Standard Chinese, commonly known as Mandarin Chinese, is a major language of the world. It is the official language in the People's Republic of China, Taiwan and Singapore and widely used in community groups in Hong Kong, South-East Asia, North America and Australia. Chinese is also one of the five official languages of the United Nations. China is Australia's biggest trading partner. Students studying Chinese are encouraged to select complementary units in Asian Studies in order to gain a sound background knowledge of the cultural, geopolitical and historical issues relevant to the regions where Chinese is spokenf. Chinese is available at beginners, post-level 12 and advanced (background speaker) levels.
On successful completion of the Chinese Language major sequence, students should have the following discipline-specific skills:
Chinese major sequence for beginners
Level 1
Trimester 1
| AIC181 | Chinese 1A (B, G) |
| AIC182 | Chinese 1B (B, G) |
| AIC281 | Chinese 2A (B, G) |
| AIC282 | Chinese 2B (B, G) |
Level 3
Trimester 1
| AIC381 | Chinese 3A (B) |
| AIC382 | Chinese 3B (B) |
Note: AIC381 and AIC382 will be offered at Geelong from 2015
The Chinese major sequence for students who have completed Chinese at level 12 or equivalent (non-background speakers) begins at second level and consists of the following units:
Level 1
Trimester 1
| AIC281 | Chinese 2A (B, G) |
| AIC282 | Chinese 2B (B, G) |
Level 2
Trimester 1
| AIC381 | Chinese 3A (B) (2 credit points) |
| AIC382 | Chinese 3B (B) (2 credit points) |
Note: AIC381 and AIC382 will be offered at Geelong from 2015
Post-level 12 students who are not background speakers must complete this major sequence by undertaking 2 credit points from the following units:
Trimester 1
| AIC385 | Chinese for Business Purposes A (B) |
| AIC386 | Chinese for Business Purposes B (B) |
Trimester 3
| AIC287 | Intensive Chinese In-Country A (2 credit points) (may replace 2 level 2 units) |
| AIC388 | Intensive Chinese In-Country B (2 credit points) (may replace 2 level 3 units) |
Chinese major sequence at advanced level for background speakers only
Level 1
Trimester 1
| AIC283 | Chinese 2C (B) |
| AIC284 | Chinese 2D (B) |
| AIC383 | Chinese 3C (B) (2 credit points) |
| AIC384 | Chinese 3D (B) (2 credit points) |
Level 3
Advanced speakers must complete this major sequence by undertaking 2 credit points from the following units:
Trimester 1
| AIC387 | Advanced Chinese for Business Purposes C (B) |
| AIC389 | Advanced Chinese for Business Purposes D (B) |
| AIC390 | Advanced Intensive Chinese In-Country (2 credit points) |