This version of the course guide is provisional until the period for editing the new course guides ends.

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Tandem: Chinese Speaking Practice

Code: 105877 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2504012 Spanish and Chinese Studies: Language, Literature and Culture OT 4

Contact

Name:
Xuehang Jin Wang
Email:
xuehang.jin@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

It is recommended that students have passed previous Chinese courses (i.e. Chinese I, II, III, IV, V & VI). 


Objectives and Contextualisation

The main objective of the subject is to practice and improve oral skills in Chinese: listening comprehension, speaking, and oral interaction. As secondary goals, it is expected that students expand their vocabulary in Chinese, incorporate expressions used in colloquial speech, and be able to express themselves in various situations corresponding to an intermediate level of Mandarin Chinese (B1, B2)


Competences

  • Evaluate the influence of cultural references in Chinese studies in interlinguistic and intercultural communication.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Understand and produce spoken texts in Mandarin Chinese at an intermediate level (B1, B2).

Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply strategies for understanding spoken text in different fields at an intermediate level (B1, B2).
  2. Apply strategies to acquire cultural knowledge of China to be able to communicate.
  3. Describe linguistic aspects of Chinese using a non-specialist informative tone.
  4. Describe linguistic aspects of Chinese using specialised terminology.
  5. Identify the need for cultural knowledge of China to be able to communicate.
  6. Integrate and apply cultural knowledge of China to be able to resolve communication processes.
  7. Integrate cultural knowledge for solving communication problems.
  8. Interpret the communicative intention and meaning of written texts in different subject areas.
  9. Produce spoken texts at an intermediate level (B1, B2) that are appropriate to the context and linguistically correct.

Content

  • Advanced thematic vocabulary based on current news, popular topics in Chinese social media, or everyday situations in a Chinese-speaking country.
  • Idiomatic and colloquial phrases.
  • Practice of oral expression, with attention to pronunciation and intonation, debate skills, and discussion abilities.
  • Intercultural communication: expressions of courtesy, ways to ask and provide information, behavioural norms, etc., in various Chinese cultural contexts.
  • Listening comprehension based on current topics or everyday situations.

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Classroom practice (activities to practice vocabulary, expressions, listening comprehension, etc.) 14 0.56 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 6, 8, 9
Debates 10 0.4
Role-plays 10 0.4 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 6, 8, 9
Type: Supervised      
Oral practice with digital tools 25 1 1, 7, 9
Type: Autonomous      
Autonomous work (study of vocabulary, preparation of assignments, etc.) 50 2 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 6, 8, 9
Listening comprehension activities 25 1 1, 7, 6, 9

A communicative approach will be employed: this approach focuses on the ability to communicate in the language rather than on grammatical accuracy or pronunciation. Based on this methodology, different types of activities will be conducted depending on the topic covered in each session:

  • Debates based on video viewing or listening to audio materials (e.g., podcasts)
  • Role-plays on specific topics
  • Group conversations
  • Activities to practice vocabulary and colloquial expressions
  • Oral presentations in Chinese by students
  • Technology in the classroom: the use of technological tools will be incorporated to enhance oral expression. For example, language learning applications, voice recording and playback software for improving pronunciation, and even interactive language games
  • Autonomous practice: students will be encouraged to practice autonomously, using resources such as language exchange programs, encounters with native speakers, watching movies, or listening to music in Chinese

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Oral exam 40% 2 0.08 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 6, 8, 9
Oral presentations 30% 2 0.08 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 6, 8, 9
Participation in classroom activitites 30% 12 0.48 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 6, 8, 9

Continuous assessment

Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing various tasks and tests. These activities are detailed in the table at the end of this section of the Study Guide.

Review

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.

Missed/failed assessment activities

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5.

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for. In case of retaking, maximum grade will be 5 (Pass).

Classification as "not assessable"

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as "not assessable" on their transcript.

Misconduct in assessment activities

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the student involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject. Assessment activities in whichirregularities have occurred (e.g. plagiarism, copying, impersonation) are excluded from recovery.

Single assessment

This subject is not suitable for single assessment.


Bibliography

Authentic materials (news, blogs, videos, podcasts, etc.) will be shared via Moodle. The following are only supplementary references:

Li Yuanman; Ren Xuemei; Jin Shunian (1997). Gaoji Hanyu Kouyu (高级汉语口语). Advanced Spoken Chinese. Beijing: Beijing Daxue Chubanshe

Liu Xun (刘珣). (2009). Tiyan Hanyu (体验汉语) [Vivir el chino]. Higher Education Press.

Kan Qian (2007). Colloquial Chinese 2. The Next Step in Language Learning. Routledge. 

Kubler, Cornelius C.Wang Yang (2013). Intermediate spoken Chinese practice essentials : a wealth of activities to enhance your spoken Mandarin. Clarendon, Vermont: Tuttle. 


Software

Not required.


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Chinese first semester morning-mixed