Aims and Fit of Module

The module is intended for students who have previous knowledge of the Chinese language (B2+ or equivalent) and it will progress in the study the Chinese language and culture. The module will broadly achieve an outcome that at times approaches native level communicative competencies, in particular in day to day listening and speaking.

•	To consolidate and widen further the knowledge of the Chinese language and written genres including advanced academic, cultural and literary writing in a wide range of genres and styles.

•	To enhance communicative proficiency in Chinese, in both writing and oral (presentation and interaction), in genres such as academic cultural and humanities papers.

•	To develop listening and reading skills to approaching native levels of authentic academic cultural, literary and humanities texts.

To further develop a deep knowledge of contemporary Chinese society and academic culture and be able to speak and write about these.


All the Chinese modules have been developed taking into account the QAA benchmark statements for a full or minor component in a language. QAA benchmark statements relate to the language component comprising at least one-third of the study total, resulting in students at the end of the relevant degree programme being at level C1. These Chinese modules make up less than one third of study and so the realistic minimum that would be achieved for a student starting at a beginner level in year 1 is CEFR B2, though students with some initial knowledge would be at C1.

Learning outcomes

A. Be able to demonstrate that they can follow extended near-native speech in the target language on abstract and complex cultural and academic topics of academic relevance in a range of genres and registers.

B. Be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of and engage with authentic cultural and academic texts in the target language in a range of genres and registers.

C. Be able to use the target language to participate effectively in discussions on complex topics and to give a clear, well-structured presentation on an academic subject, expanding and supporting points of view with appropriately sourced academic evidence and examples. To be able to communicate in a range of cultural and academic situations and with the ability to adapt register to context.

D. Be able to use the target language to write clear, well-structured academic texts on cultural, literary or historical topics in an appropriate style with grammatical control that demonstrates a clear awareness of genre and register. 

Method of teaching and learning

This module uses a range of materials, Times: Newspaper Reading Course of Advanced Chinese Volume 1&2 will be the guideline textbook, supplemented by additional materials from a wide range of sources. The module will be discussion based, with regular topic seminars. In addition to written texts, authentic audio and visual materials will also feature in the module.