BA Asia Pacific Studies and Chinese

Year 4

(Award available for year: Bachelor of Arts)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the year, students should:
- have acquired a range of advanced skills in reading and writing Chinese, and in two-way translation between Chinese and English;
- be able to write Chinese fluently and accurately in all language tasks and, in translation between English and Chinese, to use both languages accurately, with correct spelling and grammar;
- be able to comprehend aurally selections of news and reports from the Chinese broadcast media dealing with social, political and economic issues;
- be able to interpret the general contents of such aural materials into English as well as some English scripts on similar topics into Chinese;
- be able to use Chinese fluently to express their understanding and views on a variety of issues and topics including current affairs and global issues;
- have developed a greater awareness and understanding of the language of documentary Chinese specific to particular disciplinary areas;
- have improved their analytical skills in complex and specialised texts;
a greater understanding of the broader significance of the particular documents studied, and of the context in which they were produced;
- be able to demonstrate consolidated, detailed and insightful awareness and understanding of history, politics, international relations, society, culture and political economy and development in the Asia Pacific region, and particularly an in-depth understanding of modern Chinese social, political and economic issues within the Asia-Pacific context;
- have developed and demonstrated a critical understanding of issues in the Asia Pacific region as they affect contemporary China;
- have developed an in-depth and critical understanding of one aspect of Chinese and/or Asia-Pacific studies, through the writing of a dissertation, together with the ability to research and organise a significant body of information on a well-defined topic.
- be able to engage in complex conversations and discussions on a variety of topics;
- be able to demonstrate an ability to evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to problem solving associated with a number of academic disciplines, and to think in an inter-disciplinary manner;
- be able exercise critical analytical abilities in respect of the disciplinary modules;
- be able effectively to communicate information, arguments and analysis in a variety of forms;
- be able proficiently to use basic intellectual qualities both generic and related to the study of China and the Asia-Pacific region;
- be able to apply intellectual qualities, both generic and related to China and the Asia-Pacific region, to standard situations outside the context in which they were originally studied;
- be able to demonstrate an ability to present a structured, coherent and sophisticated argument, both orally and in written form;
- be able to demonstrate an ability to work independently within a structured environment.

Transferable (key) skills

Students will have had the opportunity to acquire, as defined in the modules specified for the programme:

- the transferable/key/generic skills necessary for employment related to the area(s) studied;
- the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility;
- the deployment of decision making skills in complex and unpredictable situations;
- the communication of information, ideas, problems and solutions in a variety of ways to a variety of audiences;
- the ability to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

Assessment

Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:

- demonstrating the ability to apply a broad range of aspects of the discipline;
- work that draws on a wide variety of material;
- the ability to evaluate and criticise received opinion;
- evidence of an ability to conduct independent, in depth enquiry within the discipline;
- work that is typically both evaluative and creative.