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Unit of study_

CHNS2001: Chinese 2C (Advanced Beginners)

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This is a fast-paced intermediate unit of study intended primarily for medium to high competency speakers of Chinese languages, including Cantonese, who know few (up to about 200) characters or none at all. The objective is rapid development of Chinese-language proficiency to equip students for advanced work in Chinese Studies. Emphases include reading and writing skills and standard Mandarin pronunciation.

Unit details and rules

Unit code CHNS2001
Academic unit Chinese Studies
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
CHNS3000
Prerequisites
? 
Medium to high competency in a spoken Chinese language (e.g. Mandarin, Cantonese) combined with no or very limited knowledge of characters.
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Christine Ji, christine.ji@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Xiaowei Zhang, xiaowei.zhang@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Tutorial quiz Vocabulary Quizzes
Students will be assessed on their Chinese character writing. (Online)
25% - 1500wds equivalent
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Small test Written Comprehensions
In-class Chinese writing assessments (online).
20% - 750wds equivalent
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Presentation Oral Presentation
Students will be assessed on their spoken Chinese skills. (Online)
20% Week 10 1000wds equivalent
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO6 LO2
Small test Final Reading/Writing Test
Final test (online).
35% Week 13 1250wds equivalent
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6

Assessment summary

 

  • Vocabulary quizzes: there will be short quizzes on vocabulary learned (usually the previous weeks).
  • Writing compositions: you are expected to download the pre-designed worksheets from the Blackboard and hand-write the compositions based on the given topics. 
  • Written Test: you will be tested on grammar and vocabulary, reading comprehension, and translation into and out of Chinese.
  • Oral presentation: a short spoken Chinese skill test  

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

All components will now be delivered online.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
  • Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available on Canvas.

  • Liu, Irene and Hailong Wang, eds. 2004. A Primer for Advanced Beginners of Chinese. New York: Columbia University Press.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. correctly pronounce Putonghua and its spelling in Hànyu pinyin
  • LO2. understand basic and essential grammatical structures of Modern Standard Chinese
  • LO3. understand the basic principles of the Chinese writing system
  • LO4. write about 450 basic Chinese characters in either traditional or simplified form
  • LO5. read simple texts in Chinese characters
  • LO6. discuss issues, present ideas, and debate in both written and spoken Chinese
  • LO7. understand modern and traditional Chinese culture.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.