Admission requirements
This course is open to students of the MA Asian Studies (research) or another relevant Research MA. Students from other programmes are kindly referred to the course description of the regular MA course.
Description
This course will bring students up to date with respect to most relevant aspects of Chinese linguistics. Taking a broad view, we will investigate recent developments in the such fields as historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, grammar, dialectology, etc. In doing so, we will at the same time, work towards (re)introducing most of the important basic notions in linguistics.
Course objectives
The course aims at providing the students with a broad understanding of current issues in Chinese linguistics. Besides, the course aims at developing further their research skills, as well as their skills in reporting on their findings, both in writing and orally, for general as well as scholarly audiences.
Timetable
Seethe timetable of the MA Asian Studies (research).
Mode of instruction
Lectures on specific topics, discussion about the readings.
Course Load
| Total Course Load 10 EC * 28 hours | 280 hours |
|---|---|
| Attending lectures and seminars | 26 hours |
| Extra contact hours Research MA students | 6 hours |
| Readings/class preparation | 98 hours |
| Assignments | 60 hours |
| Term paper | 90 hours |
Assessment method
Academic Integrity
Students should familiarize themselves with the notion of academic integrity and the ways in which this plays out in their own work. A good place to start is this page. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students may not substantially reuse texts they have previously submitted in this or other courses. Minor overlap with previous work is allowed as long as it is duly noted in citation.
Assessment and weighing
| Partial Assessment | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Several oral and written assignments | 40% |
| Term paper | 60% |
In order to pass the course, students must obtain an overall mark of 5.50 (=6) or higher. Compensation between the parital assessments is possible, but the term paper must minimally be awarded with a 5.
The course is an integrated whole. All assessment parts must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.
Resit
Only if the total weighted average is insufficient (5.49 or lower) and the insufficient grade is the result of an insufficient paper, a resit of the paper is possible (60%). In that case the convener of the course may assign a (new) topic and give a new deadline.
A resit of the other partial assessments is not possible.
Exam Review
Students are entitled to view their marked examination within a period of 30 days, following publication of the results of a written examination.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used as the need arises.
Note: there is no separate Blackboard page available for this ResMa course. Please subscribe to the Blackboard page of the regular MA course.
Reading list
- Pinker, Steven, The language instinct. How the mind creates language. (orig. publ. 1994; any subsequent printing by any press is okay)
We will occasionally refer to the following two works:
Norman, J. Chinese. Cambridge University Press. (orig. publ. 1988; any subsequent printing is okay)
Chen, P., Modern Chinese. History and Sociolinguistics. Cambridge University Press. (orig. publ. 1999; any subsequent printing is okay)
Supplementary reading material will be announced at Blackboard.
For the Research MA students additional readings will be determined by the convener at a later stage taking into account the students’ fields of interest. The extra sessions will be used to discuss the additional literature.
Registration
Students are required to register through uSis. To avoid mistakes and problems, students are strongly advised to register in uSis through the activity number which can be found in the timetable in the column under the heading “USIS-Actnbr.”. More information on uSis is available in Dutch and English. You can also have a look at the FAQ.
Not being registered, means no permission to attend this course. See also the webpage on course and exam enrolment for registration deadlines and more information on how to register.
Contact
Remarks
Students with disabilities
The university is committed to supporting and accommodating students with disabilities as stated in the university protocol (especially pages 3-5). Students should contact Fenestra Disability Centre at least four weeks before the start of their courses to ensure that all necessary academic accommodations can be made in time conform the abovementioned protocol.