The course is intended for people with no prior knowledge of the Chinese language.  Students will become familiar with the pronunciation system of the language.  They will be able to have short conversations about simple everyday matters such as greeting, introducing oneself, enquiring about the location of objects, asking  for and giving directions to common places, telling time, describing the weather, and ordering food or drinks.  They will learn common verbs such as to be, to call, to want, and how to ask questions in Chinese.  They will learn basic aspects of the Chinese culture (for example, how to introduce oneself).  At the conclusion of this course, tudents are expected to have an active vocabulary of 250 characters, applied to all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing).