The Concept of Family
F05
Shunzhu Wang
Each culture has its own conceptions of family. Although the lessons in this introductory course will be organized around various situational topics, family will be the constant theme that threads them together, providing a chance for students to explore the traditional Chinese concept of family (four generations under one roof) and the Communist government’s one-family-one-child policy. Students will learn the Pin Yin (sound spelling) system of the Chinese language. They will also be introduced to the writing system, and learn to use approximately 150 Chinese characters in basic statement and question patterns so that they can read, write, and participate in simple situational dialogues. Periodically, students will have “side dishes” of idioms, slang, poems, songs, historical anecdotes, etc. in various forms so they can consolidate their knowledge of the language and understanding of the culture.