CHIN115-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025

Introduction to Business Chinese

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 22 June 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 2 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 May 2025

Description

This introductory level Chinese language course focuses on the development of basic Chinese language skills that are particularly relevant for business functions. No prior knowledge of Chinese language is required. Students who are literate in Chinese and/or fluent speakers of Mandarin may not enrol in this course without the permission of the Programme Director, which will be granted only if the course is appropriate to the level of competence of the student.

This introductory level Chinese language course is designed to develop foundational Chinese language skills tailored for business interactions, so would be of particular interest to professionals in the broader community. The course is conversation based and will focus on speaking and reading skills to meet the practical language requirements of the business context. No prior knowledge of Chinese is required.

The course will introduce Pinyin, a phonetic system that enables learners to pronounce Chinese accurately and type in Chinese, facilitating further self-study. Additionally, some basic simplified Chinese characters will be taught for general understanding of the language and culture, as well as for recognizing useful signs and symbols in real-world scenarios.

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of this course, successful learners will have acquired an elementary level of Chinese language proficiency, enabling them to confidently engage in basic business interactions when traveling to Chinese-speaking places or hosting Chinese-speaking clients in New Zealand.

    Students will acquire:

  • Chinese Pinyin for accurate pronunciation and typing in Chinese
  • A vocabulary of approximately 200 frequently used Chinese words, focusing on essential business contexts
  • Practical Chinese communicative skills for navigating real-life scenarios
  • Valuable cultural knowledge, including the etiquette and norms of conducting business with Chinese-speaking people, preparing them to interact respectfully and effectively in diverse business settings.
    • University Graduate Attributes

      This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

      Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

      Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

      Employable, innovative and enterprising

      Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

      Biculturally competent and confident

      Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.

      Engaged with the community

      Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.

      Globally aware

      Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 16:00 - 19:00 A7
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Nancy Chu

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
In-class contribution (10) 10% Weekly
Weekly check-up (10) 10% Weekly
Online quizzes (5) 25% Fortnightly
Interactive dialogue role-plays (2) 15% Weeks 3 and 9
Presentations (2) 10% Weeks 5 and 11
Project (video submission) 30% Week 12

Textbooks / Resources

This course will use specially designed course materials.  

There is a AKO | LEARN component to this course.

Other material, which may be helpful, can be found in the Library Subject Guides

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $894.00

International fee $4,100.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All CHIN115 Occurrences