Chinese 202 (Modern Mandarin Chinese, Level 2) is for students with no prior background in Chinese study. Designed to build a strong foundation in both the spoken and written language, it develops all the basic skills such as pronunciation, character writing, word use, and structures, while placing a strong emphasis on the development of communication skills.  

 

Each level of the course consists of a textbook and workbook in simplified characters. A free companion website provides all the audio for the course with a broad range of interactive exercises and additional resources for students’ self-study, along with a comprehensive instructor’s guide with teaching tips, assessment and homework material, and a full answer key.  

 

Retaining its focus on communicative skills and the long-term retention of characters, the text is presented in simplified characters and pinyin with a gradual and phased removal of pinyin as specific characters are introduced and learned. This approach allows students to focus on the pronunciation and meaning of new words before the corresponding characters are introduced, ensuring they are guided and supported towards reading only in characters.

This course presents a critical historical overview of Chinese literature and film from 1949 to the present. In addition to writers and filmmakers from mainland China such as Mo Yan and Zhang Yimou, this course also considers literary and cinematic development from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Chinese diaspora.  

 

This course allows students interested in China to gain in-depth knowledge of traditional and modern Chinese culture and societies through film within a relatively short period of time. This course may also prepare students who wish to explore travel or career opportunities in the Far East. No prior experience of the Chinese language is required.