Please note that both the US Foreign Service Institute and the Defense Language Institute categorize Chinese as a difficult language for native English speakers to learn. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages says that it takes 4 times longer for students studying Chinese to achieve the same level of proficiency as students studying Level 1 languages (Spanish, French, Latin, etc.). Students selecting Chinese courses may need to take into account additional study time to achieve success.

AP Chinese Language and Culture is comparable to a fourth semester college course, deepening students’ immersion into the language and culture of the Chinese- speaking world. This course engages students in an exploration of contemporary and historical Chinese culture in the target language, including contemporary Chinese society, geography and population, ethnic and regional diversity, travel and transportation, climate and weather, holidays and food, sports and games, and current affairs. This course introduces students to significant people, products, and themes in Chinese history as well as Chinese contributions to philosophical thought, government institutions, and artistic pursuits like calligraphy, painting, literature, music, folk arts, and culture. Students develop an appreciation of China’s global importance in the areas of energy, the environment, economics, and politics. Students hone their language skills across communicative modes: pronunciation, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, grammatical structures, and written characters. This course incorporates all of the National Standards for Foreign Language Instruction. This course is taught and students are evaluated using simplified characters rather than traditional.

Note: Students who intend to take the AP Exam in May should enroll in AP Chinese the year they intend to take the exam. Due to space limitations, students enrolled in AP Chinese will be given priority when signing up for the AP Exam, and there may not be space for students who are not enrolled in AP Chinese. 

Course Number	0495
Grade Level	9,10,11,12
Pre-Requisite	Grade of B or higher in Chinese (Mandarin) III or instructor approval
Application and/or Audition Date	None
Credits	10
VCHS Graduation Credit	World Language
UC Approval	Yes E Course (LOTE)
Fees	AP Exam Fee