Page 68 - SYU Prospectus

Shue Yan University Prospectus 2021-22

and changes in the past, a prognosis is attempted on the future development of the Chinese
language.

CHI 248 Chinese Language, Society and Culture
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course provides students with the theoretical basis for the study of relationships
between Chinese language, society and culture. It consists of five topics: 1) introduction to
sociolinguistics; 2) development of Chinese language and society; 3) language contacts in
Chinese communities; 4) Chinese language and culture; and 5) language competition and
language loyalty. This course helps students explore the Chinese language from sociolinguistic
and cultural perspectives. Students need to conduct a small scale project for investigation of
Chinese language by using sociolinguistic approaches, thus laying a solid academic foundation
for future Chinese language-related development and applications.

CHI 250 Essays of the Tang and Song Dynasties
1 Term; 3 Credits
Through the study of the essays of the Eight Pre-eminent Classical Chinese Writers of
the Tang and Song dynasties, this course enables students to gain an in-depth understanding
of the origin of the development and the profound impact of these essays on classical Chinese
writing and the significant achievements of proses of Tang and Song dynasties. Upon
completion of the course, students' abilities of reading, writing and appreciation of classical
Chinese will be consolidated.

CHI 251-2 Applied Putonghua (for Undergraduates)
2 Terms; 2 Credits
This course, based on Elementary Putonghua, is designed for students to strengthen the
training in five areas: reading, writing, listening, speaking, and vocabulary translation from
Chinese to Pinyin and vice versa. Students will be acquainted with the linguistic knowledge
and grammatical principles and further extend their vocabulary. This course provides pertinent
training for speaking Putonghua and enhances students’ capabilities of reading, communication
and vocabulary translation from Cantonese to standard Chinese and vice versa, promoting
their competitiveness.

CHI 253 Chinese Ci ( 詞 )
1 Term; 3 Credits
The course aims to give students a scrutiny of the origin, various schools and structures
of Ci while representative works of the major authors from Tang to Song dynasties will be
selected for reading and analysed with respect to their backgrounds, styles, thread of thoughts,
artistic conceptions and emotions. Students will be instructed to cultivate their interests and
skills in writing Chinese Ci.

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