MANDARIN CERTIFICATE COURSES

/MANDARIN CERTIFICATE COURSES
MANDARIN CERTIFICATE COURSES2024-01-16T09:59:25+08:00

Chinese is a language spoken by the largest number of population in the world. With its long history of development, rich culture, and booming economy, it has attracted more than 100 million learners annually worldwide. UM Confucius Institute offer mandarin courses that aim to help non-native speakers to acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills of Chinese language in areas of vocabulary and grammar, the Chinese culture and society, in order to communicate fluently with the Chinese people. UM Confucius Institute offers “Elementary Mandarin I”, “Elementary Mandarin II”, “Intermediate I Mandarin”, “Intermediate Mandarin II”, “Pre-advanced Mandarin” and “Advanced Mandarin” courses in Fall and Spring semesters each academic year. The courses are free-of-charge and open to the public. The first batch of courses launched in September 2018 and were very well-received by the local community.

Important Notes for 2nd Semester, AY2023/2024 Mandarin Courses

  1. These are all intensive language courses that comprise of whole class lectures, tutorials, assignments, exams/presentations. The courses will be held at the University of Macau campus.
  2. Students are expected to actively participate in class discussions and spend at least 1-2 hours per week to prepare for the classes and conduct assignments outside of the classroom.
  3. Attendance is very crucial for these courses. Students are required to attend at least 80% of all class meetings (i.e. 24 out of 30 sessions). Late and/or leave class early with a span of 20 minutes or more in total will also be considered as absent.
  4. Students may apply for leave to justify their absence(s), but the Confucius Institute will only consider justifiable reasons related to personal illness, work and force majeure (excluding personal or vacation leave reason). For leave related to work, students can only apply for 3 days per semester, at maximum.
Course LevelElementary IElementary IIIntermediate IIntermediate IIPre-advanced Advanced
Dates:08/01 – 10/05/2409/01 –  10/05/2409/01 – 10/05/2411/01 – 10/05/2408/01 – 10/05/2408/01 – 10/05/24
Day of the Week:Mon & WedTue & ThursTue & ThursThurs & FriMon & WedMon & Wed
Time:Class A: 6:45-8:15pm
Class B: 8:15-9:45pm
6:45-8:15pm8:15-9:45pm6:45-8:15pm8:15-9:45pm6:45-8:15pm

*Note: The graduation ceremony will be held on 10/05/24 (Fri) for all students and this will be counted as one of the class sessions. 

Description:This course is designed for students who want to have a basic command of Chinese language and culture. Course objectives are for students to build a solid foundation and to develop their four language skills: speaking, writing, listening, and reading. The emphasis is on correct pronunciation, accurate tones and mastery of basic grammatical structures. The relationship between language and culture and the sociolinguistically appropriate use of language will be stressed throughout.
Learning Outcomes:
  • Use a number of words and phrases to answer questions about basic person information. 
Semester:2nd Semester, Academic Year 2023/2024
Date: 08/01/2024 – 10/05/2024 (every Mondays and Wednesdays)
Time: Class A: 6:45pm-8:15pm
Class B: 8:15pm-9:45pm
Description:This course, as a continuation of Integrated Chinese: elementary level I, aims to further enhance students’ proficiency of the Chinese language. They are expected to understand Chinese texts, use the language correctly and confidently, and know some Chinese culture through language learning. Through classroom practice, students will gain a basic command of the spoken and written language, as well as the cultural knowledge in which this living language is embedded.
Learning Outcomes:
  • Create with the language in straightforward social situations; 
  • Handle a limited number of uncomplicated communicative tasks related to basic personal information and daily life with short sentences;
  • Can ask a few appropriate questions.
Semester:2nd Semester, Academic Year 2023/2024
Date: 09/01/2024 – 10/05/2024 (every Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Time: 6:45pm-8:15pm
Description:This course is designed for students with prior knowledge in Chinese. It will further develop students’ communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing in modern Chinese as well as to deepen understanding of Chinese culture and social issues. Students will carry on conversations and participate in classroom discussions in Mandarin Chinese on various topics associated with daily life. Mandarin Putonghua and simplified characters are the medium of instruction in this course.
Learning Outcomes:
  • Produce response consisting of sentences or strings of sentences;
  • Handle successfully a variety of uncomplicated communicative tasks related to personal information and daily life in straightforward social situations;
  • Can ask a variety of questions to obtain simple information to satisfy basic needs.
Semester:2nd Semester, Academic Year 2023/2024
Date: 09/01/2024 – 10/05/2024 (every Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Time: 8:15pm-9:45pm
Description:This course is a continuation of Intermediate I, aiming to enhance students’ skills and competence in using Chinese in general situations. It will cultivate students’ four basic language skills including speaking, listening, reading and writing, with substantial emphasis laid upon developing their oral communication skills and reading comprehension. Mandarin Putonghua and simplified characters are the medium of instruction in this course.
Learning Outcomes:
  • Handle successfully communicative tasks related to personal information and daily life with ease and confidence; 
  • Can use connected discourse of paragraph length to narrate and describe.
Semester:2nd Semester, Academic Year 2023/2024
Date: 11/01/2024 – 10/05/2024 (every Thursdays and Fridays)
Time: 6:45pm-8:15pm
Description:This course is designed for students who have completed Intermediate II Chinese or the equivalent. While many of the linguistic tasks students learn to handle are similar to those of Intermediate Chinese, the level of language required to carry out these tasks is more advanced. It aims to help students to build up a more comprehensive understanding of the fundamental grammar of the language, and expand their knowledge of its core vocabulary and commonly used phrases. Students will carry on conversations and participate in classroom discussions in Mandarin Chinese on various topics associated with daily life. Mandarin Putonghua and simplified characters are the medium of instruction in this course.
Learning Outcomes:
  • Handle a variety of communicative tasks;
  • Talk about some topics related to work, current events and matters of public and community interests;
  • Convey the intended message accurately, clearly and precisely.
Semester:2nd Semester, Academic Year 2023/2024
Date: 08/01/2024 – 10/05/2024 (every Mondays and Wednesdays)
Time: 8:15pm-9:45pm
Description:This advanced Chinese course is offered to students with experience on listening, speaking, reading and writing Chinese at the intermediate level. It aims to help students to increase the sophistication of their oral and written expression, improve their reading and listening comprehension, and communicate information on autobiographical topics, as well as topics of community, national, or international interest in culturally appropriate contexts. Mandarin Putonghua and simplified characters are the medium of instruction in this course.
Learning Outcomes:
  • Handle with ease and confidence a variety of communicative tasks and topics; 
  • Provide a structured argument to support their own opinions;
  • Construct hypotheses;
  • Discuss some topics abstractly.
Semester:2nd Semester, Academic Year 2023/2024
Date: 08/01/2024 – 10/05/2024 (every Mondays and Wednesdays)
Time: 6:45pm-8:15pm
Eligibility: 1. Non-native Chinese speakers (i.e. mother tongue is neither Cantonese nor Mandarin)
2. Adults over 18 years old with a valid permit to stay in Macau
3. An oral proficiency interview will be conducted by phone with those who applied to Elementary Mandarin II or above level
Fee:Free of charge
Venue:University of Macau
Award of Certificate: Students who have fulfilled the 80% attendance requirement (i.e. attended at least 24 classes), participated in all parts of the final assessment, and obtained a final grade of D or above in the final assessment, will be issued a Certificate of Completion.
Registration:Please note that we are not accepting applications for the 2nd Semester, AY2023/2024 Mandarin courses, and the information on the 1st Semester, AY2024/2025 Mandarin courses will be posted on this page in July 2024. Thank you.
Course Flyer: Download from here