In Class: Chinese 201

Course description

An intermediate Chinese language course, Chinese 201 gives students greater fluency in spoken and written Chinese. It demands a constant blend of speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing, with quizzes almost every day.

Faculty CV

Senior lecturer Hong Li received her undergraduate degree in Chinese language and literature at Beijing Teachers College and her master’s and PhD in Chinese linguistics from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. With a particular interest in the relationship between Chinese linguistics and society as well as second-language acquisition, Li joined the Emory faculty in 1996 to establish the university’s Chinese program.

Today’s lecture

The computer isn’t working, soLi Laoshi(“Teacher Li” in Chinese) tells the students they will have to participate more actively than ever. The new grammar structures introduced during the class are challenging, and students practice them through descriptions of their Labor Day weekend activities.

Quotes to note

“Did you know, in China, teachers make their students stand and say “Laoshi hao” (“Hi, teacher”) at the beginning of every class? And that they don’t sit down until they are told? Don’t worry, though, I’m not going to make you do all that. Just one resounding greeting will do. Everyone!”

Students say

“I started learning Chinese last year and felt like I’d only just begun. It is such an interesting and important language, so I thought I would continue on and try to speak more fluently.” —Tay Kim 16C