Modern Chinese Intermediate level II

Teacher(s)

Du Xiaofei (coordinator);

Language

French

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

The course covers various topics such as: reading Chinese legends, knowledge of Chinese culture and traditions, discovering historical sites and monuments, interviews, etc.

Course activities cover the following:

• Translation of sentences using correct grammar
• Active use of vocabulary (questions and answers)
• Group discussion of everyday topics
• Reading authentic texts
• Reading aloud texts studied in class
• Extension of vocabulary of synonyms and antonyms
• Comprehension of a video conversation between Chinese people
• Creating short talks
• Learning Chinese games and songs
• Video-conference with Chinese people (if possible)

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

By the end of the course, the student should have acquired: An active knowledge of +/- 1 000 ideograms plus a passive knowledge of several hundred others The essential modern grammar structures A very extensive vocabulary and basic writing skills The ability to understand native-speaker conversations even when accents differ slightly from Mandarin The ability to understand the gist of video clips presenting the daily life of Chinese people The ability to write about given subjects The ability to read texts on a wide variety of topics The ability to discuss various topics with Chinese people and speak fairly fluently The ability to translate sentences with typical Chinese grammar structures and vocabulary

Content

The course aims to enable students to speak the Chinese language fluently and understand it well. It enables them to read texts on various subjects with the aid of a dictionary, and to write texts themselves.
In addition, the most important aspects of grammar and the grammatical and lexical particularities of Chinese are studied, enabling students to continue their study of the language autonomously after the course.

Teaching methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

The approach is varied: unseen texts, listening exercises, visual aids, recordings, videos etc.
Each lesson will have a theme, sometimes a very broad one, of Chinese culture, traditions, history, language, legends etc, and very specific points of grammar (time-measure complements, directional complements, correlative adverbs, passive particles, relative clauses, etc.)

Each 4-hour lesson is made up as follows:

• 50% oral,
• 50% written work.
• Active learning and memorization of ideograms has to be done at home.

Evaluation methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

1. General revision at the end of the year.
2. Q1 test (partial written exam) represents 2 points of the final mark.
3. Final exam:
   9 points (oral),
   9 points (written)
   
   Exceptional case: if the student cannot take the Q1 test, with a valid justification, the written part will represent 9 points of the final mark.
    
4. Continuous assessment : 2 points out of the final mark.
5. Learners have to obtain 10/20 to receive a certificate.

Other information

• The teacher can be consulted during her office hours during the whole academic year.
• Non-UCL students who take the end-of-year exam may ask for an ILV certificate.
• Level A2+ or B1- of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages"

Bibliography

Deux syllabus accompagnent le cours:

1. Un syllabus reprenant les idéogrammes du cours et
2. le syllabus du cours comprenant :
   Le vocabulaire et les idéogrammes de la semaine
   Des exercices de vocabulaire
   Des exercices de grammaire
   Des exercices de lecture et de traduction
   Les textes étudiés (version simplifiée et non simplifiée)
   Les devoirs hebdomadaires
   Fiches culturelles

Des CD d'exercices par thème abordé sont également proposés pour le cours du niveau intermédiaire II.
Des lectures de journaux complémentaires pour les étudiants qui en font la demande.

Faculty or entity

ILV