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Schedule
HINDI 311-312-313, Summer 2008

Course description
The main objective for the summer Hindi course sequence (Hindi 311-312-313) is the enabling of students to develop usable proficiency in Hindi in each of a number of distinct skills, namely, speaking, reading, writing, listening, and knowledge of formal grammar. The course of study is designed in such a way as to enable students to develop their abilities with regard to each of these skills in a parallel manner. The primary text for the course is Snell and Weightman's Teach Yourself Hindi, which addresses each of the basic skills. We will complete all eighteen chapters of this book by the end of the summer quarter. We will use the book in a comprehensive manner, which means we will be covering (and students will be responsible for) all grammar, conversations, readings, vocabulary, etc. We will also supplement Teach Yourself Hindi with various audio-visual materials.

Accompanying listening material is available with Teach Yourself Hindi on 2 CDs. During the classes you will also learn about South Asian society in general and the etiquette and cutlure of the Hindi speaking community in India and abroad which affects the use of language in daily life. We will listen to and watch songs, conversations, movie clips from Indian cinema (Bollywood) and other popular sources.

A fundamental goal of the Hindi program at the University of Washington is the learning of Hindi in the Devanagari writing system. We have found over the years that students' progress in learning Hindi is greatly enhanced if they learn the writing system as quickly as possible and not approach Hindi through the Roman alphabet (which actualy slows down progress in the language). As a result, the first one week of Hindi 311 is mostly spent learning the basic sounds of Hindi and the elements of the Devanagari writing system. For the Devanagari writing we will use Teach Yourself Beginner's Hindi Script. It is only after the writing system has been learned that we move on to grammar, reading, writing, speaking, etc. Once we get going on our "regular" schedule after the first week, class time is divided into sessions that deal with separate activities (i.e., conversation, drill, reading, listening, etc.).

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Grading policy

The final grade for Hindi 311-312-313 is based on the following factors:

  • Daily written and oral homework assignments (25%);
  • Daily dictations (10%);
  • Weekly Class Tests and several pop quizzes (25%);
  • Final examination on last day of class (August 22) and two projects (15%+10%);
  • Class Participation and Spoken Drills (15%).
Your two lowest homework grades and the two lowest dictation scores will be forgiven. There is no midterm examination.
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Policy on Late Homework Assignments, Missed Quizzes and Related Matters
Each written homework assignment, quiz and dictation will be graded on a ten-point scale. Missing or unexcused late homework will earn a grade of zero. Makeup examinations will be given only under exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness (with documented proof), or death in the family, etc. All homework assignments are to be turned in at the beginning of class on the day due.

Class will begin promptly at 8:30 and students are expected to be in class on time. Students should take note of the dates of dictations, quizzes and examinations (including the final examination). Requests for the rescheduling of examinations are not granted. NOTE CAREFULLY THE DATE OF THE FINAL EXAMINATION. IT IS NOT PERMITTED TO TAKE THE EXAMINATION EARLY. Make your travel plans for the holidays accordingly.


Attendance and Student Responsibility
Students enrolled in Hindi 311-312-313 are expected to attend all class sessions and are held responsible for material covered in those sessions. If for any reason you are unable to attend a class session, it is your responsibility to find out from another student what was covered in that session and whether any assignments or instructions were given out while you were absent. Students registered for Summer Hindi are strongly advised not to miss a single class or else it would be very difficult to catch up with the rest of the class. Attendance will be taken in each class.

Enrollment Restrictions

Because it is quite possible that students enrolled in Hindi 311-312-313 may already have some exposure to or proficiency in Hindi, it is important that the University of Washington policy concerning taking language courses at the first and second-year level be understood. This policy reads as follows:

First-year (elementary) or second-year (intermediate) foreign-language credit is not granted either by examination or by course completion in a student's native language. "Native language" is defined as the language or one of the languages spoken in the student's home during the first six years of his or her life and in which he or she received instruction through the seventh grade.

Students who misrepresent the extent of their background so as to gain entrance to a course at the elementary or intermediate level may be dropped from the rolls of that course. Students who have questions as to whether they are prohibited from taking Hindi 311-312-313 according to this policy should speak with the instructors so as to obtain a suitable placement in a Hindi course at the appropriate level.

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