Beginning Chinese

The class is very fast paced so it is important to keep up with the material as with every class we built on it further. I'm surprised by how much material we've covered. The teachers provide a homework schedule which outlines what students should do after each class to prepare for the class tomorrow which I found really helpful. The teaching style is fun, there is a variety of activities during the class and the materials and presentations provided by teachers are also fun, I enjoy the atmosphere in the class. The teachers are always ready to help and answer questions during class, after or before, and the office hours are almost every day. If you're interested in Chinese, I definitely recommend the class - the resources here are great so I would encourage anyone interested and committed to the language to give it a try.

The class is very fast paced so it is important to keep up with the material as with every class we built on it further. I'm surprised by how much material we've covered. The teachers provide a homework schedule which outlines what students should do after each class to prepare for the class tomorrow which I found really helpful. The …Read more

Chinese 0101 is definitely a challenging course to take. I think that to do well in this class, one should have a personal objective or a specific interest in learning languages. Dont't choose this course by default! Otherwise the work-load becomes overwhelming. It is a collaborative class in which we have to speak every single day. He laoshi (Mairead Harris) is an amazing teacher who knows what it is like to learn Chinese as a non-native speaker, and her explanations are very clear. As long as we show a very strong motivation, we have many resources to get help and improve.

Chinese 0101 is definitely a challenging course to take. I think that to do well in this class, one should have a personal objective or a specific interest in learning languages. Dont't choose this course by default! Otherwise the work-load becomes overwhelming. It is a collaborative class in which we have to speak every single day. …Read more

何老师 is an incredible professor with so much enthusiasm to teach. Her teaching style is always very engaging and her sweet personality makes you enjoy every class. If you attended office hours regularly and you made improvement, they would notice it and help you with grades. There are ways to increase your grades throughout the semester. The professors are very flexible. I would just make sure you are on top of everything and don't fall behind on the recommendations/tasks they give you. Chinese will be easy if you study at least 30 minutes a day, or distribute a longer session throughout the day.

何老师 is an incredible professor with so much enthusiasm to teach. Her teaching style is always very engaging and her sweet personality makes you enjoy every class. If you attended office hours regularly and you made improvement, they would notice it and help you with grades. There are ways to increase your grades throughout the semest …Read more

He Laoshi and Du Laoshi are some of the best teachers I've ever had. "You do the work, and you will learn the language" is something you internalize. DO NOT FALL BEHIND. If you can keep up with 30-45 minutes of work per night, you will make incredible gains and get a good grade. This course should be your top academic priority.

The classes starts lowly and then get fast quickly. A lot of daily, small tasks, yet they allow you to truly be able to learn fast and communicate more easily. The teacher is incredible, and they all want to truly see you succeed! Don't skip reviewing characters though, it is the most important and difficult part for most.

Professor Mairead co teaches this course with Professor Du. They make a good tag team. Mairead is very enthusiastic and understanding of every students needs. She is always open and excited to have you visit office hours. Chinese as a course is very very challenging and would not recommend it to anyone just wanting to have fun. You will need to be very intentional and keep pace to stay on top.

Professor Mairead co teaches this course with Professor Du. They make a good tag team. Mairead is very enthusiastic and understanding of every students needs. She is always open and excited to have you visit office hours. Chinese as a course is very very challenging and would not recommend it to anyone just wanting to have fun. You w …Read more

Du Laoshi's teaching style was very hard to adapt for someone like me, who likes to take time to absorb the material. I found that sometimes if you didn't know how to answer the question, she will laugh or wait until you answer it. I have to say that was very helpful in staying on top of reviewing the material before class but it was a very stressful learning environment.

She was a great and really engaging teacher you can tell she's passionate about it , a lot of content to cover tho so a lot of reviewing to do and homework. Overall great class just quite challenging

If your goal is to master Chinese, take this course. Chinese language is a hard skill to acquire and entering it with little background can be hard. The Middlebury Chinese community is very friendly and supportive, but the course is very time intensive. I recommend not balancing it alongside other reading or writing intensive course work. One must always be on their game and stay ahead of their work.

If your goal is to master Chinese, take this course. Chinese language is a hard skill to acquire and entering it with little background can be hard. The Middlebury Chinese community is very friendly and supportive, but the course is very time intensive. I recommend not balancing it alongside other reading or writing intensive course …Read more

Middlebury's language programs are well known for a reason, Du Laoshi is a very effective instructor and while the course is fast-paced, we have already learned an incredible amount of Chinese. The content is also very useful.

This is a very fast-paced, high-intensity course. You WILL learn a significant amount of simplified and traditional Chinese within your first semester. The classes are small (mine was about 12 people) and there is an expectation that you speak regularly in class and in drill. The professors are excellent and very experienced in instructing beginner Chinese. This is absolutely an excellent class if you want to learn Chinese—if you're just doing it for your LNG distribution requirement, probably not the one to take...

This is a very fast-paced, high-intensity course. You WILL learn a significant amount of simplified and traditional Chinese within your first semester. The classes are small (mine was about 12 people) and there is an expectation that you speak regularly in class and in drill. The professors are excellent and very experienced in instr …Read more

Du Laoshi has a blunt and traditional teaching style, but the class is still interesting nonetheless. I don't know if I would take this class just to fill a distribution requirement, as there is a lot of outside review required since you learn a lot of new characters every week (approx. 5 per day). My family speaks Chinese and I still had to study multiple hours a week of the material. Also be ready for weekly quizzes and bi-weekly tests.

Du Laoshi has a blunt and traditional teaching style, but the class is still interesting nonetheless. I don't know if I would take this class just to fill a distribution requirement, as there is a lot of outside review required since you learn a lot of new characters every week (approx. 5 per day). My family speaks Chinese and I stil …Read more

Beginning Chinese is definitely not for the weak, because it does take a lot of time to memorize the different characters. Du Laoshi is nice, but she keeps you on your toes and will know if you didn't prepare for the class. I had a lot of fun learning the language, but I will say if you don't like learning new languages or you're not enjoying it, I don't think it would be worth the work.

Beginning Chinese is definitely not for the weak, because it does take a lot of time to memorize the different characters. Du Laoshi is nice, but she keeps you on your toes and will know if you didn't prepare for the class. I had a lot of fun learning the language, but I will say if you don't like learning new languages or you're not …Read more

This course was taught in tandem (Professor Harris and Professor Du). They are incredible teachers of Chinese, but I wouldn't take this class if you don't (1) plan on studying Chinese for most, if not all of your time at Middlebury and (2) make this your priority course. There is a lot of homework for this course and it's fast paced. Nothing is busywork and you learn so much. Highly recommend!

This course was taught in tandem (Professor Harris and Professor Du). They are incredible teachers of Chinese, but I wouldn't take this class if you don't (1) plan on studying Chinese for most, if not all of your time at Middlebury and (2) make this your priority course. There is a lot of homework for this course and it's fast paced. …Read more

Absolutely loved this class! It is a lot of work and if you don't put in the effort you probably won't get an A. Don't take the class if you don't actually want to learn Chinese. If you want to progress in your Mandarin, however, this class is 100% for you.

This course is definitely difficult, however the curriculum, study schedule and resources provided to students are very thorough. Class is quick paced, and not one which you will be able to take notes—it is speaking oriented, and it is common to be cold called at any point—ultimately, while it is hard, it is very rewarding in the amount of Chinese you learn.

This course was really difficult. A lot of new vocabulary and grammar is introduced each week. You are responsible for learning Chinese characters, pinyin with tone marks, and their meanings, as well as understanding grammar structures, so expect a lot of homework and study time. That being said, I found the class very engaging and interesting, as you are speaking most of the time. Pros: You will learn a lot of Chinese. Cons: Lots of homework and study time.

This course was really difficult. A lot of new vocabulary and grammar is introduced each week. You are responsible for learning Chinese characters, pinyin with tone marks, and their meanings, as well as understanding grammar structures, so expect a lot of homework and study time. That being said, I found the class very engaging and …Read more

To be honest, Chinese it self has never been an easy language. So of course this course is going to hard. The way I am surviving this course is by staying consistent with practicing writing the characters we learn. (Both Tradition and Simplified). Truthfully, I believe that Du LaoShi teaching style is hard but it is very effective. If you put the effort in this course, then you should be able to pass.

To be honest, Chinese it self has never been an easy language. So of course this course is going to hard. The way I am surviving this course is by staying consistent with practicing writing the characters we learn. (Both Tradition and Simplified). Truthfully, I believe that Du LaoShi teaching style is hard but it is very effective. …Read more

This is objectively a difficult class, as the Chinese language is. But what I will say is that - if you DO the work they assign, study the material well you will be fine. Du Lao Shi (professor Du) almost spoon feeds you the tools you need for this class, hence you have every recourse to succeed. But it required immense effort so prepare yourself.

I love the class, but professor teaching style does not match with me. A lot of homework and study to do everyday as we are study a new language. Worth it! If you have time everyday and ready to study something everything this course is for you. If you slack off it will be very hard to catch up

Du Laoshi's teaching style is not at all friendly to those just starting to learn the language. She often taught at a break-neck pace and does not give much time for students to understand the new material for the day. Although she is able to cover a lot of information, the speed at which she instructs is just too fast for a beginner and it was difficult taking notes during lecture.

Du Laoshi's teaching style is not at all friendly to those just starting to learn the language. She often taught at a break-neck pace and does not give much time for students to understand the new material for the day. Although she is able to cover a lot of information, the speed at which she instructs is just too fast for a beginner …Read more

I took this course randomly so I had no passion for the language which was bad. This course is very fast-paced and it is very easy to fall behind. The professors are all good but the class is a lot. Only take it if you're passionate about learning chinese