Tilburg University Summer School

We offer you intensive academic summer courses (ECTS Accredited) combined with cultural and social activities.

Chinese Beginners Summer Course

  • Course period: 16 July - 27 July 2012
  • Course load: 4 ECTS
  • Max participants: 18
  • Course leader: Ms. A (Amy) Hsiao
  • Target group: Beginners. Students preparing for an exchange program.
  • Schedule: One 2-hour morning class and one 2-hour afternoon class. In between lessons you work on your homework and assignments.

Entry requirements
None.

Course aims
After the Chinese Beginners Summer Course you will be able to:

  • describe the characteristics of the Chinese language
  • use Pinyin transcriptions (i.e. the standard Mandarin Romanization system in use) as a writing system to communicate with others;
  • apply basic grammar rules to construct simple sentences;
  • recognize 300 Chinese words in 15 topics;
  • understand a number of common spoken expressions;
  • differentiate the cultural differences between the Dutch and Chinese

Course information
This beginners' course focuses on 15 topics from every day and school life. The attention is drawn to the topics in the field of social communication: greeting each other, family, jobs, food & drinks, expressing numbers, time, age and dates, place words (at home and school), subjects, activities & hobbies, Chinese astrology, shopping, invitation of going out and birthday party, etc.

Course Materials

  • 1.New Practical Chinese Reader, Textbook Vol. 1, Beijing Language & Culture University Press, ISBN 7561910401.
  • 2.Reader: Chinese for Beginners 1. Edited by the instructor Ya Ping Hsiao. More information about availability will be announced on Blackboard.

Assessment and Grading
The final grade will be determined through

  • a final written test (40%)
  • continuous assessments (60%), which include 10 homework (30%), 1 speaking performance assessment (15%) and 5 in-class tests (15%).

Important Information

  • The intended end level is A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF) and Level 1 of the Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages
  • An attendance of 80% is required.
  • In the event of an insufficient number of participants, the Language Center reserves the right to cancel the course.

Costs

  • Tilburg University students 'pay' with 6 language vouchers. If you do not have enough vouchers, you pay €57 per language voucher.
  • Prospective Tilburg University students who register from September 2012 pay €426 and can use their language vouchers to get a refund of €342.
  • Tilburg University members of staff: pay €360.
  • External participants pay €426.
  • Alumni who graduate less than four years ago, can participate in this course at the internal rate of €360.

More information
For more information, please send an e-mail to the Tilburg University Summer School.