Dr Hua Xiang PEL, 601B

This course is available on the MA in Modern History. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course is available with permission to General Course students.

Available as an outside option to all undergraduate and General Course students. Students can take this course in any year of their studies following approval from the teacher responsible and subject to their own programme regulations.

Students must have completed Mandarin Language and Society 2 (Intermediate) (LN142).

A good pass at A Level or its equivalent is required. An interview with the course co-ordinator prior to registration is compulsory. 

Advanced study of the Mandarin language within the framework of social sciences and culture. In a dynamic and communicative way the course develops all four language skills (i.e. speaking, listening, reading and writing) through individual and group work, topical discussions, authentic and multi-media materials. The focus is on accuracy as well as communication that advance students’ language competence, transferable skills and cultural awareness. At this level, the students are required to read and write up to 2500 Chinese characters.

40 hours of classes in the MT. 40 hours of classes in the LT. 4 hours of classes in the ST.

Four hours per week, which will feature: (a) interactive topical work; (b) oral practise; (c) grammar and vocabulary work; (d) tutorials; and (e) guided study using IT and web-based materials.

This course has reading weeks in Week 6 of Michaelmas and Lent terms.

The students will be required to complete weekly exercises. This includes grammar activities, writing essays, in class presentation and online communicative materials.

X Liu (ed.), 2006, New Practical Chinese Reader, Vol. 4, textbook and workbook, Beijing. Beijing Language and Cultural University Press;

Y Po-Ching & D Rimmington, 2002, Intermediate Chinese - A Grammar and Workbook, Routledge; S Ma (ed.), 2002,

Modern Advanced Mandarin Course, Beijing Language and Cultural University Press;

Oxford Chinese Dictionary, 2010, Oxford Dictionaries.

Exam (30%, duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes) in the summer exam period.
Oral examination (30%) in the ST.
Continuous assessment (40%) in the MT and LT.

Language courses map to the Common European Framework for Language Learning.  This framework defines linguistic proficiency in the four language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) at different levels.  To pass this course, students are therefore required to achieve a pass mark in each element of the assessment (continuous assessment, oral and written exams), as these test all four skills.

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.