Enrollment Information
Beginning Chinese 101 and 102 will be offered by Saint Clair County Community College through Confucius Institute at Michigan State University in Fall 2008.
Both courses will be offered in Second Life Chinese School virtual world. SL Chinese School offers students opportunities to realistically interact with native Chinese speakers engaging in culturally-rich and challenging quests and video drama stories. This authentic experience will help learners feel that they are in a real city in China negotiating for actions (e.g., shopping for a gift, eating in a restaurant, looking for a friend) where language is acquired through use.
In CH 101, following a well-designed syllabus, learners will go through the course work like new residents settling in China, getting to know the neighbors, dining in a restaurant, looking for a lost treasure, shopping for gifts, etc. Completing the course, learners will be able to communicate the basic needs in Chinese. Confidence and language learning strategies built up from this course will benefit students as life-long learners
In CH 102, learners will be immersed in a syllabus of fantasy and reality. The course design is inspired by the exciting and gripping story of “Journey to the West”, one the four Chinese literature classics. The whole course is based on the mission of Monkey King assisting the Buddha to acquire The Script. Modern and classic culture and customs are embedded in the scenario where learners negotiated their actions, values, and consequences by actively using the Chinese language. Completing the course, learners will be able to conduct basic conversations and be proficient in conversation skills, cultural knowledge, and awareness of cross cultural issues.
Target Students:
- Community college students who are seeking a Chinese language class for credit
- Business people who are looking for classes to learn or brush up on the Chinese language and culture
- Anyone who wants to learn Chinese language and culture for enrichment of life and opportunities to interact with Chinese people
How to take the courses:
- Register with Saint Clair Community College: www.sc4.edu
- Apply for a username and download Second Life for free at www.secondlife.com
- Meet in Second Life Chinese School here
- Classes usually meet twice a week at learners' convenience
- Email Confucius Institute at Michigan State University for more course information at mailto:info@cimsu.org
What did the previous students have to say:
- "When I was with a tutor, I always tried to make up a question to ask, cause I am really think about the language, ok, if there is anything I can say, if I said this, would this be grammatically correct? You know, a sort kind of, trying to think of something which may or may not be wrong. And I said ok, I think I can say this, but if I ask my tutor, he will tell me. So I asked him, he said, ok, you can say that, so I think that’s very cool, and I think I can understand more. So that will be pretty benefit with the tutors."
- "The quests forced me to think about languages and responses, you are almost forced to learn it. I never would have thought about what I was actually doing, just answer the questions in my French class"
