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Chinese Language Enhancement Programme

Chinese Language Enhancement Programme (CLEP) Website

https://www.clep.hku.hk

 

Chinese Enhancement Resources

https://langresource.chinese.hku.hk

 

One of the principal missions of the Chinese Language Enhancement Programme (CLEP) is to design and deliver courses for undergraduates in ALL Faculties of the University, courses that are intended primarily to raise their level of competence in the Chinese language. Emphasis is placed on practical and professional writing skills. Unless exemption is granted by the home Faculties under special circumstances, all full-time undergraduates have to take the compulsory Practical Chinese Language Courses (PCLCs) to fulfil the UG5 graduation requirements. These courses, together with the voluntary Putonghua courses, language workshops and Special Study Modules, cater to the specific needs of students from different backgrounds and disciplines. The ultimate goal of the Programme is to train students to be effective communicators and life-long learners and to equip them for future careers.

 

The year of offer of the PCLCs varies from one Faculty to another, and students will be notified accordingly.

 

Timetable of CLEP

 

  • Please note that each undergraduate in any Faculty and in any curriculum can take only one CLEP course. Having completed one course, a student will not be allowed to enroll in another one.
  • Students who have sat and passed the HKDSE examination in Chinese Language (Cantonese) are not permitted to take the CUNDxxxx courses.
  • All CLEP courses are compulsory (except CHIN9001) and may not be selected as electives.
  • The medium of instruction for all CLEP courses is Chinese, with spoken language as Cantonese, except CUND9002 (spoken language: Putonghua) and CUND9003 (spoken language: Cantonese and Putonghua).

CLEP Courses (2023 – 2024)

The main objective of this course is to enhance the students’ command of Chinese for the architecture profession through basic training in presentation skills and in specific techniques for the preparation of target-oriented letters, proposals, plans and reports. This course also aims to develop students’ ability to engage in negotiations, debates as well as critical and creative thinking. In order to promote artistic and aesthetic appreciation, thematic lectures and topical workshops on Chinese calligraphic and artistic representations will be conducted. Site visits to traditional Chinese temples, gardens and museums will be organized to provide students with opportunities to gain hands-on experiences of the inner dynamics of Chinese language and culture. Students will be able to acquire sophisticated Chinese language skills and knowledge of Chinese culture within the context of the discipline of architecture.

This course is designed to enhance the students’ competence in the use of Chinese in the workplace. It helps students to master the techniques of writing different types of practical writings such as emails, business letters, brochures, leaflets, reports and proposals. There are drilling practices to familiarize the students with simplified Chinese characters frequently used in the workplace context.

This course aims to promote the necessary Chinese language skills to respond to the demands of business communication and novel situations. It helps the students to become conversant with the forms and conventions of practical writing and oral fluency from the approach of linguistic issues. Students are required to present their oral and written reports on social-economic issues confronting the daily life. Emphasis will be placed on the written on both traditional and simplified Chinese characters, corrections of wrongly written characters and sentences, modern Chinese grammar and rhetoric Chinese, through outcome-based and communicative-based assignments and examination. Specific training in speech topic and writing topic is given by lecture and in tutorial presentations in order to upgrade student’s oral and writing competence.

The main objective of this course is to promote the professional use of Modern Chinese Language in the fields of business and information technology (IT). The course will familiarize students with traditional and simplified Chinese characters, correction of wrongly written characters, glossary of business and IT, modern Chinese grammar and rhetoric and practical Chinese writings through outcome-based and communication-rich assignments and an examination. Special training about communication (e.g. lecture, tutorial, guest workshop) that is intended to sharpen students’ presentation skills will also be provided.

Featuring problem-based learning (PBL) and collaborative learning approaches, this course aims to help students, through lectures, tutorials and cases-based workshops, develop the ability to use the Chinese language effectively in the workplace. A key focus is on the use of Putonghua in presenting information for audiences. Essential techniques for producing office documents as well as reports will also be discussed.

The main objective of this course is to promote the professional use of the Chinese language in the field of Business. It aims at helping students to master the skills of letter writing, email writing and target-oriented proposal writing in their profession. In the Chinese characters component, there are drilling practices to familiarize the students with the frequently used terms in their simplified forms. Special emphasis is given to presentation skills.

This course is designed to enhance the students’ Chinese language proficiency for business and legal uses. The course will familiarize students with traditional and simplified Chinese characters, correction of wrongly written characters, business and legal glossaries, modern Chinese grammar and rhetoric, practical Chinese writings, and cooperate communication writings through outcome-based and communication-rich assignments and an examination. Students are trained to master the skills to write various documents for business and legal purposes. Groups presentations are designed to sharpen the students’ skills in presentation and discussion.

The main objective of this course is to promote the professional use of Modern Chinese Language in the fields of Dentistry. The course will familiarize students with traditional and simplified Chinese characters, correction of wrongly written characters, glossary of dental terms, modern Chinese grammar and rhetoric and practical Chinese writings through outcome-based and communication-rich assignments and an examination. Special training about communication (e.g. lecture, tutorial, guest workshop) that is intended to sharpen students’ presentation skills will also be provided. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to apply the concepts and skills to accomplish different tasks effectively and persuasively in diverse and complex issues in oral and written forms as well as to produce good-quality practical writing with analytical and critique techniques.

This course is specially developed for students in the faculty of Dentistry who received Chinese training in educational settings different from the HKDSE entrants and who have attained a reasonable level of competence in the Chinese language. The objective of this course is to develop students’ communication competency and presentation skills for diverse business and professional contexts in Chinese.

 

Oral literacy: Apply Chinese in an effective and persuasive manner, for special and practical purposes with patients and counselling skills in authentic cases.

 

Written literacy: Acquire basic techniques of writing different types of documents to their peers (specialist audience) in a particular context, able to apply most appropriate format, organization, language and style of expression of practical writings (e.g. speeches, business letters, press releases and posters).

This course aims to introduce students to the necessary Chinese language skills to respond to the demands of their profession and the needs of related audiences.  It highlights the various writing techniques in the use of practical Chinese.  Students will familiarize themselves with the traditional Chinese characters, simplified Chinese characters, modern Chinese grammar and rhetoric through the outcomes-based assignments.  The fundamentals of Cantonese phonetics are covered and students are required to present their oral and written reports on speech issues confronting the people of Hong Kong.

This course is specially developed for students in the faculty of BA&BEd(LangEd). The objective of this course is to develop students’ communication competency and presentation skills for diverse business and professional contexts in Chinese.

 

Oral literacy: Apply Chinese in an effective and persuasive manner, for special and practical purposes with students and their parents and counselling skills in authentic cases. Written literacy: Acquire basic techniques of writing different types of documents to their peers (specialist audience) in a particular context, able to apply most appropriate format, organization, language and style of expression of practical writings (e.g. speeches, business letters, press releases and posters).

 

Oral/Written literacy: Apply oral presentations and practical writings for diverse professional contexts and present the project/idea with appropriate evidence and digital technologies.

This course aims to promote students’ professional use of modern Chinese language in the fields of Early Childhood Education and Special Education. The course will familiarize students with modern Chinese grammar, the correct use of Chinese characters; and various types of practical Chinese writings in professional contexts. Students are required to complete a series of communication-rich oral and written assignments. This course will allow students to grasp the necessary language skills that are needed in their future professional settings.

This course is designed to prepare students to teach Putonghua or to use Putonghua as a medium of instruction and communication in their future careers as schoolteachers. With a strong emphasis on the accuracy of pronunciation and the ability to describe and analyze the speech sound of Putonghua, this course features a thorough analysis of the phonetic system of Putonghua and a needs-based approach in instruction. Terms, phrases and sentences frequently used in the teaching workplace are used as instructional materials. Students will be trained to apply educational concepts and communication skills to accomplish different tasks effectively and persuasively in diverse and complex issues in Putonghua.

This course aims to promote students’ professional use of modern Chinese Language in the disciplines of Education and Science. The course will familiarize students with modern Chinese grammar, the correct use of Chinese characters, and various types of practical Chinese writings in professional contexts. Students are required to complete a series of communication-rich oral and written assignments. This course will allow students to grasp the necessary language skills that are needed in their future professional settings.

Featuring problem-based learning (PBL) and collaborative learning approaches, this course aims to help students, through seminars and cases-based workshops, develop the ability to use the Chinese language effectively in the workplace. A key focus is on how to systematically present arguments in classroom contexts. Essential techniques for producing office documents as well as reports will be discussed. Training in reading and writing the correct forms of traditional and simplified Chinese characters will also be provided.

This course aims to promote the students’ professional use of modern Chinese language in the field of Global Health and Development. The course will familiarize students with modern Chinese grammar, the correct use of Chinese characters, and various types of practical Chinese writings in professional contexts. Students are required to complete a series of communication-rich oral and written assignments. This course will allow students to grasp the necessary language skills that are needed in their future professional settings.

This course is designed to enhance the students’ competence in the use of the Chinese language in the nursing profession. The primary objective is to sharpen the students’ skills in communication in the workplace.

 

Communication knowledges include presentation principles, use of appropriate tone to clients and rhetoric to communicate. Students are expected to master the techniques of writing and speaking when they serving patients and communicating with colleagues, like medical doctors and nurses.

 

Students should develop communication skills to communicate with clients from Mainland China, where the clients use different form of Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese) and different terminology on same profession. Students are also expected to demonstrate high level of accuracy of Chinese grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary.  They should know how to make a pamphlet on health care which convey precise information to potential readers.

This course is designed to promote the students’ professional use of Chinese language in the field of Chinese Medicine. The course will familiarize students with modern Chinese grammar, simplified form of Chinese characters and various types of practical Chinese writings in professional contexts. Students are required to complete a series of communication-rich oral and written assignments and an examination. This course will allow students to grasp the necessary language skills that are needed in their future professional settings.

This course is designed specifically to raise the students’ level of proficiency in the use of the Chinese language in the pharmacy profession. It aims at sharpening the students’ skills of writing documents (such as letters, pamphlets, newspaper and magazine columns). Common technical terms frequently used in the official Chinese Pharmacopoeia will also be brought to the attention of the students. Special training about presentation skills and communication skills with patients will also be provided. There are also drilling practices to familiarize the students with the simplified forms of some basic Chinese medical terms.

This course is designed to raise the students’ level of proficiency in the specialized usage of Chinese in the medical profession by introducing medical-related Chinese culture, essential Chinese language knowledge, and communication skills training. Students will know more about Chinese Society and Culture, grasp the knowledge of Chinese Language such as traditional and simplified Chinese character and modern Chinese grammar, and will be trained on Chinese oral/written communication skills. The ultimate goal of this course is to equip the students with the necessary language skills for their future pursuits and to enable them to effectively communicate with their patients and colleagues whose mother tongue is Chinese.

This course is specially designed for students who received Chinese training in educational settings different from those in Hong Kong and who only have a basic knowledge of the language. It aims specifically at sharpening the students’ presentation skills. Essential techniques for speaking and writing communication in Chinese will be highlighted, such as Mandarin and Cantonese speaking, traditional and simplified Chinese characters, modern Chinese grammar. The ultimate goal of this course is to equip the students with the necessary language skills for their future pursuits and to enable them to effectively communicate with their patients and colleagues who have no knowledge of other languages except for Chinese.

The main objective of this course is to promote the professional use of Modern Chinese Language in the field of biomedical sciences. The course will familiarize students with traditional and simplified Chinese characters, correction of wrongly written characters, modern Chinese grammar and rhetoric and practical Chinese writings through outcome-based and communication-rich assignments and an examination. Special training about communication (e.g. lecture, tutorial, training workshop) that is intended to sharpen students’ presentation skills will also be provided.

The main objective of this course is to promote the professional use of Modern Chinese Language in the fields of engineering. The course will familiarize students with traditional and simplified Chinese characters, correction of wrongly written characters, modern Chinese grammar and rhetoric and practical Chinese writings through outcome-based and communication-rich assignments and an examination. Special training about communication that is intended to sharpen students’ presentation skills will also be provided.

The main objective of this course is to enhance the students’ command of Chinese for the surveying, urban studies and conservation profession through basic training in presentation skills and in specific techniques for the preparation of target-oriented letters, proposals, plans and reports. This course also aims to develop students’ ability to engage in negotiations, debates as well as critical and creative thinking. In order to promote artistic and aesthetic appreciation, thematic lectures and topical workshops on Chinese calligraphic and artistic representations will be conducted. Site visits to traditional Chinese temples, gardens and museums will be organized to provide students with opportunities to gain hands-on experiences of the intricate interplay between Chinese aestheticism and related disciplines. Students will be able to acquire sophisticated Chinese language skills and knowledge of Chinese culture within the context of the discipline of surveying, urban studies and conservation.

This course is designed to enhance the students’ proficiency in the use of the Chinese language in the legal profession. It helps to sharpen the students’ skills in writing formal letters, notices, announcements, proposals and reports. As a variety of the Chinese language, legal Chinese has its own distinctive characteristics, which are explored in this course. A special topic in this course is “Characteristics of Chinese Legal Language”. The students are trained to express their ideas and views lucidly in Chinese in a legal context. Drilling practices are provided to familiarize them with the simplified forms of frequently used legal terms.

The main objective of this course is to promote the professional use of Modern Chinese Language in the fields of Science. The course will familiarize students with correction of wrongly written characters, modern Chinese grammar and rhetoric and practical Chinese writings through outcome-based and communication-rich assignments and an examination. Special training about communication (e.g. lecture and tutorial) that is intended to sharpen students’ communication skills will also be provided.

Featuring problem-based learning (PBL) and collaborative learning approaches, this course aims to help students, through cases-based workshops, develop the ability to use the Chinese language effectively in the workplace. The course will familiarize students with traditional and simplified Chinese characters, correction of wrongly written characters, modern Chinese grammar and rhetoric, practical Chinese writings, and cooperative communication writings through outcome-based and communication-rich assignments and an examination. Students are trained to master the skills to write various documents for workplace communication purposes. Groups presentations are designed to sharpen the students’ skills in presentation and discussion.

This course is specifically designed for the students from the Mainland. With Putonghua as the medium of instruction, it aims to underscore the characteristic styles and formats of practical Chinese writings in the workplace context in Hong Kong. Topics addressing the rhetorical strategies for reader-oriented professional writings are included to strengthen the students’ command of the language. The evolution of Cantonese and the lexical and phonetic systems of this dialect will be explored. The local history and culture of Hong Kong will also be considered. On-site visits are organized to deepen the students’ understanding of local traditions and, more importantly, to enhance their ability to appreciate and accept cultural and regional differences. Students will be able to apply the concepts and skills to accomplish different tasks effectively and persuasively in diverse and complex issues in oral and written forms as well as to produce good-quality practical writing.

Through a comparative analysis of Putonghua and Cantonese, this course enables students to learn the characteristics of Hong Kong Chinese, to discover the differences in vocabulary and expression between the Cantonese dialect and Mandarin, to strengthen their communication skills in everyday life, and to have a proper understanding of the culture, traditions and people in Hong Kong.

CHIN9001 Digital Communication and Chinese Culture is a course that offers unique learning opportunities for students who are interested in the emerging discipline of Digital Humanities. Bridging Chinese cultures with digital communication, CHIN9001 gives an overview of the existing digital tools and online platforms easily available to students, and how knowing these digital tools enable their understanding of various Chinese cultures. Students are encouraged to communicate, present and share their knowledge and experience with Chinese cultures through digital tools and online media/platforms – this process of applying digital skills on the portrayal of Chinese culture will allow student to critically evaluate the relationship between technology and culture. Digital literacy, in the context of Chinese culture, is the emphasis of the course since students are encouraged to learn digital/ multimedia skills such vlogging, microfilming, video-editing, website-making, communicative softwares/social media to communicate their knowledge on Chinese cultures. Popular topics such as digital art, ArtTech, NFTs, meme culture and social media algorithms will be discussed to enhance students’ understanding of the market landscape of digital initiatives in cultural institutions. Students can develop their digital/online/multi-mode communication skills via digital media and online platforms and innovate their learning experience. The infrastructure that supports students’ direct experience of Chinese culture will be provided by the School of Chinese’s ongoing experiential and cultural exchange activities. Enrolled students will be provided abundant opportunities to demonstrate their acquisition of digital skills, and they are expected to learn beyond the traditional methodology of communication in Chinese context and understand the significance of alternative modes of communication.