Chinese Language and Studies

Convenor: Dr Zhou Shaoming

Re-enrolling students 2012

Language teaching has changed for 2012 and 2013. Please see the Language Students: What you need to know for 2012 and 2013: Chinese pdf for a table explaining which subjects you should enroll in. For further information please see a Course Adviser at the Arts Student Centre or follow the Arts Student Centre transition tables

Chinese in-Country Study Program

Chinese Intensive Study at Fudan University, Shanghai, China 2013. More information (55kb pdf). 

Confucius Institute scholarships

Confucius Institute scholarships for study in China are now open. Non-Chinese citizens aged 16-35 years are encouraged to apply. More information...

The Lionel Phillips Scholarship for Asian Studies

Offered by Queen's College, University of Melbourne.

The scholarship is given in honour of Lionel Philips (Arts, 1940) who spent much of his life in Japan working in the Australian diplomatic service. It is awarded to an honours or a post-graduate student who is pursuing a degree in the following areas: (a) Japanese, Chinese or Korean language, history or culture; (b) Australia's relations with Japan, China or Korea; or (c) Business or legal studies focusing on Japan, China or Korea. The scholarship is valued at $7,500 per annum.

China is a 'rising power' in the western Pacific region whose future importance for Australia is hard to over-estimate. China's current levels of investment in research and development and in the tertiary sector indicate that China is poised to make a very rapid transition to a 'knowledge economy'. This is a matter of direct relevance for the career planning of today's undergraduates.

Melbourne is one of the few universities in Australia to offer students the opportunity to complete a major in Chinese Language, a minor in Chinese language and a minor in Chinese Studies. Undergraduate students may choose to complement their study of the Chinese language with a range of subjects on Chinese culture and society, acquiring not only a solid basis for language competence in later professional life but also the wherewithal for advancing their social and cultural literacy.

Teaching in the Chinese Program is informed by staff research in a wide variety of different fields, including Chinese language teaching and many aspects of contemporary and traditional China. One area of strong concentration is research on Chinese Regional Cultures: we have one member of staff working on the Northwest (Lewis Mayo, whose field is politics and the natural world in Tang-dynasty Dunhuang), two working on North China (Zhou Shaoming, who works on life-cycle rituals in Shandong, and David Holm, who works on local theatre in Shaanxi), and a number of people working on south China (Du Liping on the marketing of traditional medicines and culturally constructed markets, David Holm on ritual performance and textuality among the Tai-speaking Zhuang minority and the decipherment of the Zhuang character script, and Luo Yongxian on Tai and Sino-Tibetan linguistics). Anne McLaren works on folk performance of the Shanghai hinterland and lower Yangzi delta as well as popular fiction of the Ming-Qing period. Research on Chinese language teaching is pursued by all lecturers who are involved in language teaching. Gao Jia pursues a range of topics on the sociology of contemporary China and the overseas Chinese.

Students come to us with a great variety of linguistic skills and backgrounds, and all students are required to attend an interview at the outset of their course.

A key feature of the Chinese language program is advanced-level subjects like CHIN20009 Chinese Economic Documents, which provide students with experience in applying their Chinese language skills to areas of major professional interest. Our intention is to encourage students to aim for Chinese-English bilingualism in their professional lives after graduation.

Ways to Study Chinese

Undergraduate students can study Chinese as:

Chinese can also be studied as:

Chinese Studies is available as a minor sequence in the Bachelor of Arts. The Minor sequence is made up of 75 points of study.

At the Postgraduate level, Chinese Studies offer courses for:

Chinese can also a component in an Asian Studies program at both undergraduate or post-graduate levels.

Overseas Study

The Chinese Program offers students a variety of opportunities for in-country study. The University has exchange programs with a number of top universities such as Peking University, Qinghua University, Fudan University, Nanjing University and Nankai University in China, and National Taiwan University in Taipei. Regular components of the undergraduate program include a 4 week summer course at 12.5 points. The University offers a number of exchange places every year.

Chinese Language Scholarships

Scholarships from the Chinese government and from the Taiwan Ministry of Education are advertised every year at the beginning of the academic year.

Walter Mangold Trust Fund 2013 Study Abroad Scholarships

Mangold Study Abroad Scholarships offer full-time students between $5,000 and $20,000 to assist with travel and living expenses while they are enrolled in an accredited language program at an overseas institution.  Chinese language study may be combined with relevant cultural programs.

There are two application rounds for 2013 Mangold Study Abroad Scholarships:

Round 1 for overseas enrollments commencing in Semester 1, 2013 (ie, Jan to June 2013)

Round 1 is now open. The closing date for Round 1 applications is Friday 27th July 2012.

Round 2 for overseas enrollments commencing in Semester 2, 2013 (July to December 2013)

Round 2 will open in July. The closing date for applications is Friday 14th December 2012.

 

The Guidelines and Applications Form for the 2013 Round 1 Study Abroad Scholarships are now available from the Mangold Trust website:  www.mangoldtrust.org.au

Melbourne Global Language Scholarships

For information regarding the Melbourne Global Language Scholarships, please visit our Scholarships web page.

Credit for Overseas Study

Please note that not all exchange programs are valid for credit. Please check this before leaving for overseas study. Also, all overseas study is subject to DFAT warnings.

Credit Policy for Chinese Language Study Overseas

37.5 points will be recommended to the Faculty of Arts for a semester of Chinese language study overseas in an approved university in China or Taiwan. This will also represent the maximum number of points that a student may have recommended for credit from overseas study towards the major in Chinese language or the Diploma in Languages (Chinese). Credit is available at levels 2 and 3. Credit is ungraded and should be pre-approved by the Chinese Program before students finalize arrangements.

This policy will apply to all study undertaken by Chinese language students overseas whether on an official university exchange, on a government scholarship or on a self-funded basis. Students undertaking courses at non-Chinese universities (e.g. in Europe or the United States) will have credit recommended to the same level that such courses would attract here.

The policy will limit students seeking language credit to a maximum of one semester of study in China or Taiwan during their degree. The exception is for students who have completed the subject Intensive Chinese Program: China as they are also permitted to undertake a semester of study for language credit in China or Taiwan, as described above.

Students who wish to study overseas for longer may do so but there will be no additional credit towards the language major or the Diploma in Languages (Chinese). Students who wish for additional credit will have to undertake discipline subjects within the university departments in China or Taiwan which will attract a maximum credit recommendation of 37.5 points (12.5 points per subject) towards the Chinese studies major. Students are also able to study subjects in China and Taiwan for credit in other departments of the University of Melbourne.

Short intensive courses of minimum 4-6 weeks duration will have credit recommended of 12.5 points credit. Students will, however, be required to show proof that they attended 90% of classes and will have to submit a 1,000 character essay in Chinese to the department immediately on their return in order to obtain credit.

Students are expected to have completed a minimum of one year's study of Chinese in the Asia Institute before applying to go overseas to study. They must also meet Faculty of Arts requirements of an average of 70% in their Chinese language subjects if they are seeking Chinese language credit while overseas. Student should enquire with the Faculty of Arts or their home Faculty to see if they are eligible for a Study Abroad or Exchange program before approaching the Chinese Department for study approval.

For further information please contact Dr Du Liping by email, lpd@unimelb.edu.au.

Chinese LOTE Accreditation Examination

The Institute holds examinations for LOTE accreditation for prospective teachers of Chinese in the first or second week of January and June each year. The examination consists of written and oral components. Further information on how to apply, dates and fees please see the LOTE accreditation exams web page.

Subjects

A full description of all subjects that contribute to a Diploma in Modern Languages (Chinese) is available on the Undergradate Handbook summary web page.

A full description of all subjects that contribute to a Bachelor of Arts (Chinese major) is available on the Undergradate Handbook summary web page.

Staff in Chinese Program

Name Room Telephone Email address
Du Liping, Dr
 318 8344 5393 lpd@unimelb.edu.au
GAO Jia, Dr 229 8344 8894 jia@unimelb.edu.au
LUO Yongxian, Dr 227 8344 4282 yongxian@unimelb.edu.au
MAYO Lewis, Dr 219 8244 8907 lmayo@unimelb.edu.au
ANNE McLaren, A/Prof 228 8344 5149 mclaae@unimelb.edu.au
ZHOU Shaoming, Dr (Convenor) 234 8344 4945 shaoming@unimelb.edu.au