A study investigated how Chinese characters (hanzi) were taught and learned in a first-year Chinese language class in an American university. Traditionally the teaching of hanzi in higher education has taken one of four approaches: radical; high-frequency-hanzi; phonetic; and non-teaching. The four approaches are analyzed from the second language acquisition perspective, focusing on first-to-second-language transfer and orthographic depth effects in comparing native Chinese learners and second language learners of Chinese. Subjects were 15 university students. Data were collected using participant observation, interviews, and a survey. Research questions included: (1) the approach/belief the teacher follows, and the relationship between that approach and teaching techniques; and (2) the learning strategies adopted by students. Results and their pedagogical implications are reported. The student background questionnaire, student strategy-use questionnaire, teacher questionnaire, and a summary of results are appended. Contains 88 references. (MSE)