| Organizing school | University of Helsinki |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Schedule | |
| Webinars | |
| Exam on Moodle | |
| CEFR-level | Starting level A0 -> target level A1.2 |
| ECTS | 5 |
| Prerequisites | There are no prerequisites for this course. |
Course description
Course Objectives
After successful completion of the course, the student will become familiar with the whole Mandarin Pinyin transliteration system and the fundamentals of the Chinese writing system. The student is able to manage in short superficial everyday communication situations. The student will have a deeper-than-usual understanding of Chinese culture and the Chinese ways of thinking and behavior as well, and obtain a solid knowledge for further study in Chinese language and culture.
Course Content
- the four main tones and the 5th toneless
- all the consonants and vowels of the Pinyin transliteration system
- vocabulary and sentence types from everyday conversation
- grammar rules on adjectives, verbs, tenses and sentence structure, etc.
- different areas of Chinese culture
- over 100 Chinese characters
Learning Materials
All learning materials can be found from the digital learning platform.
Teaching and Assessment Methods
The student will learn and practice independently with the help of teaching videos, recordings, texts and various exercises on the learning platform. The student is required to complete independently different learning tasks and assignments, which will be evaluated as well. The course includes voluntary online consulting- and learning sessions, where pronunciation and conversations are practiced.
Grading Criteria
Pass/Fail
Amount of work
- Independent study (includes learning tasks) 115-125 h
- Voluntary on-line consulting- and learning sessions or study the recorded teaching videos independently at the student’s own pace 10h
- Exam assignment 5 h
A total of 135 h. One credit corresponds to 27 h of student work (5 x 27 h = 135 h).