Time Schedule:
Kunwar P Singh
HINDI 311
Seattle Campus
Modern literary Hindi. Reading, writing, and conversation. Introduction to Devanagai script. Offered: A.
Class description
This course is the first quarter of a three-quarter college-level introduction to Hindi. The style of the language taught in the class is Modern Standard Hindi (as written in the Devanagari writing system), the form of the language taught in schools in India and that is the medium of publication and broadcasting in Hindi world-wide. In this class students learn to develop their skills with regard to each of reading, writing, listening to, and speaking Hindi. Considerable attention is paid to the fundamentals of Hindi grammar. Students completing the full first-year sequence (Hindi 311-312-313)will acquire basic skills in each of these areas.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
The method of instruction in the class is different with regard to each of the skills. The class has a mixture of formal lectures and drill sessions in smaller groups. Considerable attention is devoted to the acquisition of spoken skills, through oral drills of different kinds.
Recommended preparation
No prior knowledge of Hindi is required for success in this course. What is required is a willingness on the part of students to apply themselves seriously and do the assigned work in a regular and organized manner. Succeeding in the course requires learning a new script, mastering grammatical patterns, and acquiring a reasonable amount of vocabulary in Hindi. This cannot be done without regular class attendance and attention to carrying out class assignments.
This year, Hindi 311 is divided into two sections. The B section (SLN 4345) is limited to students with absolutely no prior knowledge of the language. The A section (SLN 4344) is intended for students with some prior knowledge or or exposure to the language. Note, however, that there is a University of Washington policy governing the amount of prior exposure to a language that is permissible for students seeking to enroll in classes in a language at the first and second-year levels. This policy reads as follows:
"First-year (elementary) or second-year (intermediate) foreign-language credit is not granted either by examination or by course comnpletion in a students's native language. "Native language" is defined as the language, or one of the languages, spoken in the sutdent'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 to 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 according to this policy should speak to either of the instructors: K. P. Singh[singhkp@u.washington.edu] Or Michael C.Shapiro [hindimcs@u.washington.edu])
Class assignments and grading
Assignments for Hindi 311 include readings in assigned texts, translation into and out of Hindi, learning of vocabulary sets, preparation of reading passages, and memorization of short conversations.
Written homework assignments; class attendance and participation; vocabulary quizzes; unit quizzes on grammar and script; dictations; memorization of assigned dialogues; and a two-hour final examination.
