Admission requirements
Students admitted to MA Asian Studies (120EC): Chinese Studies and Asian Studies (60 EC): East Asian Studies tracks. The course is taught in Chinese. All students must meet one of the following minimum level of Chinese language proficiency requirements: CEFR level B1, which is roughly equivalent to new HSK 4 (with a test result of minimally 250 points) and TOCFL level 3. This course is designed based on the BA Mandarin program of Chinese Studies at Leiden University, where undergraduates receive approximately 300 contact hours and a 10-week intensive Mandarin training in a Mandarin speaking area (amounting to 60 ec in total). Students are required to be able to read both traditional and simplified characters and to write either of them by hand.
Description
This course is a continuation of “Modern Chinese Reading & Writing 1”.
In order to help students develop their reading and writing skills in their academic fields of study, the selection of course materials is based on students’ academic interests, such as Chinese culture & society, economy, history, and politics. No textbook is used for this course; all materials are selected from a wide range of resources, for example, articles from newspaper/ magazines/ blogs; literature works: proses, short stories, chapters from novels.
The course consists of the four components: assignments, class activities/oral presentations, and a final exam. Class activities include intensive and extensive reading. Students will give oral presentations on the reading texts.
Throughout this semester, the writing styles and format of assignments will be discussed.
Students are expected to be thoroughly prepared and to contribute actively.
Course objectives
Help MA students currently at an advanced level to develop their reading and writing skills by reading large amounts of varied, authentic materials and via working on written assignments with reference to the said materials.
Help MA students to improve their command of the advanced vocabulary and language structures. Expected learning outcomes:
Reading: ability to read a wide range of longer authentic materials (newspaper/ magazines/ blogs and editorials) and literature works (proses, short stories, chapters from novels); can digest a large amount of reading materials with the aid of IT resources; ability to find the gist of the texts quickly.
Writing: familiarity with common genres and styles of written Chinese; good command of advanced vocabulary and language structures; can write with specific purposes, i.e., essays, summaries, writing of application letters, curriculum vitae, and comments.
Timetable
Visit MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Assessment method
Assignments 40 %
Final exam (reading comprehension and writing) 60% The re-sit exam for the final exam is only available to students whose mark of the final exam is insufficient. The re-sit exam will then make up 100% of the mark.
Reading list
Class materials will be distributed via Brightspace during the term.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch