Undergraduate Course: Advanced Practical Chinese (ASST10162)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is designed for students who already possess substantial knowledge of Chinese at an advanced level. It focuses on the practical use of Chinese through a variety of communicative tasks for both everyday life and professional contexts.
The course aims to enhance and consolidate students' linguistic competence, enabling them to understand and employ a wide range of vocabulary and sentence structures across different levels of formalities. This course emphasis on using Chinese in authentic, real-world situations to strengthen both receptive and productive skills. By developing confidence in spontaneous speech and structured discourse, students will be well prepared to apply their language abilities in academic, social and professional settings. |
| Course description |
This course consists of four core teaching activities:
1) Contemporary Chinese in Media
2) Chinese Literacy
3) Oral Tutorial 1
4) Oral Tutorial 2
Contemporary Chinese in Media
Students will explore contemporary Chinese usage through exposure to internet language, online news articles, social media posts, and current affairs. This component helps students understand how modern Chinese functions in authentic, everyday contexts.
Chinese Literacy
This component develops students' depth of linguistic and cultural knowledge. It focuses on complex grammar, academic and practical writing, and the appropriate choice of language across different levels of formality. Students will strengthen their ability to interpret sophisticated texts and improve their overall reading comprehension and composition skills.
Oral Tutorial 1 and 2
Oral tutorials 1 and 2 are composed of conversation and presentation sessions. With a topic-driven teaching approach, this course aims to enhance students' productive skills, enabling them to communicate effectively and confidently in both social and professional contexts.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Chinese Study Abroad (ASST10167)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This is a year-long course available to students from year 3 or 4 of the undergraduate level enrolled in Chinese degree programmes (joint, single or combined honours), as well as to students from other disciplines taking it as an outside course elective, and to one-year visiting students at the level 10.
Students must have passed the course of ASST10167 Chinese Study Abroad, or pass the re-entry test with a score over 40.
This course is not available to native or near-native speakers of Mandarin Chinese. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Continuous Assessment (60%):
- Portfolio (20%)
- Oral Test 1 (10%)
- Oral Test 2 (10%)
- Examination Semester 1 (20%)
Degree Examination (40%):
- Examination Semester 2 (40%) |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be offered regularly as part of learning process where appropriate, e.g. after an assignment or an assessment. Students will expect to receive their feedback and mark in three working weeks after the submission. Students are also encouraged to reflect upon their own learning, and make their own list of action points after each feedback session.
- Portfolio: Mark and feedback will be available on Learn and EUCLID.
- Semester 1 Examination: Mark will be available via EUCLID. Personal viewing of the exam paper is available upon the student's request
- Semester 2 Examination: Mark will be available via EUCLID. Personal viewing of the exam paper is available upon the student's request
- Oral Tests: In-person test, recorded for internal and external assessments. Mark will be available via EUCLID. Feedback and audio recording will be sent to your university email account upon your request. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | ASST10162 Advanced Practical Chinese - Examination Semester 1 | 120 | | | Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | ASST10162 Advanced Practical Chinese - Examination Semester 2 | 180 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Apply modern Chinese language at an advanced level across a variety of contexts, demonstrating both linguistic accuracy and communicative competence.
- Critically evaluate and synthesise information from contemporary media and social media sources to construct informed discussions on modern society, tradition, and culture.
- Conduct and elaborate on primary research in Chinese and produce academic writing that demonstrates clarity, coherence and cultural understanding.
- Compose and deliver oral presentations in Chinese that integrate ideas for both formal and informal purposes.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- The ability to comprehend modern Chinese language at an advanced level across a range of written and spoken contexts.
- The ability to communicate complex ideas, arguments, and research findings effectively in Chinese, adapting language and style to suit diverse audiences and purposes.
- The ability to conduct primary research using a wide range of concepts, sources, and data, and to summarise academic works accurately and critically in the Chinese language.
- The ability to identify and analyse complex problems and issues, demonstrating some originality and creativity in formulating, evaluating and applying evidence-based solutions and arguments.
- The ability to take managerial responsibility for their own learning and professional development, addressing new challenges and making effective use of research, resources, and reflective practice. |
| Keywords | Advanced Chinese Language,Practical Communication,Modern Media Chinese,Chinese Literary and Writing |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Duo Luan
Tel: (0131 6)51 7112
Email: Duo.Luan@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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