chinese learned in regular classes. Continuing students are exempt from the NT$ 500 registration fee

* Elective Courses:
Besides the four-level regular courses, The Center offers many different electives for specific interests or needs during the Fall and Spring terms. Electives include courses in grammar, daily conversational skills, business conversational skills, composition, Chinese history, arts, and culture. There are courses in Taiwanese and Cantonese focusing on speaking ability as well.

Pronunciation

This class is for students wishing to speak Chinese. The course will cover the structure of sounds in the Chinese language and tone, including practice with tone specified to certain sentence structures, questions, exclamations, etc.

Grammar

The emphasis in this course will be on Chinese grammar and structure. After learning the particulars, students will be able to make a clear distinction between Chinese and their natural tongue.

Daily Conversational Skills

Students who need fine-tuning in listening and speaking are most suited for this class. The lessons will concentrate solely on communication skills; no writing involved.

Daily Chinese Writing

This course will go through various writing skills such as writing letters, addresses, and sending them off at the post office, preparing and looking through the classified ads, composing short articles, etc.

Practical Business Conversation

The course will cover conversational skills concerning the daily routines in the business world including discussions in company meetings and the like.

Creative Writing

This is for students who would like to strengthen their writing ability. Lessons will go from practice in sentence structures to short essays, from narratives to argumentative essays.

Chinese Culture

This course will introduce students to one of the richest cultures in the world. This includes the fine arts, religion, architecture, couture, customs, Confucianism and Taoism in Chinese culture.

Taiwanese

Your visit to Taiwan will only count if you can speak and understand the local dialect. Classes in Taiwanese may be developed as four-level regular courses in the future according to students' needs.

Cantonese

Cantonese is one of the six most widely spoken Chinese dialects and has a uniquely lyrical vocal quality. The course will allow students to listen and speak Cantonese all the way to glitch-free communication.

1. 09/04~11/24, 2006
2. 12/04, 2006~02/09, 2007
3. 03/05~05/25, 2007