Introduction to Chinese 1A unit (HMC101)

Hobart, Launceston, Online

Introduction

This is an introductory unit for students with little or no prior knowledge of Chinese. This introductory unit is for anyone who is interested in the Chinese language and/or has the need to learn Chinese for business or academic purposes. This unit provides an introduction to all four basic language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing. It provides students with opportunities to establish essential communicative skills with a focus on practical, everyday use of the Chinese language and incorporating some socio-cultural knowledge. Selected topics and situations, such as exchanging personal information, asking about directions and telling your hobbies etc., all come from real life scenarios. This introductory level unit also provides students with the necessary skills to proceed to HMC102 Introduction to Chinese 1B. There is no prerequisite required for this introductory unit.

         

Summary

Unit name	Introduction to Chinese 1A
Unit code	HMC101
Credit points	12.5
College/School	Arts and Society Humanities and Social Sciences
Discipline	Languages
Coordinator	Doctor Isabel Wang
Available as an elective?	Yes
Delivered By	University of Tasmania
Level	Introductory

Availability

Location	Study period	Attendance options		Available to
Hobart	Semester 1
Launceston	Semester 1
Online	Semester 1

Note

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Units are offered in attending mode unless otherwise indicated (that is attendance is required at the campus identified). A unit identified as offered by distance, that is there is no requirement for attendance, is identified with a nominal enrolment campus. A unit offered to both attending students and by distance from the same campus is identified as having both modes of study.

Key Dates

Study Period	Start date	Census date	WW date	End date
Semester 1	22/2/2026	16/3/2026	19/4/2026	13/6/2026

* The Final WW Date is the final date from which you can withdraw from the unit without academic penalty, however you will still incur a financial liability (refer to How do I withdraw from a unit? for more information).

Unit census dates currently displaying for 2026 are indicative and subject to change. Finalised census dates for 2026 will be available from the 1st October 2025. Note census date cutoff is 11.59pm AEST (AEDT during October to March).

About Census Dates

Learning Outcomes

• Produce and recognise basic Mandarin Chinese sounds and tones using the phonetic system (pinyin).
• Communicate in Mandarin Chinese in a range of simple everyday situations.
• Write and type basic Chinese characters using the pinyin input method and understand their stroke order, radicals, and structures.
• Acquire vocabulary and grammar structures appropriate to the beginner level of Mandarin Chinese.
• Read and understand short dialogues or texts in pinyin and/or characters appropriate to the beginner level of Mandarin Chinese.
• Understand the socio-cultural aspects of the language learnt.

Fee Information

Field of Education	Commencing Student Contribution 1,3	Grandfathered Student Contribution 1,3	Approved Pathway Course Student Contribution 2,3	Domestic Full Fee 4
091515	$592.00	$592.00	not applicable	$2,562.00

• Available as a Commonwealth Supported Place
• HECS-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility³
• FEE-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility⁴

¹ Please refer to more information on student contribution amounts.
² Please refer to more information on eligibility and Approved Pathway courses.
³ Please refer to more information on eligibility for HECS-HELP.
⁴ Please refer to more information on eligibility for FEE-HELP.

If you have any questions in relation to the fees, please contact UniConnect or more information is available on StudyAssist.

Please note: international students should refer to What is an indicative Fee? to get an indicative course cost.

Requisites

Mutual Exclusions

You cannot enrol in this unit as well as the following:

XBR119

Teaching

Teaching Pattern	On campus Hobart enrolment Weekly workshops (4 hours) On campus Launceston enrolment Weekly workshops (4 hours) Off campus enrolment Weekly workshops (4 hours) online via zoom (concurrent with on-campus workshops).
Assessment	Speaking Task 1 (15%)|Speaking task 2 (15%)|Online Quiz 1 (20%)|Online Quiz 2 (20%)|Online Quiz 3 (30%)
Timetable	View the lecture timetable | View the full unit timetable

Textbooks

Required	Xun Liu, New Practical Chinese Reader Textbook 1 (2nd Edition), Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University Press, 2010.
Recommended	Xun Liu, New Practical Chinese Reader Workbook 1 (2nd Edition), Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University Press, 2010. ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Mobo Gao, Mandarin Chinese: An Introduction, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2000.

The University reserves the right to amend or remove courses and unit availabilities, as appropriate.