Course Title: Chinese 1 (Intensive)

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Chinese 1 (Intensive)

Credit Points: 36.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

LANG1270

City Campus

Undergraduate

365H Global, Urban and Social Studies

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2017

Course Coordinator: Xiaowen Fan

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 4402

Course Coordinator Email: xiaowen.fan@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 37.05.36

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Pre-requisite.

No previous studies or knowledge of the Chinese language is assumed or required for Chinese 1 (Intensive).

Chinese 1 (Intensive) may also be suitable for you if you have completed some previous beginners/introductory level Chinese. If uncertain, before you start this course contact the Course Coordinator to determine the appropriate level of Chinese study for you.
 


Course Description

This course is the first of two full-time intensive mode courses in Chinese offered at RMIT University.

This course will provide you with skills in oral and written communication in the Chinese language, particularly in relation to grammatical and socially appropriate language use.

You will become familiar with the pronunciation system and the formation of written Chinese. You will explore the norms and values of Chinese culture and relationships between behaviour and language. You will begin to use complex grammatical structures, and apply Chinese in a wider range of personal and social contexts.

You will be encouraged to be responsible for your own learning and to build on your knowledge to a level where you can continue with further self-directed learning. The course will equip you with further knowledge for cross-cultural situations within the framework of language and associated non-verbal communication.
 


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Read Chinese characters without relying on the pinyin system, except for new vocabulary.
  • Communicate in both oral and written Chinese on familiar topics and hold extended situational conversations in real-life situations, using appropriate connectors for more complex sentence structures.
  • Interpret and comprehend authentic spoken, written and multimedia Chinese materials composed of both simple and complex sentence structures.
  • Evaluate and apply language learning strategies and techniques to develop language skills, aiming to be an effective autonomous learner.
  • Reflect on and analyse aspects of the Chinese culture embedded in the language, and make comparisons to your own cultural norms, thereby expanding your knowledge of cross-cultural communication issues and challenges.

Program Learning Outcomes

In this course you will develop the following program learning outcomes:
• Communicate effectively in Chinese in a range of forms and in different international and cross-cultural contexts, using appropriate modes of communication including electronic, written, graphic, oral and aural forms
• Reflect on the role of culture in communication, and apply this knowledge in a range of cross-cultural interactions
• Access and critically examine a range of resources (including text and electronic) to further your learning in Chinese
• Effectively manage your own learning, developing skills in lifelong learning of languages and cross-cultural communication
 



 


Overview of Learning Activities

A variety of structured in class exercises provide opportunities to develop your skills, with emphasis placed on communicative skill building, guided and natural conversations, and hypothetical situations.

Multimedia teaching and learning resources, and readings relating to sociolinguistics and cross-cultural communication issues will be introduced and discussed. Various role-plays, exercises and games are employed to expose potential difficulties which may arise in cross-cultural communication.

You will be expected to participate actively in many pair and group activities and to use only Chinese. Therefore, regular class attendance is important to support your learning.


Overview of Learning Resources

You may need to purchase a prescribed text and a recommended language dictionary. Multimedia teaching and learning resources and tools will also be used, and made available through MyRMIT Studies.


Overview of Assessment

You will be required to submit a range of assessments throughout the semester to demonstrate how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and capabilities. Assessment tasks may involve working independently and/or as part of a pair or team on a range of written, oral and interactive tasks (for example, in-class tests, essays, class presentations, group projects, debates, learning diaries, final exams etc).

You will also receive verbal and/or written feedback from your lecturers and/or peers on your assessment tasks.

Weighting on the assessment tasks for postgraduate students will vary with an additional or expanded or expanded assessment task.

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies and procedures which are described and referenced in a single document: Assessment and assessment flexibility policy

An assessment charter summarises your responsibilities as an RMIT student as well as those of your teachers: Student Responsibilities Statement

If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact your Program Director or the Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.