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. Learners develop real-life communicative skills to discuss topics related to everyday life such as food and drink, traveling experience and going to the doctor. 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 | A2 |
| Writing | A1+ |
| Listening | A1+ |
| Speaking | A2 |
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
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.
Assessment method
Assessment
Learning aim: Master the writing system of Mandarin characters
Assessment: Weekly class dictation testsLearning aim: Use the target language to give a short report/ answer the teacher’s short questions
Assessment: the first and second in-class oral assignment (individual interview)Learning aim: Use correct grammar points 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.
The BA International Studies program does not allow students to resit passed (constituent) examination(s) within the language courses. Language acquisition is, primarily, accomplished through in-class acquisition activities and practical assignments which contribute to the (final) examination. The diverse structure of the language courses and characteristics of language acquisition therefore withhold the possibility to resit a passed examination.
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.
Reading list
Compulsory Literature
Shaoyang Qi. 2011. Discover China Student’s book two. UK: Macmillan Education. （Unit 7-Unit 12）
ISBN: 0230406394Jie Zhang. 2011. Discover China Workbook book two. UK: Macmillan Education. (Unit 7-Unit 12)
ISBN: 0230406408Supplementary materials from the teachers
Registration
Enrolment for the workgroup through My Studymap is mandatory.
No enrolment needed for the language exams.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: 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.