Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies programme who have passed Mandarin 1 Beginners and Mandarin 2 Pre-Intermediate.
Description
This course aims at the development of integrated skills with special focus in improving students’ reading and translation skills. It introduces frequently used grammatical structures in order to solidify the learner’s knowledge of Chinese grammar. The expanding of cultural knowledge about China and its people is an integral part of the course.
Course objectives
Oral productions & Listening: Learners will acquire communicative skills enabling them to describe experiences and events. They will be able to organize and present their viewpoints on familiar topics.
Visual perception: Learners will be able to read and understand texts with more complex sentences on familiar matters containing frequent vocabulary. They will also be able to understand everyday material such as brochures, short official documents, written advertisements or announcements.
Written production: Learners will acquire 320 (approximately 1200 after the third course) vocabulary items. They will be able to write some short texts on familiar topics, or a letter describing personal experiences. After this course learners will master basic Chinese grammar constructions and expressions, which is sufficient for basic daily conversation and easy translation.
Learners will be familiar with cultural aspects of everyday life in China.
| Skill | CEFR Level |
|---|---|
| Reading | A1+ |
| Writing | A1+ |
| Listening | A1+ |
| Speaking | A1+ |
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website.
Mode of instruction
Tutorials
Two two-hour tutorials every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform your tutor in advance, providing a valid reason for your absence. Being absent will result in a lowering of the participation grade with 0.5 for every absence after the first four (4) times.
Course Load
Total course load for this course is 5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), which equals 140 hours, broken down by:
| Component | Estimated time |
|---|---|
| Attending classes | 48 hours |
| Assessment hours (exams) | 6 hours |
| Preparing for classes, exams and extra activities | 86 hours |
Assessment method
Assessment
Learning aim: Master the writing system of Mandarin-characters
Assessment: Weekly class dictation tests
Learning aim: Use of the target language to give a short report/ answer the teacher’s short questions
Assessment: the first in-class oral assignment (individual interview)
Learning aim: Use of the target language to communicate with each other on different topics
Assessment: second oral assignment (individual interview)
Learning aim: Use of the correct grammar to organize sentences and improve reading capability in Mandarin
Assessment: final writing/reading exam
Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Class dictation (10%) & class participation (10%) | 20% |
| Oral assignment I: individual interview (mid-term) | 20% |
| Oral assignment II: individual interview (final speaking & listening) | 20% |
| Final reading/writing exam | 40% |
End Grade
To successfully complete the course, please take note that the End Grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of the in-class oral and listening performance, and written exams.
The End Grade needs to be a 6.0 or higher to pass the course.
Resit
If the End Grade is insufficient (lower than a 6.0), there is a possibility of retaking the full 80% of the exam material (exams, quizzes, Midterm Exam and Final Exam). No resit for the tutorial (participation and homework) is possible.
Exam review and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for this course. Students are requested to enroll on Blackboard, but only after correct enrolment in uSis.
Reading list
Compulsory Literature
Yuehua Liu et al. 2010. Integrated Chinese level 2 part 1 Textbook (third edition, simplified and traditional characters). Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company.
ISBN: 9780887276804 / 9780887276798
Yuehua Liu et al. 2010. Integrated Chinese level 2 part 1 Workbook (third edition, simplified and traditional characters). Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company.
ISBN: 9780887276835
Recommended Literature & Other Sources (e.g. websites, Academic Journals, documentaries etc.)
- Claudia Ross, Jing-heng Sheng Ma. 2006. Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar. London: Routledge. ISBN: 0-415-70010-8
Registration
Enrolment through uSis for Tutorials is mandatory.
Students will be enrolled for Exams by the Administration Office, as long as they have a valid Tutorial enrolment.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable
Contact
When contacting lecturers or tutors, please include your full name, student number, and tutorial group number.
Please use your University email-address (uMail) when communicating with any person or department within Leiden University.
Student Affairs Office for BA International Studies
Remarks
This course uses an integrated communicative language learning method. Therefore active participation in the classroom activities is essential for successful learning outcomes.