Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

University of Edinburgh

This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Chinese at Edinburgh Uni

I'm studying Chinese at Edinburgh at the moment, and am finding myself increasingly annoyed by the lack of the NPCR CDs. I bought it from the uni, as advised, but they don't give you the CDs, meaning I can't practise, use the workbook, or make up any missed listening tutorials (I know, I know, I shouldn't really miss them). Basically, I was wondering what anybody else had done about this, or if anybody knew where I could buy JUST the CDs?
Thanks.

Reply 1

nearlyheadlessian

As far as I'm aware you can't buy the CD's individually. We only sell the books+CDs at Blackwells, although we have them in stock. Best place to ask other than the department is the Chinese Institute.

University of Edinburgh

Reply 2

hkscot

Hi. I have a quick query.

I'm wondering if the NPCR books and CDs the main course materials for Chinese at Edinburgh? Are there other books and audio materials?

I start Chinese later this year, and since I know they are very expensive here, I'm thinking of buying them whilst I'm in China for the summer.

Also, to what level are the course materials needed? Should I just get all the NPCR books and CDs?

Thanks in advance.

Reply 3

Feef

Currently, Edinburgh uses only NPCR during the first two years, so you don't need any more than 1 and 2. I'm not sure about 4th year, as we're not back yet :tongue:

But they could quite possibly use NPCR 4 for it. Plus, buying them in China, you could find the CDs/tapes to go with them. Check pretty much any Xinhua bookstore of a decent size.

The audio materials are available in the language lab in the basement of DHT tower, which was (is?) used for speaking tutorials in first year, but it's not hugely convenient. The general lack of speaking/listening at Edinburgh means getting hold of the recordings is probably going to be a great help - I never did it, and regret that now, listening classes over here are very difficult as a result.

That said, we're actually going to try to convince them to move away from NPCR when we get back from China, as the books we've been using at DUT over here are helping far more than the ones from home ever did. Well, if we remember, we mentioned it to Julian when he came for a visit and he told us to bring them home and show them to Esther, so we'll see what happens. If you haven't started, you probably have no idea who they are, but you'll meet them soon enough :tongue:

Reply 4

HoVis

I know this isn't entirely on-topic but I felt it would be more sensible to post here rather than produce another thread entitled "Chinese at Edinburgh Uni"!

I was just wondering what level the courses start at for Chinese? I have an offer for History but, if I came to Edinburgh, would almost certainly take Chinese as one of my first year extra subjects and maybe even pull a fast one and keep it up for the full four years to get a Joint Honours degree ( :ninja:

). However I've already been studying Chinese for about two years and am just below AS Level I would guess... do all of the Year 1 courses start at the very beginning or are there different courses for those with some experience?

Ta. :smile:

Reply 5

Feef

All the Chinese 1 courses assume no prior knowledge, or at least they did when I started. It's worth checking if that's changed, as the last time I spoke to my DoS, he said the department were getting more and more people applying who'd already done some basic Chinese, and I'd imagine they'll try to accommodate that somehow.

Some people joined for the first time in second year, though I'm not sure on the criteria for managing that - I'd imagine there's some sort of exam. To be honest, the first year stuff is mostly quite basic, have a look for a copy of New Practical Chinese Reader 1, and see how much of it you understand. If you already know the vast majority of it, talk to someone from the department about joining a Chinese 2 class, or picking it up in your second year as an outside course.

Of course, you could take the approach a few other people who'd already studied it had, and just take Chinese 1, never turn up, and have an even more awesomely fun first year :tongue:

Reply 6

HoVis

Feef

Of course, you could take the approach a few other people who'd already studied it had, and just take Chinese 1, never turn up, and have an even more awesomely fun first year :tongue:

Cunning plan, huh?

However, in all seriousness, thanks for the info. I sent Edinburgh an email before the weekend asking for info on this (and visiting stuff!) but I'm guessing they're a bit bogged down atm...

How have you found the Chinese course, Feef? Are you going for a year in China? (*Dies of jealousy*) :smile:

Reply 7

Feef

I'm already in China :wink:

Just started my second semester yesterday, at Dalian University of Technology (or, 大连理工大&#23398 :wink:

. This year's been mostly cool, though I've had a few periods of coping badly, renting a flat when I got here and dealing with the numerous issues that presents has been a pain, but I value the independence. Dalian's a fairly cool place, if a little quiet, nice and clean, decent beaches (and freezing winters!).

The course back at Edinburgh I have mixed feelings about. I really enjoyed it at the time, because I got loads of time off to generally enjoy uni life and have fun, and there was nothing too difficult there. Looking back, I realise I could've done with being pushed a lot more, as my level when I got here was pretty shocking (relative to people who'd studied for a shorter time in other countries). Still, I enjoyed it, there's just quite a few things I would change about it given the chance - things that I didn't notice at the time, as I had no other experience of learning Chinese to compare it to.

I think the slight disappointment at the Edinburgh language teaching is fairly widespread amongst the group of us over here - the only people really prepared for and confident about this year were those who came to China at the start of the Summer and worked out here for a few months before uni started. The rest of us fond it a bit "in at the deep end" at first, but have mostly coped ok :smile:

Reply 8

HoVis

Feef

I think the slight disappointment at the Edinburgh language teaching is fairly widespread amongst the group of us over here - the only people really prepared for and confident about this year were those who came to China at the start of the Summer and worked out here for a few months before uni started. The rest of us fond it a bit "in at the deep end" at first, but have mostly coped ok :smile:

Tell me about it! I went to China last summer with a school expedition and was the only person who'd actually studied Chinese... so five minutes after landing I have to read a street sign and then ask directions from complete strangers in Chinese!!! I think the rest of the team thought I understood a lot more than I did cos I nodded at a lot more than I understood. :wink:

All great fun though! But people talked so fast!!! :eek:

So are there several of you from Edinburgh staying in the same sort of area in China then?

Reply 9

hkscot

Thanks Feef for the info.

I'll be in HK and China this summer to try and get whatever materials I can, besides the NPCR books and audios. I have one and two of those already when I've been taking the Mandarin I evening classes previously. In the last few classes the tutor mentioned that some students on the Chinese course had been unhappy with the NCPR books and optioned for us to buy more up-to-date books - they had the white Canadian guy on the cover, though I forget its name at the moment; he's that CCTV guy whose face appears everywhere and is quite famous, I believe. I remember the dude in adverts for dictionarys and whatnot in the bookshops in Shenzhen. I'll try and get those books too.

As for previous knowledge, I can forward the info that it isn't necessary and not expected. I was at the open day recently and a lot of the people who were there - many girls with no previous knowledge whatsoever - asked the same question. Julian did mention that previously some have jumped into the second year but that is rare.

One last question about books. Can anyone supply a reading list for the course, such as anything that is required or would be useful. I know there's a book on East Asian Civilisation that is required but I have no idea who it's by or the book's name. Anyone?

I've just accepted the Chinese only course, and have decided not to do the Joint honours course with History.

Another query I have is whether it would be possible to have my third year in Hong Kong instead of in the Mainland. I know Julian has mentioned that some have decided against Dalian and have went to places like Beijing, or Shanghai or Taiwan and elsewhere.

The reason I ask is that I have accommodation and family and friends in HK, and I'm thinking it might help progress my Cantonese as well as Mandarin whilst I'm there. The Chinese experience isn't all that important to me since I used to live and work in Hong Kong anyway. Is that any previous incidences of people doing this? Or is the location too Western?

Any info and advice would be great.Thanks in advance.

Reply 10

Feef

HoVis

So are there several of you from Edinburgh staying in the same sort of area in China then?

There were originally 13 of us in Dalian, with one in Kunming, a couple in Beijing, one or two in Taiwan and...some others elsewhere :tongue:

3 left at the end of last semester - not much fun for those moving to HK, as their next semester started 3 days after our old one finished :redface:

We're spread out in the vague area of the university, most people are in homestays with Chinese families, though I couldn't deal with that, or student dorms, so I'm in a flat with another girl from Edinburgh. 2 others moved out of their families to get a different experience, and seem to be enjoying the independence.

hkscot

...he's that CCTV guy whose face appears everywhere and is quite famous, I believe. I remember the dude in adverts for dictionarys and whatnot in the bookshops in Shenzhen. I'll try and get those books too.

That'd be Da Shan, I'd imagine :smile:

I'm not sure what course he's endorsing, but it's not one I've come across. Still, if you're serious about it, and already have NPCR 1 and 2, extra materials couldn't hurt.

hkscot

As for previous knowledge, I can forward the info that it isn't necessary and not expected. I was at the open day recently and a lot of the people who were there - many girls with no previous knowledge whatsoever - asked the same question. Julian did mention that previously some have jumped into the second year but that is rare.

I can only think of two people who joined our Chinese 2 course without going through Chinese 1, though both were Americans, and had plenty of experience already - to be honest, they were probably beyond second year level too. Still, thanks for clearing that up :smile:

hkscot

One last question about books. Can anyone supply a reading list for the course, such as anything that is required or would be useful. I know there's a book on East Asian Civilisation that is required but I have no idea who it's by or the book's name. Anyone?

The EAC1 book we used was Ebrey, Patricia B., Walthall, Anne, Palais, James, Pre-Modern East Asia to 1800: A Cultural, Social and Political History (Boston, Mass: Houghton and Mifflin, 2006) - lucky I still had a copy of an old essay in my inbox with a bibliography :tongue:

Just found an old EAC2 essay too, the main book there is Ebrey, Patricia B., Modern East Asia from 1600: A Cultural, Social and Political History (Boston, Mass: Houghton and Mifflin, 2006).

I have a course handbook with full reading list for EAC2, but I can't find a copy of the first year one online. Basically, it's huge, with dozens of books for every week of lectures, so is mostly useful for background reading around essay topics rather than lesson prep. I can send you a PDF of the EAC2 one, but I'd suggest getting in touch with the Asian Studies office for a coy of the EAC1 course handbook.

hkscot

Another query I have is whether it would be possible to have my third year in Hong Kong instead of in the Mainland. I know Julian has mentioned that some have decided against Dalian and have went to places like Beijing, or Shanghai or Taiwan and elsewhere.

It's definitely possible, though HK/Singapore tend to be mostly for people taking joint honours degrees, as the economics departments at mainland universities often don't meet Edinburgh's standards, so students do a semester on the mainland and a semester elsewhere. That said, I'm fairly sure at least 2 people have spent their entire year in Hong Kong this year (according to our Facebook group at least :P). I know there's one person who got a scholarship in Taiwan, so that's possible too. Going elsewhere on the mainland isn't a problem at all - Dalian is the default destination if you don't arrange anything else yourself, but if you got it sorted, you could go pretty much anywhere, I guess.

I can understand your reasons for wanting to do it, I'd say to see how you feel about it when you get to the stage of applying - you may feel that immersion in Mandarin will be more beneficial to your studies, rather than taking it as a kindof foreign language course.

Anyway, hope some of that helped, I'm off to bed, as I've got lectures in 8 hours :tongue: