UCL CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES
& INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Course Units 2015-2016
Mandarin Current Affairs and Culture
(Social, Historical and Political)
Prerequisite for entry
Successful completion of Mandarin for Business and Current Affairs at the UCL CLIE, or spent some time in the country
actively using the language.
Course duration
20 x 2-hour classes.
Self-Study
80 hours in total.
Course codes
LCMA6006, LCMAG006, LCMAM006, LCMA6056, LCMAG056 and LCMAM056 (together with Mandarin for Business and
Current Affairs).
Aims and Objectives
The course comprises knowledge and understanding both of the structure of the language and of the cultural (social,
historical and political) contexts in which it is currently used.
It enables participants to use their language skills in an academic environment. The course covers recent history,
current affairs and the latest issues in society as well as other related topics. Students will give presentations and are
involved in roundtable discussions and debates on a variety of current issues.
Cultural awareness will be further developed and raised within a European/global context.
The course will enhance knowledge and use of linguistically complex structures (a variety of styles and registers from a
range of authentic material). Various transferable skills will also be further developed.
Functions
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reporting and contrasting perspectives;
debating, expressing opinions, critical topic-related comments;
conducting presentations on complex specialised topics;
expressing opinions, critical topic-related comments;
analysing social and cultural issues;
defining cultural concepts;
composing written pieces of information for different purposes;
Course Content
Main topics/themes to be covered
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Mandarin politics and current affairs;
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Mandarin culture and your culture (intercultural perspectives), language and identity in a global world;
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Mandain literature, music and film
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Different nations in Chinese society (inter county immigration)
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China and other Asia countries
Skills
Reading
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newspapers (economic, social and political): reading for gist, scanning for specific information;
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in-depth analysis of topics in major newspapers/magazines.
Writing
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respond to texts pieces of writing;
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analysis and review of articles; syntheses;
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note-taking from presentations, for short reports;
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writing up presentations.
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Listening
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News and documentaries: radio, TV, audio- and video-tapes (regular listening skills exercises);
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On line power point presentations and links from guests speakers.
Speaking
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formal and informal discussions, debates, round table;
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presentations; discussing in small weekly forum, a regular practice; keeping informed with current affairs.
Transferable
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research for, and presentation of, a project;
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thinking critically in Mandarin
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structuring oral presentations
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structuring essays in another language
Linguistic Structures
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Formal written and spoken Mandarin
Classical Chinese (grammar and phrases)
Use of appropriate expressions for academic activities;
Analysing classical Chinese texts.
Learning Resources
Handouts of advanced grammar and lexical materials will be given as necessary.
Materials for the course will be drawn from:
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Authentic written material from various sources, on the advice of the tutor;
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Authentic audio and audio-visual material.
In addition there is a wide range of language learning materials available for self-study in the Self-Access Centre.