Chinese Studies with Year Abroad Durham University

Overview

Course Learning and Teaching

In addition, you may choose to take additional modules offered by MLaC including European languages and Japanese. All students will spend their third year studying the Chinese language at a university in China. Students are not expected to have any previous knowledge of Chinese, but a pathway is available if you have an A level or equivalent qualification in Chinese. The Chinese Studies with Year Abroad BA course is offered by Durham University.

Typically you will have 12 hours of classroom teaching per week in the three years of the degree based in Durham. Language modules involve six hours per week of teaching, while modules on culture, history and other topics are usually taught by means of weekly lectures and fortnightly seminars.

Classroom teaching is an important part of your learning, but this is only the beginning. It provides a starting point for your development as an independent, self-motivated learner. The majority of your time will be spent working independently, reading widely, making notes, finding sources of information, listening to and viewing audiovisual materials. For each hour of timetabled classroom teaching, you will be expected to carry out approximately four hours of independent study and research.

A significant proportion of this time will be spent preparing and completing assessment tasks. In core language modules, heavy emphasis is placed on formative assessment as an ongoing element of the learning process, progressively preparing you for written and oral assessments. In other modules, most assessment is largely consisting of a mix of essays and written examinations.

In addition to regular support and feedback from module teachers and conveners, your learning will be supported at the individual level by a personal Academic Adviser, who will meet with you three times a year to discuss your overall progress. This support network continues during the Year Abroad, when every student is supported by a designated member of staff.