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School of Culture History and Language · ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
Modern Chinese 1: Written (CHIN1013) is designed for absolute beginners who are (near-) native speakers of English. It introduces the basics of the Standard Modern Chinese language such as sounds and tones, the pinyin system (Chinese Romanization), vocabulary, and simple sentence structures associated with a range of communicative expressions. The course provides intensive training on literacy skills. Handwritten and/or computer-typing simplified characters are taught and practised throughout the course to develop students’ elementary reading and writing capacities. Pinyin is introduced at the beginning of the course and will be used as an assisting phonetic tool in this course. Students are expected to complete assessments mainly using Chinese characters unless otherwise instructed in a specific assessment item. This course shares the textbook and one weekly lecture with Modern Chinese 1: Spoken (CHIN1012) and has another more specialised weekly lecture on its own. Each shared lecture (Lecture A) gives an overview of the weekly lesson in the textbook. It then focuses on introducing the main grammar points and sentence structures of the week.
Class participation
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Weekly homework (12 worksheets, 1.67% each)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Weekly vocabulary quiz (11 quizzes, drop one lowest value, 1% each for the other 10)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Three in-class tests (10% each)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Final written exam
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
The total workload for the course is 130 hours, including independent study. There will be five contact hours per week, consisting of two lectures and three tutorials. Other Information On successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to engage at a Beginner level of Standard Modern Chinese. Students with native speaker proficiency (may include cognate languages and dialects) must review the language proficiency assessment site and contact the CAP Student Centre for appropriate enrolment advice. Students with previous “language experience or exposure” are required to undertake a language proficiency assessment to ensure enrolment at the most appropriate level. Relevant past experience includes: - Previous study of the language (both formal and informal, for example but not limited to, at school, or, home, or through online activities, etc.) - Being exposed to the language in childhood via a family member or friend - Travel or living in a country where the language is spoken - The language being spoken in your home (even if you do not speak it yourself) Students who are not sure if they need to undertake a language proficiency assessment should seek advice from the course or language convenor. Students who intentionally misrepresent their language proficiency level may be investigated under the Academic Integrity Rule 2021 as having failed to comply with assessment directions and having sought unfair advantage. This may results in a penalty such as reduced grades or failure of the course. Students are not permitted to enrol in a language course below one that they have already successfully completed, except with permission of the language and/or course convenor.
New Practical Chinese Reader, Textbook 1 (3rd Edition), Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture Press (2015) New Practical Chinese Reader, Workbook 1 (3rd Edition), Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture Press (2015)