Program Overview
With a history of over 30 years, the Chinese Language Program of Sichuan University has enrolled thousands of students from over 80 countries across the globe, earning itself a good reputation and fruitful achievements. In addition to the main courses - integrated Chinese language courses (6-12 class hours per week), the Program provides highly targeted and practical courses for specific language skills (about 10 class hours per week), including Chinese speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Besides, there are specialized Chinese language courses for students at intermediate and advanced levels, including Chinese grammar, vocabulary, phonetics, rhetoric, and ancient Chinese. The Program is committed to helping students grasp the right methods to learn Chinese and enhancing their systemic understanding of the Chinese language.
Meanwhile, learning Chinese is not only about the language itself but requires students to have an in-depth understanding of China's national conditions, history, Chinese language culture, Sichuan local culture, etc. Therefore, as students' language competence continues to improve, the Program will also offer a wide range of over 30 general education courses and elective courses, such as Overview of China, Chinese Culture, Business Chinese, Ancient, Modern, and Contemporary Chinese Literature, Chinese Economy, Chinese History, Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Chinese Minority Art, Chinese Idioms and Proverbs, Chinese Character Knowledge and Culture, Bashu Culture, Sichuan Dialect, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, Tai Chi, and Martial Arts, which are available for students based on their interests. Through rich courses and intensive training, the students will be able to rapidly improve their Chinese proficiency within a short period and further deepen their insight into the knowledge of the Chinese language as well as the culture and national conditions of China.
The Program is divided into eight stages in three levels (elementary, intermediate, and advanced), fully meeting the learning needs of students at different levels. Chinese-level exams will be arranged at the beginning of each semester. Students' personal desire, learning purpose, and learning requirements will be given due consideration.
Course Overview
This Program consists of main and elective courses. The main courses are mainly delivered in the mornings, with about 20 class hours per week. The elective courses are mainly arranged in the afternoons. Students can choose elective courses independently based on their levels and interests. Class classification and course arrangements are explained as follows:
1. Elementary class (Elementary 1 / Elementary 2)
Main courses: 9 courses, such as Elementary Integrated Chinese, Reading and Writing of Chinese Characters, and Chinese Listening and Speaking;
General education courses: 2 courses: Tai Chi and Martial Arts.
After a systematic study of such program courses, elementary students will be fluent in basic daily communication in Chinese and be able to read and write some Chinese. After completing such program courses, students attending Elementary 2 can generally pass the examination of HSK Level 3.
2. Intermediate class (Intermediate 1 / Intermediate 2)
Main courses: 8 courses, such as Intermediate Integrated Chinese, Chinese Listening and Speaking, Basic Chinese Writing, and Chinese Reading;
General education courses: 5 courses, such as Computer and Network Applications in Chinese, Chinese Culture, and Overview of China;
Elective courses: 10 courses, such as Chinese Idioms and Proverbs, Chinese Character Knowledge and Culture, Chinese Minority Art, Bashu Culture, Sichuan Dialect, Cross-cultural Psychological Adaptation, News Listening and Reading, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, and HSK Level 5 Lectures.
After a systematic study of such program courses, intermediate students will be fluent in communication in Chinese and proficient in reading and writing Chinese. Students will have a deeper understanding of China's national conditions, culture, etc. and develop a more enriched knowledge structure, with the level of Chinese being improved significantly. After completing such program courses, students can generally pass the examination of HSK Level 4 or 5.
3. Advanced class (Advanced 1 / Advanced 2 / Advanced 3 / Advanced 4)
Main courses: 12 courses, such as Advanced Integrated Chinese, Advanced Spoken Chinese, Modern Chinese Vocabulary, and Modern Chinese Pronunciation;
General education courses: 2 courses: Understanding Contemporary China - Advanced Chinese Listening and Speaking, and Understanding Contemporary China - Advanced Chinese Reading and Writing;
Elective courses: 20 courses, such as Advanced Reading, Advanced Audio-visual, Ancient Chinese Literature, Contemporary Chinese Literature, Modern Chinese Literature and Society, Ancient Chinese History, Modern and Contemporary Chinese History, Business Chinese, Contemporary Chinese Economy, and Topics in Contemporary China.
After a systematic study of such program courses, advanced students will be able to communicate fluently in Chinese on all kinds of topics, with professional reading and writing skills. Meanwhile, such students will have a deeper understanding of China's national conditions, culture, etc. and develop a more enriched knowledge structure, with the level of Chinese being improved significantly. After completing such program courses, students can generally pass the examination of HSK Level 5 or 6.
To make students better communicate with native Chinese people in Chinese, understand the real, lively, and diverse Chinese society at present, and fit well into local life, a series of language practice courses have been introduced for intermediate and advanced students, and teachers may lead students to visit communities, educational institutions and cultural venues, to have a face-to-face exchange with different Chinese residents so that students can introduce their countries to Chinese people while learning about Chinese society and culture.
Evaluation, Credit, Grade, and Certificate
Evaluation of the Program: final examination grade (50%) and whole-process assessment (50%). Students of the Program must meet the attendance requirements. Those absent for over one-third of the courses will be ineligible for the course assessment examinations.
Those passing the course assessment examinations will get credits for corresponding courses and be granted by Sichuan University the course transcript and study certificate.