Chinese (Mandarin) for Non-Chinese Background Students

Chinese is spoken by more than 1.5 billion people in the world and is one of the six official languages of the UN. China has a 5000 year history and culture, boasts the fastest-growing economy in the world and is widely regarded as the potentially biggest global market in the twenty-first century.

A major in Chinese (Mandarin) provides a course of study which allows students who have no prior knowledge of Mandarin or of Chinese characters to specialise in Mandarin so that they are able to:

* comprehend normal spoken and written Mandarin in a wide range of situations;

* express themselves clearly and accurately in spoken and written Mandarin in a wide range of situations;

* develop their knowledge of the foreign language to move from dependence on formal instruction to ongoing independent acquisition of linguistic proficiency;

* gather and synthesise information on topics of current interest from different Chinese language texts and different media;

* recognise and respond personally to differences between Chinese culture and their own cultural heritage by analysing film, poetry and other cultural products;

* take advantage of the opportunity to include a period of study abroad at an exchange university in China as part of their Wollongong undergraduate study.

Students may commence their studies as beginners or advanced learners. Students who enter the major at post-HSC may be exempted from some language subjects and should consult the convenor of Chinese. Advanced students or students familiar with Chinese characters will enrol in the major, Chinese (Mandarin) for Character Background students.

Major Study

A major in Chinese (Mandarin) for beginners or near beginners consists of 66 credit points, and must include

• 18 credit points at 100-level (MAND 151, MAND152, LING110),

• 24 credit points at 200-level (MAND 251, MAND 252 and LANG 210) and

• 24 credit points at 300-level, (MAND 351, MAND 352 and a further 300 level subject with relevant content as approved by the Convenor of Chinese (Mandarin) studies).

Students who have achieved a strong 2 Unit HSC pass or equivalent may choose to enter the language sequence at the level of MAND251 and complete a 54 credit points major comprising 6 credit points (civilisation) at 100-level, 24 credit points at 200-level and 24 credit points at 300-level, as set out below. All students wishing to enter the Mandarin major at the level of MAND251 or MAND152 must obtain approval from the Chinese (Mandarin) Convenor.

Students may also include a period of in-country study by enrolling in MAND 253.

Native or near-native speakers, familiar with Chinese characters will enrol in the major Chinese (Mandarin) for Character Background students.

Minor Study

A minor study in Mandarin consists of four sequential subjects in Mandarin. The minor will consist of 28 or 32 credit points of language study (28 credit points for students beginning at 100-level). Students may not cross-count any subjects from the minor in any other minor or major study.

Example: A student beginner could take a minor by studying MAND151, MAND152, MAND251 and MAND252.

A student who had studied Mandarin to HSC level and was commencing university Mandarin at second year level could take a Minor by studying MAND251, MAND252, MAND351 and MAND352.

Whilst the minor will not be stipulated on the student's testamur at graduation, it will be recorded on the academic transcript

Certificate in Languages (Mandarin)

To qualify for the award of the Certificate in Languages (course code 1001) a student must complete a total of at least 24 credit points from subjects listed from the Mandarin study program below.

Students are required to complete 3 or 4 sequential language subjects over a minimum of 3 or 4 semesters depending on level of entry.

Example: A student beginner could take the Certificate by studying MAND151, MAND152, MAND251 and MAND252.

A student who had studied Mandarin to HSC level and was commencing university Mandarin at upper level could complete the Certificate of Languages in Mandarin by studying MAND251, MAND252, MAND351 or MAND352.

Other subjects from the Mandarin program may be included with the permission of the Director of the Language Centre.

Subjects counted towards any degree cannot also be counted towards the Certificate and subjects counted towards the Certificate cannot be counted towards another degree.

Click here for more information on the Certificate in Languages

Diploma in Languages (Mandarin)

To qualify for award of the Diploma in Languages (course code 1002) a student must complete a total of at least 48 credit points from subjects listed from the Mandarin study program below.

Students are required to complete 6 or 7 sequential language subjects over a minimum of 6 or 7 semesters depending on level of entry.

Example: A student beginner could take the Diploma by studying MAND151, MAND152, MAND251, MAND252, MAND351, MAND352 and LANG305.

A student who had studied Mandarin to HSC level and was commencing university Mandarin at upper level could complete the Diploma of Languages in Mandarin by studying MAND251, MAND252, MAND351, MAND352, LING 110 and LING210 or a further 300 level subject.

Other subjects from the Mandarin program may be included with the permission of the Director of the Language Centre.

Students may also include a period of in-country study by enrolling in MAND 253.

Subjects counted towards any degree cannot also be counted towards the Diploma and subjects counted towards the Diploma cannot be counted towards another degree.

Click here for more information on the Diploma in Languages

Honours

See Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

Study Program

Subject Code	Subject Name	Credit Points	Session
MAND151	Chinese (Mandarin) for Beginners 1A	6	Autumn
MAND152	Chinese (Mandarin) for Beginners 1B	6	Spring
MAND251	Intermediate Chinese for Non-Chinese background Students (NCB) 2A	8	Autumn
MAND252	Intermediate Chinese for Non-Chinese background Students (NCB) 2B	8	Spring
MAND253	In-country session	8	Spring
MAND351	Advanced Chinese for Non-Chinese background Students (NCB) 3A	8	N/O 2010
MAND352	Advanced Chinese for Non-Chinese background Students (NCB) 3B	8	N/O 2010
LING110	Language and Language Learning	6	N/O 2010
LING210	Communicating in a foreign language	8	Autumn
One 300 level subject with Chinese content	8