This course offers an introduction to Cantonese with an emphasis mainly on communicative ability and partly on comparison with Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua). It is designed for students who have no or very limited prior knowledge of the Cantonese language. Students will learn the basics of Cantonese in this course, including pronunciation, the Cantonese Romanisation systems, vocabulary and structures for basic communication. Upon completion of the course, students are expected to have high-elementary to low-intermediate Cantonese proficiency and have the confidence to converse in Cantonese on everyday topics such as greetings, asking and giving directions, making phone calls and appointments, telling time, shopping and bargaining, describing weathers and seasons, and similar topics. As Cantonese shares a character writing system with Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua) and the majority of the Cantonese lexicon are identical or similar to the Mandarin equivalents, the focus of this course is on the acquisition of lexical items and syntactical structures that are unique in Cantonese and on the practice of Cantonese speaking and listening. Students are expected to have mastered intermediate level of Chinese grammar and have learned at least 2000 Chinese characters (equivalent to the Modern Chinese 4 learning outcome) before enrolling in CHIN2024.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Articulate Cantonese sounds accurately including finals, initials, complex syllables, and the six tones with the help of the Jyutping Romanisation system.
2. Use an active Cantonese vocabulary to engage in basic conversation, including a collection of lexical items that are unique in Cantonese.
3. Demonstrate high-elementary to low-intermediate proficiency in colloquial Cantonese.
4. Communicate confidently on topics including greetings, asking and giving directions, leisure activities, making appointments, shopping and bargaining, describing weather and seasons, and expressing likes and dislikes.
5. Develop an understanding of the Cantonese culture and the status of Cantonese in the global context.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction and Jyutping
2	Greetings and Meeting New Friends	Online Quiz 1 (Cantonese sounds and Jyutping) opens
3	Getting Around	Online Quiz 1 due
4	Leisure and Going Out
5	Phone Calls and Appointments	Online Quiz 2 (Weeks 2-5 content) opens
6	Mid-semester Revision	Online Quiz 2 due, Mid-semester spoken test
7	Shopping and Bargaining	Vlog assignment due
8	Eating and Drinking
9	Weather and Seasons
10	Trips and Travels	Online Quiz 3 (Weeks 7-10 content) opens
11	Cantonese Dialects and Speakers (Cultural Lecture)	Online Quiz 3 due
12	Final revision	Final written exam
13	No class	Essay discussion assignment due, final spoken exam

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Participation	10 %	23/05/2025	*	1,2,3,4,5
Online quizzes	15 %	18/05/2025	*	2,3,4,5
Mid-semester spoken test	15 %	28/03/2025	13/04/2025	1,2,3,4
Vlog assignment	15 %	06/04/2025	20/04/2025	1,2,3,4
Critical reflective essay discussion	15 %	30/05/2025	13/06/2025	3,5
Final written exam	15 %	23/05/2025	26/06/2025	2,3,4
Final spoken exam	15 %	30/05/2025	26/06/2025	1,2,3,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Both lecturer and tutorial attendance are required for this course. Students are expected to complete online interactive tasks during each lecture and complete various exercises on a worksheet in each tutorial.

Examination(s)

There are three formal examinations for this course: the mid-semester spoken test, the final spoken exam, and the final written exam. The final spoken exam will be held during the exam period while the other two exams will be held during class time.

Assessment Task 1

Participation

Participation is not equal to 'Attendance'. The participation grade is given based on individual student's engagement in the course throughout the semester. Students are required to actively participate in class activities in both the weekly lecturer and the tutorial. They are also expected to complete self-learning tasks and their in-class performance should reflect the progress they have made by completing these tasks. Participation accounts for 10% of the final grade.

Assessment Task 2

Online quizzes

There are 3 online quizzes throughout the semester. Quiz 1 focuses on the Cantonese sounds and Jyutping system. Quiz 2 tests language points learned in weeks 2-5. Quiz 3 tests language points learned in weeks 7-10. These online quizzes allow one attempt only and will open for 10 days across 2 weeks. Students are required to complete the quiz at their convenient time. Each quiz will account for 5% of the final grade.

Assessment Task 3

Mid-semester spoken test

The mid-semester spoken test will be held at tutorial times in week 6. Students will attend the test in pairs. The test includes prepared dialogue presentation and spontaneous Q&A. Students are tested on course content taught in weeks 1-6. This test accounts for 15% of the final grade.

Assessment Task 4

Vlog assignment

This is a task that assesses students' oral skills. Students are asked to make a vlog in Cantonese on one of the four given topics. They are required to actively use language points they have learned in the first half of the semester. They should upload and submit the vlog file to Wattle. The assessment instructions will be available in week 5. Students will have week 6 and the mid-term break to complete the assignment.

Assessment Task 5

Critical reflective essay discussion

This assignment has two elements: a video discussion (10%) and a written reflection (5%). Student will research on one of the given topics and complete a video discussion

on the topic and a written reflection of 500 words.

Assessment Task 6

Final written exam

The written exam is a 90 minutes assessment that covers all taught content in the course. Question types may include multiple choice, blank filling, short-answer questions, sentence making, and translation. The test accounts for 15% of the final grade.

Assessment Task 7

Final spoken exam

This is an individual spoken exam. Students will be given time to prepare and deliver a short speech on an assigned topic and give short answers to a few questions. The final spoken exam accounts for 15% of the final grade.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students