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JAP VBC - Basic Chinese*

Faculty
Wu Huihua, Associate Professor. Renmin University, Beijing.
Course Coordinator
Susan Aagaard Petersen, Assistant Teaching Professor, INT
Prerequisite/progression of the course
Excluding ASP students, Otherwise no limitations or previous language qualifications needed.
Course content, structure and teaching
This course is designed for students who want to acquaint themselves with the Chinese language. China is increasingly becoming an important player on the global economic and political stage. This naturally leads to increased curiosity about Chinese language and culture. In this course the student will learn basic elements of Mandarin Chinese. This course takes a comprehensive approach to language learning meaning that the course integrates listening-comprehension, oral exercises (training of pronunciation, tones, syntax etc.) with reading-comprehension (recognition of Chinese characters relevant at the beginner’s level). The teaching material will consist of a Chinese textbook and audio-visual material. Teaching methods are a mixture of full class sessions, group work, and individual writing and listening exercises. All students are expected to actively participate in the classes. Through language training the students will also obtain some knowledge about some aspects of Chinese culture and society.
The course's development of personal competences
This course will help student to become more cultural sensitive and strengthen his/her ability to communicate across cultures and languages.
Learning Objectives
Learning objectives for the oral exam are:
The student must demonstrate knowledge of basic elements of Chinese language covered in the syllabus.
  • The students should be able to read aloud with a pronunciation so clear that it does not interfere with understanding.
  • The student should be able to recognize and correctly read Chinese characters practiced in the syllabus.
  • The student must demonstrate that he/she understands basic spoken Chinese.
  • The student should be able to have a simple conversation on topics covered in the syllabus.
  • The student should be able to in conversation structure sentences according to the syntax and basic sentence models covered in the syllabus.
Type of examination, exam aids and assessment
20 min oral exam with 30 min preparation. The students will be examined in a known text, which they will draw before the preparation. As exam aids the students are allowed a dictionary. The student will be graded according to the 7 point scale. There will be an internal “censor”.
Recommended literature
LuXun et al.: New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (Textbook and Workbook), Beijing: Beijing yuyan daxue, 2002).

Last updated by Henriette Andersen 20/08/2010