Chinese Studies?

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Sorry to invade your thread guys, desperate Leaving Certer here just wondering about a subject in NUIM.

I'm definitely heading to NUIM in September to do the BCL Law and Arts course- for the Arts subjects i'm taking Economics and I am seriously considering this new subject 'Chinese Studies' as my second one.

Firstly, I have no prior knowledge of Chinese. I study French in school, not that great at it but will probably get a B3 Grade. I really want to do a Language with my course so I have international career prospects when I finish but i'm not really interested in French and German clashes with Law Modules on the timetable (i've checked the course website)

So i'm just wondering does anyone have any experience of the Chinese studies course? Is it intense learning, enjoyable? What are the hours/lecturers like? Are class sizes big?

Basically looking for any information you can give me regarding this Arts subject, I really think it's a language that's so important today and will become even more so in the future, so I think i'd like the chance to experience it (for at least 1 year anyway).

Thanks for any help/advice in advance!

Fbjm

Hi, I didn't do it myself but a mate of mine did.

He said it was piss, it was a small class and the top students (one boy and one girl) got a free year abroad to study in china Since chinese isn't very common as an lc subject you'd all more or less start off on an equal footing.

Good luck

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Fbjm wrote: »

Hi, I didn't do it myself but a mate of mine did.

He said it was piss, it was a small class and the top students (one boy and one girl) got a free year abroad to study in china Since chinese isn't very common as an lc subject you'd all more or less start off on an equal footing.

Good luck

Thanks for the reply! So he didn't find it that hard no? You've no idea how small small is do you? I think I might go for it! Something different! Can't wait (fingers crossed I get the points) to add it to my FB info, my friends will think i'm taking the piss when I put up: BCL Law & Chinese! :pac:

Fbjm

PictureFrame wrote: »

Thanks for the reply! So he didn't find it that hard no? You've no idea how small small is do you? I think I might go for it! Something different! Can't wait (fingers crossed I get the points) to add it to my FB info, my friends will think i'm taking the piss when I put up: BCL Law & Chinese! :pac:

Think it was like 10 or 20 people. You'll be grand!

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Fbjm wrote: »

Think it was like 10 or 20 people. You'll be grand!

Woah 20 people? That's tiny! Think i'll definitely give it a go then!

MFPM

PictureFrame wrote: »

Sorry to invade your thread guys, desperate Leaving Certer here just wondering about a subject in NUIM.

I'm definitely heading to NUIM in September to do the BCL Law and Arts course- for the Arts subjects i'm taking Economics and I am seriously considering this new subject 'Chinese Studies' as my second one.

Firstly, I have no prior knowledge of Chinese. I study French in school, not that great at it but will probably get a B3 Grade. I really want to do a Language with my course so I have international career prospects when I finish but i'm not really interested in French and German clashes with Law Modules on the timetable (i've checked the course website)

So i'm just wondering does anyone have any experience of the Chinese studies course? Is it intense learning, enjoyable? What are the hours/lecturers like? Are class sizes big?

Basically looking for any information you can give me regarding this Arts subject, I really think it's a language that's so important today and will become even more so in the future, so I think i'd like the chance to experience it (for at least 1 year anyway).

Thanks for any help/advice in advance!

I can't be of much use to you as I don't study chinese. I do know some people who do and I have only heard positive things about the course.

The numbers are small as has been mentioned by other posters but I think this was the first year so there may be more students next year.

I study Spanish and I think the routine with Chinese is much the same - about 5 grammar classes per week, listening lab once a week and conversation class every fortnight.

I thought about doing it as my third subject and I regret not doing so. If you haven't a strong preference for a 3rd subject it sounds to me Chinese would be good bet for you. Remember you have six weeks at the start of semester to make up your mind if you keep a subject.

Best of luck what ever you do.

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MFPM wrote: »

I can't be of much use to you as I don't study chinese. I do know some people who do and I have only heard positive things about the course.

The numbers are small as has been mentioned by other posters but I think this was the first year so there may be more students next year.

I study Spanish and I think the routine with Chinese is much the same - about 5 grammar classes per week, listening lab once a week and conversation class every fortnight.

I thought about doing it as my third subject and I regret not doing so. If you haven't a strong preference for a 3rd subject it sounds to me Chinese would be good bet for you. Remember you have six weeks at the start of semester to make up your mind if you keep a subject.

Best of luck what ever you do.

Thank you! Is it difficult to study beginners languages in first year? I've no experience at all with Chinese so i'm getting a little bit apprehensive about choosing it!

MFPM

PictureFrame wrote: »

Thank you! Is it difficult to study beginners languages in first year? I've no experience at all with Chinese so i'm getting a little bit apprehensive about choosing it!

I was a beginner to Spanish and I have found it generally ok. I think with some subjects you can get away with missing classes and catching up around exams but my experience with a language is that you need to attend all your classes to stay with the language. The more you put in the better you become.

There is a fair bit of continuous assesment which takes some pressure off the exams.

Quinzy

I did a semester of Chinese with the guy running this new course. (I think it's the same guy anyways.)

The classes were great; rather small, with good one-on-one. You focus on pronunciation and pinyin more than characters for that semester at least, so it's not as hard as it could have been.

I didn't find it too difficult to learn, bar a few parts that you'll pick up if you keep at it. Like the difference between an 'x' sound and a 'sh' sound is very subtle but important.