Developing Advanced Asian Language Skills (LANG305)

This is a repeatable unit. However, topics are not repeatable and the unit cannot be undertaken more than once in any one teaching period. Enrolment is subject to unit coordinator (or delegate) approval.

Students must apply to the unit coordinator for permission to enrol at least three weeks prior to the commencement of the relevant Trimester.

2026 topics

Trimester 1

• Indonesian:

A History of Indonesian and its Role in Society

In this subject you will learn about the history of Malay/Indonesian. You’ll cover topics such as: Malay and its relatives; Old Malay; Classical Malay; Colonialism and the development of Malay; nationalism and the rise of Indonesian; language planning; diglossia in Indonesian; the influence of English and other foreign languages; and the relationship between regional languages and Indonesian. Some of the topics include the study of original texts (with English translation) that illustrate various aspects of the discussion. However, the subject material is mainly in English and taught in English. Assessment tasks may require Indonesian, but those who do not have Indonesian can do alternative assignment tasks in English. Through study of Indonesian/Malay language history you will gain a greater understanding of the various forms of Malay/Indonesian in the Indonesian archipelago (and beyond). Moreover, it also provides a general understanding of the history of Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

• Japanese:

Written Japanese

Reading a range of texts written in Japanese offers you an insight into the structure of language and the culture of Japanese society which helps to solidify your learning. Due to the complexity of Japanese script, at this level it is necessary for you to devote intensive study to the skill of reading to support your continued progress in the acquisition of the Japanese as a whole. Therefore, in this subject you will undertake a reading program in Japanese comprising a variety of genres and some authentic texts at the intermediate to upper-intermediate level.

There is no Chinese topic available in LANG305 in Trimester 1.

Trimester 2

• Chinese:

Advanced Chinese Writing

This subject will assist you to develop your Chinese writing ability as well as your familiarity with Chinese written conventions. Chinese and English writing style and conventions will be compared. Through various types of exercises you will learn to write text appropriate for both academic and practical purposes, covering a variety of different styles and genres. You will learn to write in Chinese with confidence at an advanced level of accuracy and appropriateness acceptable to a native speaker of Chinese; this includes the use of handwritten Chinese characters.

• Japanese:

Japanese Through Contemporary Culture

This subject aims to further develop your Japanese proficiency to a higher level, while introducing you to Japanese contemporary culture. You will enhance your reading, listening, writing and speaking skills through learning activities using a variety of literary/audio-visual texts such as manga, anime, literature and film. The subject also provides you with opportunities to acquire cultural knowledge as well as sociolinguistic and sociocultural competence.

There are no Indonesian topics available in LANG305 in Trimester 2.