Suspended in 2025/26
LN340      One Unit
Mandarin Language and Society 5 (Mastery)

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

Course Convenor

Availability

Requisites

Pre-requisites:

Students must have completed LN240 before taking this course.

Assumed prior knowledge:

Language skills and knowledge of Mandarin at C1 level of the Common European Reference Framework for Languages are required.

Additional requisites:

This is a Mastery course, and in order to register, completion of Language and Society 4 or equivalent is required. An interview with the course co-ordinator prior to registration is compulsory.

Further advanced (up to the level of mastery) study of the Mandarin language within the framework of social sciences and culture. In a dynamic and communicative way the course develops all four language skills (i.e. speaking, listening, reading and writing) through individual and group work, topical discussions, authentic and multi-media materials. The focus is on accuracy as well as communication that advance students’ language competence, transferable skills and cultural awareness. At this level, the students are required to read and write up to 5000 Chinese characters.

2 hours of classes in the Spring Term.
20 hours of classes in the Winter Term.
20 hours of classes in the Autumn Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn and Winter Term.

Two hours per week, which will feature: (a) interactive topical work; (b) oral practise; (c) grammar and vocabulary work; (d) tutorials; and (e) guided study using IT and web-based materials.

The students will be required to complete weekly exercises. This includes newspaper reading, research projects and online communicative materials.

Students are encouraged to make full use of the resources of language gateway at LSE and online magazine subscription. There will be guided authentic materials from newspaper, web and journals.

Exam (30%), duration: 90 Minutes in the Spring exam period

Oral examination (30%)

Continuous assessment (40%)

Language courses map to the Common European Framework for Language Learning.  This framework defines linguistic proficiency in the four language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) at different levels.  To pass this course, students are therefore required to achieve a pass mark in each element of the assessment (continuous assessment, oral and written exams), as these test all four skills.