Syllabus for Chinese 160/360

Chinese 160/360

Introduction to Classical Chinese

Fall 2006

Mr. Van Norden
Office Hours: T 2-4 or by appointment
Email: My username is "brvannorden" at host "vassar.edu".

Office: Rockefeller Hall 207
Office Phone (and voice mail): 437-5538
WWW: http://faculty.vassar.edu/brvannor

About This Syllabus

You can consult this syllabus online at this URL (which you may want to "bookmark"), and if you have a computer of your own that can access the WWW, you can also download this syllabus to your home computer. (If you download the "source" code, you can direct your browser to open the downloaded file, and then read this syllabus exactly as it appears at this site.) Of course, you can also print out a copy of this syllabus.

Last updated August 30, 2006.

Course Description

Literary Chinese is the language in which almost all of Chinese literature was written prior to the twentieth century. (Literary Chinese played a role in tradtional Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese culture roughly equivalent to that of Latin in Europe.) Classical Chinese is the dialect of Literary Chinese written between about 551 and 221 BCE, the era of the great classic texts of Chinese literature, history and philosophy. This course introduces students to the rudiments of reading Classical Chinese, with an emphasis on the Analects of Confucius. From the beginning of the course, all readings are original passages from Classical Chinese texts. (Note: This course does not satisfy the language requirement.)

Prerequisites for Chinese 160: None. No previous background in Chinese language, history, or culture is required. Prerequisites for Chinese 360: Students who have completed Chinese 206 or attained the equivalent level of competence in modern Chinese are cannot get credit for Chinese 160, and must register for Chinese 360 in order to get credit for this course.

Required Texts

Far East Book Company Editorial Committee, Far East 3000 Chinese Character Dictionary (Taipei, Taiwan: Far East Book Company; New York: US International Publishing, 2002).
B.W. Van Norden, "Classical Chinese for Everybody" (photocopied packet, available in Book Store).

Strongly Recommended Texts

Rick Harbaugh, Chinese Characters: A Genealogy and Dictionary (New Haven: Yale University; Far Eastern Publications, 1998).
Liang Shih-ch'iu (Liang Shiqiu), ed., Far East Chinese-English Dictionary (Taipei, Taiwan: Far East Book Company; New York: US International Publishing, 2000).
Edwin G. Pulleyblank, Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar (Vancouver, Canada: University of British Columbia Press, 1995).

Assignments and Grades

Students registered for Chinese 360 must complete additional

For Chinese 160:

Your final grade in this class will be based on your attendance at the lectures and the Friday drill session, including completing the weekly character drill sheets on time, the in-class quizzes, the in-class midterm and the self-scheduled final exam. There will be no make-ups for quizzes, the midterm or the final without a documented medical excuse. Character drill sheets handed in late will be severely marked down.

Attendance and timely completion of weekly character drill sheets:	15%
In-class quizzes:	50%
In-class midterm:	15%
Self-scheduled final exam:	20%

For Chinese 360:

Students registered for Chinese 360 must do the same assignments as those registered for Chinese 160 (with the exception of the weekly character drill sheets), and must do additional assignments that will involve reading and interpreting contemporary Chinese translations of the Classical Chinese texts that we are reading, as well as a final paper on a topic to be announced.

Attendance and timely completion of weekly character drill sheets:	15%
In-class quizzes:	35%
In-class midterm:	15%
Self-scheduled final exam:	20%
Final paper:	15%

Reading Assignments and Class Topics:

For each new passage we read in Classical Chinese, your textbook will supply (1) the reading, (2) a vocabulary list, and (3) grammar notes. The vocabulary list will present the new characters that occur in that passage, along with their pronunciations, and their meaning as they occur in that passage. If a character occurs with a new meaning in a later passage, it will be reintroduced in the vocabulary for that lesson. You should be prepared to read the passage out loud in Chinese, without referring to the vocabulary notes in class. In addition, you should have at least a tentative interpretation of what the passage means. (It is fine to be uncertain and to have questions, but try to figure out what you don't understand specifically.) Students registered for Chinese 360 will be given handouts of a contemporary Chinese translation of each reading. They should be prepared to read and translate these texts in class.

Lect. 1	Topics: (1) Course introduction, overview, and mechanics. (2) Introduction to the five types of characters. (3) Introduction to pronunciation. After class, read "Introducing the Chinese Language and Writing System," "Writing Chinese Characters" and "Introducing the Lessons."
Lect. 2	Quiz: Recognizing first character set. Topic: Stative verbs, adverbs, nominal sentences. (8 new characters.) Reading 1: Analects 17.2. N.B. Beginning today and continuing every Tuesday you should hand in your weekly character drill sheet at the beginning of class.
Lect. 3	Topic: Nominal sentences (continued). Reading 1: Analects 17.2.
Lect. 4	Quiz: Recognizing second character set, writing first character set. Topic: Titles, verbal sentences, verbal negation, transitive verbs, nouns as stative verbs, mood. (9 new characters.) Reading 2: Analects 12.11 (first half).
Lect. 5	Topic: Verbal sentences, etc. Reading 2: Analects 12.11 (first half).
Lect. 6	Quiz: Recognizing third character set, writing second character set. Topics: Proper names, alternative readings of characters, nouns as attributive verbs, nominalizing with zhe. (10 new characters.) Reading 3: Analects 12.22, 4.2, 6.23.
Lect. 7	Topics: Proper names, etc. Reading 3: Analects 12.22, 4.2, 6.23.
Lect. 8	Quiz: Writing third character set, recognizing fourth character set. Topics: Pronouns ru, zhi and shi, questions with hu, equational verb wei, reflexive pronoun zi. (13 new characters.) Reading 4: Analects 2.17 and Dao de jing 33 (partial).
Lect. 9	Topics: Pronouns ru, zhi and shi, etc. Reading 4: Analects 2.17 and Dao de jing 33 (partial).
Lect. 10	Quiz: Writing fourth character set, recognizing fifth character set. Topics: Exclamatory particle zai, subordinating ru and sui,fusion word zhu, gerunds with zhe, transitive verb ru. (19 new characters.) Reading 5: Analects 12.11 and 6.20 (both complete).
Lect. 11	Topics: Exclamatory particle zai, etc. Reading 5: Analects 12.11 and 6.20 (both complete).
Lect. 12	Quiz: Writing fifth character set, recognizing sixth character set. Topics: Nouns as causative verbs, passive marker ke, verbs as adjectives, nominal negation, subordinating zhi, coverbal yi, pronoun qi, textual variants. (19 new characters.) Reading 6: Daodejing 1 (partial) and Analects 5.1 (complete).
Lect. 13	Midterm: Reading and writing first five character sets, sight translation of simple sentences. (Midterm covers only lessons 1-5.)
	October Break
Lect. 14	Topics: Review of vocabulary and grammar of Readings 1-6.
Lect. 15	Topics: Nouns as causative verbs, etc. Reading 6: Daodejing 1 (partial) and Analects 5.1 (complete).
Lect. 16	Quiz: Recognizing seventh character set, writing sixth character set. Topics: Coverb keyi, conjunctions er and yu, expression yi wei, reflexive pronoun ji, expression bu...yi hu, particle suo. (20 new characters.) Reading 7: Analects 8.6 (complete), 4.5 (first half).
Lect. 17	Topics: Coverb keyi, etc. Reading 7: Analects 8.6 (complete), 4.5 (first half).
Lect. 18	Quiz: Recognizing eighth character set, writing seventh character set. (20 new characters.) Topics: Vocative particles, interrogative final particle yu, preposing an object, modal qi, negative imperative wu, interrogative he, perfective yi. Reading 8: Analects 15.3, 15.24 and 4.15. Students in Chinese 360 should also read B.W. Van Norden, "Unweaving the One Thread of Analects 4.15," in Van Norden, ed., Confucius and the Analects: New Essays, on reserve.
Lect. 19	Topics: Vocative particles, etc. Reading 8: Analects 15.3, 15.24 and 4.15.
Lect. 20	Quiz: Recognizing ninth character set, writing eighth character set. Topics: X Reading 9: Analects 5.13 with Zhu Xi's commentary. Also read, Philip J. Ivanhoe, "Whose Confucius? Which Analects?" in Van Norden, ed., Confucius and the Analects: New Essays, on reserve.
Lect. 21	Topics: X Reading 9: Analects 5.13 with Zhu Xi's commentary.
Lect. 22	Quiz: Recognizing tenth character set, writing ninth character set. Topics: X. Reading 10: X.
Lect. 23	Topics: X. Reading 10: X.
Lect. 24	Quiz: Recognizing eleventh character set, writing tenth character set. Topics: X. Reading 11: X.
Lect. 25	Topics: X. Reading 11: X.
Lect. 26	Quiz: Writing eleventh character set. Last class meeting. Course evaluations will be handed out today, so do not miss this class!

Advice

In language classes such as this one, if you keep up with the work, you can learn the material. If you do not keep up with the work, you will have trouble catching up, and will not remember or understand the material as well. So do the readings when they are assigned!

My office hours are your time! Make use of them! In lecture, you are one of many students. In my office hours, you usually get one on one attention. Take advantage of this opportunity!

Academic accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Please schedule an appointment with the instructor early in the semester to discuss any accommodation that may be needed for the course. All accommodations must be approved through the Office of Disability and Support Services (ext. 7584) as indicated in their accommodation letter.