Chinese I and Mediation

This course aims to give students the ability to apply knowledge and understanding and improve communication skills, until they are able to understand and produce simple sentences and common linguistic expressions, with reference to immediately relevant topics (basic information on themselves and their family, location, job). Other objectives include the ability to talk about simple and everyday activities (which require the exchange of basic information related to familiar and usual topics) and to describe past experiences and life aspects, with reference to immediate needs (and using simple words). The course will focus particularly on the acquisition of new skills for producing simple dialogues and understanding short written texts.

Besides language classes, the course includes a module on Chinese culture focused on the relation between writing system and traditional culture. The connection between language classes and culture classes is motivated by the fact that the Chinese concept of "wen" (written sign) is a constitutive element of the concepts of "civilisation" (wenming), "culture" (wenhua) and "literature" (wenxue), as well as of the contrast between civil knowledge (wen) and military art (wu) characterising the millennial Confucian society. Students are expected to assimilate the cultural foundations of Ancient China, foundations that are crucial to understand the importance and features of the linguistic heritage and to take informed actions in the field of intercultural relations in the Chinese context. By the end of the course, students will have acquired the ability to read and translate texts from the textbook, as well as to have conversations in daily and routine situations, such as: introducing themselves, family and friends; saying hello/goodbye and thank you; talking about the weather and seasons; describing where they live; presenting study programmes; going shopping; etc. Students will be able to write 400 characters to form more than 400 words.
Moreover, students will have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to study relevant aspects of the Chinese traditional culture, with reference to Chinese history, literature and history of thought.