The Routledge Course in Mandarin Chineseis a two-year undergraduate course for students with no prior background in Chinese study. Designed to build a strong foundation in both the spoken and written language it develops all the basic skills such as pronunciation, character writing, word use and structures, while placing strong emphasis on the development of communicative skills. The complete course consists of Textbook Level 1, Workbook Level 1 #xE2;#xAC;#x1C; including free CDs, Textbook level 2 and workbook Level 2 #xE2;#xAC;#x1C; including free CDs. All books are available separately in simplified as well as traditional characters and take the students from complete beginner to post-intermediate level. Workbook Level 2is designed to accompany Textbook Level 2 lesson by lesson, and offers exercises for homework, independent study and classroom use. The exercises focus on interpersonal, interpretative and presentational modes of communication while helping students to consolidate the vocabulary, characters, and structures introduced in each lesson. At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to read page-length texts for information, listen to and comprehend extended narratives on a variety of topics, and communicate a broad range of information orally and in writing. The course is also fully supported by an interactive companion website which contains a wealth of additional resources for both teachers and students. Teachers will find lesson plans in both English and Mandarin, providing a weekly schedule and overall syllabus for fall and spring, as well as activities for each lesson and answer keys. Students will be able to access downloadable character practice worksheets along with interactive pronunciation, vocabulary and character practice exercises. All the audio material necessary for the course is also available online and conveniently linked on screen to the relevant exercises for ease-of-use. For more information about the course and to access these additional resources, please visit the Companion Website at www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415472517 Claudia Ross is Professor of Chinese at the College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts. Baozhang He is Associate Professor of Chinese at the College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts. Pei-Chia Chen is a lecturer in Chinese at the University of California, San Diego. Meng Yeh is Senior Lecturer in Chinese at Rice University, Texas.#xE3;#xAC;#xAC;