Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

1. To establish the most basic foundation in the language systems (grammar. orthography, and phonetics) of Mandarin Chinese, upon which students can build language competence with a view to further study.
2. To allow students to begin to develop receptive (reading and listening) and productive (writing and speaking) skills.
3. To begin to provide students with skills necessary to become better language learners.
4. To start learning how to use the pinyin transliteration system and recognize and produce a number of Chinese characters.

Outline Of Syllabus

Notions: Status/Profession; Nationality; Possession; Existence; Numbers; Dates; Days of the week; Months of the year; Age; Time; Intention; Wishes/desires; Location; Permission; Completed action/event; Future event; Consecutive action; Necessity.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be familiar with the most basic grammatical structures and vocabulary, and the orthographic and phonological systems of the language. This will act as a foundation upon which they may build language skills later on. Students will have received a basic grounding in the Pinyin romanisation system and will have learned a number of Hanzi (Chinese characters) for both recognition and productive purposes.

Intended Skill Outcomes

1. Listening: the ability to have partial understanding of basic conversational Chinese if spoken clearly and slowly
2. Speaking: the ability to communicate in a very simple manner using the most basic grammatical structures and vocabulary
3. Reading: the ability to understand very simple everyday descriptions and dialogues
4. Writing: the ability to compose very simple everyday descriptions and dialogues in written form using Pinyin and Chinese characters
5. Language learning: the ability to employ basic self-study skills

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

1. Teaching in the language seminars will focus on communication skills. Grammar will be taught systematically to enable students to produce and manipulate the foreign language. Use of the target language will be made as much as possible to develop listening skills. All four skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking are fully integrated in the language seminars and associated work and preparation, and will be tested equally.

2. Independent learning and learner autonomy are further developed through online guided tasks, pair and group work, assessment preparation and completion, and self-study at home, via the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and in the Language Resource Centre. Particular initiative is expected from students, e.g. course participants will be asked to contribute their own materials to the classes and activities.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The portfolio will help students assess their progress and identify their strengths and areas for improvement. It will test student’s ability to communicate effectively, identify relevant information and produce a structured text in the target language.

General Notes

N/A