AIC181 - Chinese 1A: An Introduction to the Language and Culture
Unit details
| Year | 2027 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes | Trimester 1: Online |
| Credit point(s) | 1 |
| EFTSL value | 0.125 |
| Unit chair | Trimester 1: Xuemei Bai |
| Prerequisite | Nil |
| Corequisite | Nil |
| Incompatible with | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment | 1 x 1-hour online lecture per week 1 x 2-hour online seminar per week |
| Typical study commitment | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. |
| Supplementary information | No prior knowledge of the language is required This unit is not available to speakers of Chinese as a first language |
Content
This unit is designed for beginners who wish to develop practical language skills in Standard Chinese (Mandarin) for both oral and written communication. It focuses on building accurate pronunciation, developing fluency in speaking, and establishing a systematic understanding of basic sentence patterns. The unit introduces the official Pinyin Romanization system alongside the standard simplified Chinese character writing system. Through a combination of interactive in???class activities and curated asynchronous digital learning resources, students are supported in progressively transforming language knowledge into meaningful communication skills. By the end of the unit, students will be able to comprehend and produce basic spoken and written Chinese across a range of everyday contexts, and begin to express simple ideas using Chinese characters. Cultural topics are integrated throughout the unit, encouraging students to understand the relationship between language use, social interaction, and cultural context.
Learning outcomes
Each unit in your course is a building block towards Deakin's Graduate Learning Outcomes - not all units develop and assess every Graduate Learning Outcome (GLO).
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Use the official Pinyin Romanization and simplified Chinese character writing system with key vocabulary, expressions, and basic sentence patterns to produce simple written communication and express basic information and opinions. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO3: Digital literacy GLO6 Self-management |
| ULO2 | Collaborate with peers to plan and perform short spoken interactions (e.g. dialogues, role plays), applying Pinyin, characters, and basic grammatical patterns while demonstrating awareness of appropriate language use and cultural context. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving GLO7: Teamwork |
| ULO3 | Engage with curated learning materials and texts using independent study strategies to identify key linguistic features, sentence patterns, and cultural meanings, and apply these in preparing spoken or written responses. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO3: Digital literacy GLO5: Problem solving GLO6: Self-management |
| ULO4 | Recognise, comprehend, and respond to basic spoken and written Chinese in familiar contexts, demonstrating understanding of language use, social meaning, and cultural perspectives, including connections to broader intercultural and Indigenous contexts where appropriate. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving GLO8: Global citizenship |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Integrated Fortnightly Written Exercise | 1000 words | 25% | Ongoing |
| Assessment 2: In-class Oral Practice | 1000 words | 25% | Ongoing |
| Assessment 3: Communication Portfolio: Interview, Storytelling, and Reflection | 1200 words | 30% | Week 11 |
| Assessment 4: End-of-Unit Oral Assessment | 800 words | 20% | End of unit assessment period |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for AIC181 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.
To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you.
Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.
Unit fee information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.