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Course & Unit Catalogues


PL31028: Mandarin written and spoken language 3

[Page last updated: 04 June 2024]

Academic Year: 2024/25
Owning Department/School: Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
Credits: 24 [equivalent to 48 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 480
Level: Honours (FHEQ level 6)
Period:
Academic Year
Assessment Summary: CWOA 30%, EX 35%, EXIC 35%
Assessment Detail:
  • Regular in-class tests (EXIC 35%)
  • 2 Written exams (EX 35%)
  • Listening and speaking exam (CWOA 30%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:� 
  • understand the main points of clear, standard speech on practical and social topics related to school, home, and leisure activities and personal interest;
  • intervene in a conversation on activities related to school, home, and leisure activities; express, in fairly high frequency, everyday language, an opinion or ambition and to give short explanations for these;
  • understand articles on practical and social topics related to school, home, and leisure activities and, to a lesser degree, those related to events of work, current affairs and personal interest;
  • write routine informal correspondence; narrate and describe in major time frames and in connected discourse of paragraph, primarily through daily-used vocabulary, with good control of the most frequently used structures.
  • Have a strong awareness of Chinese culture and history, customs and social etiquette, value systems and identities, and some current affairs.



Aims:
  • develop language learners' integrated skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking at the� Intermediate-High level, with a special focus on vocabulary,� Chinese� characters learning, passage reading and practical writing in daily and business life.
  • prepare learners to use Mandarin with ease in everyday situations and professional environments and enrich their understanding of the society and culture of contemporary China.� 
  • further consolidate learner's existing linguistic and cultural knowledge and consolidate their intercultural competence in order to prepare them for social and professional interaction in a globalized world..


Skills:
  • Precision and creativity in the use of written and spoken language;
  • Effective communication in the target language;
  • Independent learning strategies;
  • Employability and transferable skills.


Content:
  • Written Language: translation in and out of English; analysis of contemporary literary, political, social texts; essay writing.
  • Spoken Language: group discussion, individual presentations on a wide range of topics related to school, work, home, leisure activities and personal interest.
  • Laboratory: computer assisted learning.


Course availability:

PL31028 is a Designated Essential Unit on the following courses:

Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
  • UHPL-AYB48 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (ab initio Mandarin) with Year Abroad (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AYB35 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (French and ab initio Mandarin) with Year Abroad (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AYB39 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (German and ab initio Mandarin) with Year Abroad (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AYB42 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish and ab initio Mandarin) with Year Abroad (Year 4)

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2024/25 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2025/26 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2024/25.
  • Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.