Disciplines and areas of study
Chinese
Program Coordinator: To be advised
The Chinese language program offers an extensive range of subjects from beginners to honours level and postgraduate study. Three entry-level subjects are available to cater to students with differing standards in the Chinese language. At second and third year level, specialist subjects are available in Chinese for professional purposes, Chinese culture studies, and translation training.
At all levels, the emphasis is on the development of communicative skills in oral Mandarin and written Chinese, as well as the development of general intellectual skills through the study of Chinese civilisation using Chinese language sources. At senior levels, there is a focus on more specialised Chinese language use for academic or professional purposes.
Students are strongly encouraged to complete studies in another discipline with a China–Asia focus such as history, politics, linguistics, cinema, or economics to complement their language study. Students are encouraged to undertake further language study in China. If a student is in receipt of a university scholarship or award that covers tuition fees at the institution in China, they are eligible to enrol in China in-country studies. Self-funded students who pay tuition fees in China are not eligible to enrol in the in-country studies Program. However, they may be able to claim credit points for successful completion of language studies at an authorised institution in China. Students must seek permission from the Asian Studies Program Coordinator in advance if they wish to take up this option. Self-funded students can be awarded up to 60 credit points towards their degree for language study in China.
Students may enrol at beginners, advanced or other levels depending on their background and experience. Commencing students are allocated to the appropriate class by the lecturer. Students normally require at least a C grade pass in their current Chinese subject to proceed to the next level.
Programs of study
To qualify for a degree with a major in Chinese, a student must pass a minimum of 130 credit points of Chinese subjects, including the core subjects outlined below. Depending on a student’s prior knowledge of and/or qualifications in Chinese language when they commence their degree, there are three different major streams: beginners, advanced and dialect speakers. Students whose first language is Mandarin should refer to the section below. The major requirements for these streams are as follows.
Chinese Major
To complete a major in Chinese students must complete:
- the Chinese core subjects for their language level at each year level of their degree.
- 30 credit points at first year level,
- 40 credit points at second-year level and
- at least 60 credit points at third year level of Chinese subjects from the list below.
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Chinese Beginners 1A | CHI1BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese Beginners 1B | CHI1BEB |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Chinese Beginners 2A | CHI2BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese Beginners 2B | CHI2BEB |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Chinese Beginners 3A | CHI3BEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese Beginners 3B | CHI3BEB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia | AST3CIA |
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Chinese Advanced 1A | CHI1ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese Advanced 1B | CHI1ADB |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Chinese Advanced 2A | CHI2ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese Advanced 2B | CHI2ADB |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Chinese Advanced 3A | CHI3ADA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese Advanced 3B | CHI3ADB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia | AST3CIA |
Note: students wishing to qualify as Chinese language teachers in schools must complete the advanced stream. This is the requirement to take Chinese language as a LOTE teaching method in the Diploma of Education or the double degree Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Arts Education.
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Chinese Dialect Speakers 1A | CHI1DSA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese Dialect Speakers 1B | CHI1DSB |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese for Professional and Academic Purposes A | CHI2APA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese Modern Texts | CHI2CMT |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Readings in Contemporary Chinese Prose A | CHI3CPA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Readings in Contemporary Chinese Prose B | CHI3CPB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia | AST3CIA |
Mandarin Speakers
Students whose first language is Mandarin may join the dialect speakers stream from the second year onwards. A major in Chinese is not available for native Mandarin speakers, however the following subjects are available: CHI2/3APA, CHI2/3CCT, CHI2/3CMT, CHI3CPA, and CHI3CPB.
Other Subjects Available in 2010
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Chinese Classical Texts | CHI2CCT/CHI3CCT |
| TE-SEM-1 | Chinese for Professional Purposes A | CHI2PPA/CHI3PPA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Society and State in Japan and China | AST2EAS/AST3EAS |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese for Professional and Academic Purposes A | CHI2APA/CHI3APA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chinese Modern Texts | CHI2CMT/CHI3CMT |
| Third year subjects (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Readings in Contemporary Chinese Prose A | CHI3CPA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Readings in Contemporary Chinese Prose B | CHI3CPB |
| Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | |
| Intercultural Communication | LIN2CCC/LIN3CCC |
| Language in Asia | LIN2LIA/LIN3LIA |
Honours
Students wishing to enter fourth year honours in Chinese should normally have completed a Chinese major of at least 130 credit points, including 60 credit points at third year level, with suitably high grades. Students who wish to proceed to honours should apply to the Chinese Language Coordinator before they complete their third year. The Chinese Honours Program consists of two parts:
- (a) coursework: students complete 60 credit points of coursework in their honours year
- (b) thesis: a thesis of 12000 to 15000 words in an area of Chinese studies must be submitted. The topic must be agreed upon by the student and their supervisor(s) at the beginning of the course and is to be written in English.