Chinese course back by popular demand

A Chinese language course at the University of Teesside is back by popular demand after being oversubscribed last year!

The University’s Business School will again run the Foundation Chinese course from October, alongside another course for the more experienced linguist - Chinese for Work and Travel.

Last year’s foundation course was so popular there was a waiting list. It even helped one student to secure employment in Beijing.

Both courses start during the first week in October and run through to May 2008. The foundation course will cover the following aspects of Chinese language:

• Pinyin and four tones
• Greeting
• Asking names, occupation, nationality and marital status
• Talking about day-to-day life
• Ordering food and drinks in the restaurant
• Talking about family
• Talking about how to go somewhere

Course tutor Dr Anqi Shen, a Chinese national, said: ‘The course aims to develop basic survival skills in Chinese as well as an awareness of Chinese culture and tradition.

It will require some practice outside of class, but will be well worth it. After a year, each student will have basic conversational skills and be able to recognise basic written Chinese and write Chinese characters.’

Student Amy Shek said: ‘Having completed the course, I can string basic sentences together with no difficulty. The teaching methods always engaged students and I have noticed that my Chinese grammar has improved significantly. It has most definitely broadened my future job prospects, especially in Hong Kong and China.’

Some students who completed the foundation course last year have signed up for the Chinese for Work and Travel course. This course will be taught by Xin Chuai, a full-time PhD student at the Business School. She is currently working on training development and talent management in her native China.

Xin took her first degree in Human Resource Management at RenMin University of China, one of the top universities in China. Following this, she worked as an human resources consultant in Beijing for two years.

The Chinese for Work and Travel course will cover:

• Commenting on people, objects and events
• Talking about simple day to day matters
• Making travel arrangements
• Conversations at various business occasions
• Basic writing for business purposes
• Intermediate grammar
• Using a wide range of vocabulary

The Foundation Chinese (Mandarin and Culture) course will run on a Thursday evening from 5.30pm – 8.30pm. The Chinese for Work and Travel course will run on a Monday evening from 5.30pm – 7.30pm. For students taking their first language module, the course is reduced to £95. Students who have previously studied a language module pay the full rate of £190. For more details, contact 01642 342807 or email tbsug@tees.ac.uk.

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