Tradition in Modern China (CHIN30029)

Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

You’re viewing the 2025 Handbook:
Or view archived Handbooks

Overview

Availability
Semester 2
FeesLook up fees

This subject is the Capstone subject in the Chinese Studies major of the Bachelor of Arts. It explores the relationship between traditional culture and modern life in Chinese societies using original Chinese language materials, supplemented by academic writing in English on Chinese society and culture.

The subject is designed to give students majoring in Chinese Studies the opportunity to consolidate, integrate and extend their knowledge of the Chinese language, and of Chinese culture and society; it will serve as a bridge between the undergraduate experience and future study or work. Students are expected to build up advanced Chinese language skills and cultural knowledge through engagement with Chinese texts, to equip them to be active participants in Chinese cultural settings by focusing on how Chinese people conceive of the relationship between Chinese traditions (defined in different ways) and the structures of modern life (including modern political and economic systems, modern ideas about social relations and modern forms of culture).  

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of the development of Chinese cultural traditions and their relationship with the structures of modern life in Chinese societies
  • Apply Chinese reading and listening comprehension skills to the analysis of social and cultural phenomena in Chinese societies
  • Acquire understanding of the principles of interaction with speakers of another language in a socially and culturally sensitive manner, and to apply these skills to cross-cultural interaction more broadly
  • Understand and apply appropriate scholarly and professional standards in formal and informal settings
  • Select and deploy presentation styles that permit the successful communication of academic findings to diverse audiences
  • Acquire capacities to identify and select relevant scholarly research materials and relevant primary texts.

Generic skills

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:

  • Demonstrate enhanced research and critical inquiry skills through the identification of important questions and the methods appropriate to their investigation, along with the effective use of library and other information sources
  • Consolidate the ability to deploy skills of scholarly analysis, critical thinking and creative problem solving to the exploration of complex research questions
  • Have strengthened capacity to communicate knowledge intelligibly and effectively through written assignments and class discussion
  • Demonstrate confidence in public speaking and self-expression through class participation and oral presentations.

Last updated: 4 March 2025