COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Description

This course is designed to prepare and enable students to communicate effectively in Vietnamese as well as appreciate Vietnamese literary texts and folk literature. The format of this course includes classroom discussion of the assigned readings, oral reports, debates and online written assignments, and reports based upon chosen readings and independent research. Class will meet 1 hour per week and1-2 hours online.

Instruction will be given entirely in Vietnamese, and students are strongly encouraged to use Vietnamese both in the classroom and outside the classroom for class activities.

Reading selections include both non-fiction and literary texts that illustrate various aspects of Vietnamese thoughts, culture, society, and history. Additional readings based on students' interest may also be added.

Course Objectives

By the end of the semester, the students should

* have an understanding of Vietnamese history, customs, thoughts, beliefs, ways of life, and culture

* know how to approach authentic materials and use acquired knowledge to discuss and understand related issues

* have the ability to read independently, discuss, and write critically about non-fiction and literary texts

Course Materials

Collection of newspaper articles, news clips, literary texts, and poetry from various writers compiled by the instructor and supplementary materials per students' request and interest.

Course Requirements

* Class attendance, participation and full attention

* Access to high speed internet to read online assignments, listen to audio clips, and watch video clips

* Check My. and read email messages at least 3 times weekly

* Ability to create documents in Vietnamese using Unicode fonts

* Reading assigned readings, preparation for discussion both in class and online, and writing analysis of the text before coming to class and/or posted online on due dates

* Weekly journals or "free writing" (turn in once a week)

* Quizzes and tests

* Assignments as assigned

Hybrid Course Requirements

Is online learning for you? Please take time to visit the following web site to find out if online learning is right for your and what kinds of requirements for students enrolled in online learning.

http://online..edu/studentsupport/GettingStarted.cfm

Access to my..

Enrolled students must go to my..edu to access detailed syllabus, tentative course schedule, weekly schedules (posted weekly) and other course documents and engage in online discussion via Discussion Board of My.

Using VN Unicode fonts

Go to the following web site to learn how to create document with Unicode font:

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Description

These courses are designed to improve the students' speaking, listening, reading and writing competence. These skills will be emphasized through dialogues, reading passages and authentic materials as well as listening comprehension and communicative exercises. Students will also learn and develop cultural awareness through information on Vietnamese culture.

Summary of Course Goals

By the end of the courses, students will be able to handle their needs adequately if they travel or live in Vietnam. They will be able to:

* be familiar and comfortable with Vietnamese terms of address and kinship terms

* buy tickets for transportation, rent a room or a house, eat out, shop, and run errands

* carry out simple transactions at a bank and post office

* talk about a variety of topics including pastimes, sports, mass media, educational system

* conduct a job interview as well as to be interviewee

* talk about common interest and cultural related issues

* have an overview of Vietnamese geography, history, arts, and belief systems

* read reading passages, articles from newspapers and magazines, and folk tales

* write notes, messages, and letters.

Textbooks and Materials Required

available at Bookstore

Supplementary materials as assigned and provided by the instructor.

Access to my..

Enrolled students must go to my..edu to access detailed syllabus, tentative course schedule, weekly schedules (posted weekly) and other course documents.

* Review Activities for the beginning levels: review activities including vocabulary, grammar, and communicative exercises for the first-year Vietnamese courses at State University which complement the manuscript of

Let's Speak Vietnamese which will be published in 2007.

Chapters 1-20

* Review Activities for the intermediate levels: review activities including vocabulary, grammar, and communicative exercises for the second-year Vietnamese courses at State University which complement the textbook of

Chúng ta nói - An Intermediate Text

Chapters 1-12 Chapters 13-24

* A Glimpse of Vietnam: online program for leanrers of Vietnamese to practice listening skills through watching semi-authentic video clips filmed in Vietnam

* Learning Vietnamese Through Songs: online program for learners of Vietnamese to learn Vietnamese through songs

* Online Vietnamese Listening Program: Listening program with emphasis on pronunciation and spelling for beginners

* Online Vietnamese Reading Program: Reading program with reading exercise models and a collection of authentic online materials for intermediate and advanced learners

Vietnamese is the official language in Vietnam and is spoken by about 82 million people living in Vietnam and oversea. This web site provides information and links for you to find information and resources on Vietnam and to understand its language, culture, customs, history, art, and people.

Vietnamese language textbooks

Learning Vietnamese online

Online Vietnamese dictionaries

Vietnamese Advanced Summer Institute (VASI)

Group of Universities for the Advancement of

Vietnamese Studies Abroad (GUAVA)

Vietnamese online newspapers, radios, and televisions

Vietnamese Unicode font

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Description

These courses are designed to introduce the students to Vietnamese language and culture and develop the students' speaking, listening, reading and writing competence. These skills will be emphasized through dialogues, reading passages and authentic materials as well as listening comprehension and communicative exercises. Students will also learn and develop cultural awareness through information on Vietnamese culture.

Course Objectives

By the end of the semester, the students should be able to

* introduce and talk about themselves, their family, and others

* ask for and give information about schools, daily activities, hobbies, pastimes and other interests

* describe and identify things and people

* do shopping for food and other items

* order food and beverages

* answer and talk on the phone

* understand Vietnamese well enough to carry out routine tasks and engage in simple conversations

* read and write short paragraphs, notes, and short letters.

Course Materials access information will be provided in class.

Access to my..

Enrolled students must go to my..edu to access detailed syllabus, tentative course schedule, weekly schedules (posted weekly) and other course documents.

The Vietnamese language is a hybrid of Mon-Khmer, Thai and Chinese elements with many of its basic words derived from the monotonic Mon-Khmer languages. Throughout Vietnamese history and up to the present, the Vietnamese grew up speaking the dialect of the region in which they were born. There are three main dialects northern, central and southern, which correspond to three main regions of Vietnam. They differ mainly in pronunciation and in the use of some specific phrases. The Northern and Southern pronunciation are considered as official pronunciation of the Vietnamese language.

Is this program right for you?

This program is designed for students who wish to learn or improve Vietnamese language skills, have a strong interest in historic, cultural, and contemporary study, and conducting individual research projects that relate to Vietnam.

Program Snapshot

* In-depth course-related excursions to central and southern Vietnam that focus on interaction with local people

* Area Studies Courses allow students to learn about the history and culture of Vietnam

* One-on-one tutorials meet weekly for language and cultural assistance

* Volunteer in an NGO or corporation

* Guided lectures

* Cultural reimbursement

Subject Areas

Cultural Studies

History

Independent Study

International Relations

Studio Art

Vietnamese Language

Spending a semester abroad is an enlightening and challenging experience regardless of where you study; however, I believe studying in Vietnam heightened the learning and cultural experience one gains while abroad. Hanoi is captivating place where you can become totally immersed in another culture. It is an understatement to say that Vietnamese culture is different from the American way of life; the sights, sounds, and smells of Vietnam are unlike anything I have ever experienced.

By spending four months in Vietnam, I was able to gain a better understanding of the society and culture but I think I left with more questions than I came with. During my time in Vietnam, my classes helped me to adapt to the culture but only hightened my curiousity regarding Southeast Asia: its people, the environment, and social and political issues. The CIEE program facilitates learning in and out of the classroom and especially encourages assimulating with the Hanoi lifestyle. While I have only begun my studies abroad, I feel confident that I left Vietnam with a understanding of the society and a true appreciation for its people.

- Julie Lelek, Fordham University, Fall 2004 Participant

Read on to learn what I have no previous ties with Vietnam. I'd never been there and I'm Irish, so it's not even that I had a Vietnam connection through relatives. I hadn't planned to study in Vietnam. I always wanted to visit, but figured I wouldn't go until after I finished my degree, spending two or three weeks on the "tourist trail" getting a taste of Vietnamese life. Then I came across the CIEE web site and the seeds of adventure were planted. The more I read the more I became convinced that this was a now or never kind of opportunity.

I didn't speak a word of Vietnamese and had never traveled anywhere in Asia so I knew it would be a challenge, but one I felt was worth taking on.

In my opinion, the CIEE program beats all others on two points in particular: extensive travel opportunities and outstanding lecturers. Our history and contemporary Vietnam classes were based on a series of lectures given by professors and academics who are top-notch in their respective fields. We had the opportunity to discuss, rather than just listen to, the topics on our schedule. Nontraditional settings removed the constraints often felt in a classroom and allowed us to truly participate in the lectures.

The most memorable part of the semester was definitely the travel. Vietnam is breathtakingly beautiful and the people are friendly and incredible generous with their time and hospitality. The CIEE program allows you to experience Vietnam in ways you never could if traveling there on your own, and what you learn from the program gives you a foundation on which to build a lifetime relationship with the country and its people, as I intend to.

Another important experience for me was working with a nongovernmental organization. I chose to work with an education and rehabilitation center for children whose disabilities are thought to be side effects of Agent Orange. Through CIEE, I have been exposed to a side of Vietnam that you'll never see or understand from reading books. Not a day goes by that I don't think about Vietnam: the friends I made, the lessons I learned, and the images of a land so different from where I now live. Some people come away from an experience like this one and return to life as it was before, completely unchanged by it. Others, like me, welcome the change the experience has brought, however small, and live in hope that we can repeat or expand on that experience some day.

Study abroad is, in my opinion, the single most important experience of college life. Choose wisely and you'll gain a lot more than just transferable credits!

Study Center News

Are you curious about how students spend their time abroad at a CIEE Study Center? There are so many exciting activities that we thought study abroad advisors - and you - would love to learn about, that we asked our Resident Directors to describe CIEE orientation, field trips, courses, and more. The information they send back is the best way to learn about on-site activities first-hand.

Click on the links below and see what you could be experiencing next semester!

Classes are held in a modern teaching institution in central Hanoi.