Prerequisite: FREN 1610 French I or equivalent

This course builds on the acquisitions of French I and aims at giving students the ability to conduct a simple conversation in French in order to deal with situations one might encounter while travelling in France (booking a room in a hotel, ordering a meal in a restaurant, asking one's way in the street, buying a train ticket, buying clothes, etc.). To achieve this, a range of classroom activities will be proposed, in which active participation is expected. French culture will be introduced, particularly through the Internet. Pronunciation and grammar will also be taught. By the end of French II, students should have reached the A1 level of the CEFRL (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), and will start working at A2 level.

Prerequisite: FREN 1620 French II or equivalent

This course builds on the acquisitions of French I and II and aims at giving students the ability to conduct a conversation in French in order to deal with situations a person might encounter while staying in France for a few months (registering on a French language course, finding a flat, looking for a job, talking about one's daily life, seeing the doctor, etc.). To achieve this, a range of classroom activities will be proposed, to which active participation by students is expected. French culture will be introduced, particularly through the Internet. Pronunciation and grammar will also be taught. In French III, students will be working at the A2 level of the CEFRL (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Prerequisite: FREN 2620 French III or equivalent

This course builds on the acquisitions of French I to III and aims at giving students the ability to conduct a simple conversation in French. While a lot of activities are still dealing with transmitting information (telling what's on TV, listing the movies currently on show, describing a traditional Chinese festival, etc.), the focus is progressively switching to expressing ideas and opinions and arguing for or against them (discussing with family or friends about which TV programme to watch, what to do tonight or next weekend, etc.). To achieve this, a range of classroom activities will be proposed, to which active participation is expected. French culture will be introduced, particularly through the Internet. Pronunciation and grammar will also be taught. In French IV, students will be mostly working at the A2 level of the CEFRL (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), with some activities being at B1 level.

Prerequisite: FREN 2630 French IV or equivalent

This course builds on the acquisitions of French I to IV and aims at helping students acquire the ability to express themselves confidently in spoken and written French. Students will learn how to deal with everyday situations (e.g. organizing a party, complaining about one's neighbours, asking for financial help, telling about past events, asking for medical advice, etc…). This course continues to build up students' abilities to argue, express and defend an opinion, make suggestions and hypotheses, etc. To achieve this, a range of classroom activities will be proposed, in which students will participate actively. French culture will be introduced, particularly through the Internet. Pronunciation and grammar will also be taught. Most activities will be at the B1 level of the CEFRL (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

This course introduces students to contemporary French society. It will use movies as a medium to present some of French society's current major issues. These topics will then be discussed and analysed cross-culturally. This course will be taught in English. No prior knowledge of French is necessary.

This course aims to introduce the German language and culture to beginners. It combines linguistic and communicative skills with a balanced emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and listening. Special stress is placed on mastering the sound system and the basic grammatical forms, as well as building basic receptive and productive skills in German for effective daily communication. The course also helps students develop their critical thinking through in-class discussions about the cultural dimensions of the language and acquire strategies to learn "how to learn German". The aim is for them to reach EU level A1.1.

Prerequisite: GERM 1610 German I or equivalent

This is a continuation of German I. The course will introduce the German language and culture relating to travelling and work. Students will learn to communicate effectively in everyday situations such as travelling and shopping, finding jobs, and consulting doctors. An integrated approach to language skills will be adopted, and materials and activities that are relevant to travelling or studying in Germany will be presented in context. They will encounter relatively more difficult texts and be able to express themselves in more complex structures. The course also helps students develop their critical thinking through in-class discussions about cultural issues such as jobs, leisure time and environmental protection. By the end of the course, they should be able to reach EU level A1.2.

Prerequisite: GERM 1620 German II or GERM 3630 Business German or equivalent

This is a continuation of German II. The course will present the German language and culture in greater depth to advanced beginners. It offers a balanced range of language skills through further syntax acquisition: reading and text analysis, oral expression and communicative skills. Giving directions, good customer service, going shopping and to parties are general situations for using simple German. The course also helps students develop their critical thinking through in-class discussions about cultural issues such as lifestyles. They should be able to reach EU level A1.2 by the end of the course.

Prerequisite: GERM 2620 German III or equivalent

This course further develops the students' basic knowledge of German grammar and vocabulary beyond the intermediate stage. They will learn to use their German more independently in writing, listening and speaking. They will also learn to engage successfully in small talk at home, in class, at work, in sports and parties. The course also helps students develop their critical thinking through in-class discussions about cultural issues such as German manners and dealing with problems and complaints. They will expand their vocabulary to more than 1,200 words and master all the grammatical structures for communicating in everyday life of the EU LEVEL A2.1.

Prerequisite: GERM 1610 German I or equivalent

In this course, students with intermediate-level German will further develop all four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, and continue to review and learn additional grammar points. Emphasis will be given to writing and speaking fluently for business purposes. Students will also learn more about German businesses and their cultures, as well as the German Code of Business and Ethics. The aim is for them to reach level EU A1.2.

Prerequisite: GERM 1620 German II or GERM 3630 Business German or equivalent

The course explores creative writing in three primary genres: short stories, poetry and drama. Students will examine exemplary works in the context of writing, and they will write, discuss and revise their own works in each genre. As they study the works of famous exemplary writers and develop their own style, they learn more about the elements in each genre and get a deeper understanding of German culture. Students will finally organize their own exposition in a library foyer in Hong Kong at the end of the course. Classes will be conducted in German and English.

This course aims to teach complete beginners basic Italian in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students will also be introduced to the culture of Italy. Vocabulary and grammar will be presented in a communicative way for a variety of situations such as greeting people, making introductions, and talking about one's family, free time, hobbies, and daily routines.

Prerequisite: ITAL 1010 Italian I or equivalent

This course aims to build further on the beginner's level work and widen the scope of exposure to more complex aspects of the Italian language and its culture. Participants are expected to consolidate and continue to develop their proficiency in the Italian language and to further develop their production and reception skills in more complex daily situations.

Prerequisite: ITAL 1020 Italian II or equivalent

This course aims to build further on the lower-intermediate level work and widen the scope of students' exposure to more complex aspects of Italian language and culture. Students are expected to consolidate their understanding of Italian grammar and develop further their production and reception skills in more complex situations such as talking about their holidays, their future plans and hypothetical situations.

Prerequisite: ITAL 2010 Italian III or equivalent

This course aims to further expand students' knowledge of Italian language to an intermediate level. It aims to enable them to communicate more fluently and confidently with native speakers of Italians in complex situations. Students will also have a deeper understanding of Italian culture and some aspects of its history.

Prerequisite: ITAL 2020 Italian IV or equivalent

This course aims to bring students to an upper intermediate level of competence in the Italian language. Students will acquire substantial knowledge of the language both from the communicative point of view and with respect of grammar knowledge. In this course they will learn how to integrate all the skills learnt to achieve effective communication. Students will also be introduced to Italian short stories and other forms of literature.

This foundation course is designed for absolute beginners who have never studied Japanese before. The Japanese phonetic system, writing system, basic greetings, sentence structures and practical vocabulary that are suitable for beginners will be introduced in this course. It also provides opportunities for students to understand Japanese culture, and to develop the ability to communicate in basic Japanese such as introducing oneself, daily expressions, telling the time and the date and talking about one's daily life. Students' active participation in classroom activities and role-plays is expected.

Prerequisite: JPN 1010 Japanese I or equivalent

This course is a continuation of Japanese I (JPN1010). It helps develop students' practical language skills for daily conversation, such as expressing or discussing about feelings, preferences, personal experiences and hobbies in elementary Japanese. Interesting classroom activities are specially designed to help build students' communication skills in Japanese and active participation is expected. Japanese culture and Japanese life style will also be introduced with the aid of videos.

Prerequisite: JPN 1020 Japanese II or equivalent

This course is a continuation of Japanese II (JPN1020). It is designed to enhance students' knowledge and Japanese language proficiency in the lower intermediate level. Students will further develop their abilities to conduct daily conversations such as making requests, seeking and giving permission, expressing prohibition, possibility, ability and experience. They will also study verbs conjugation and read extended texts. Students' active participation in various language activities, free conversations, role-play, group work and presentations are expected. Authentic materials available in the mass media will be selected to explore Japanese culture and life style.

Prerequisite: JPN 2010 Japanese III or equivalent

This course is a continuation of Japanese III (JPN2010). It provides intensive practice to help students build Japanese language skills and learning communication strategies at the intermediate level. Students will further develop their speaking and listening skills in Japanese. Specific communication skills and language structures will be taught. Formal and informal Japanese expressions will also be introduced through various language activities, everyday conversations, role-plays, short drama and performance. Japanese culture and life style will be explored with the aids of videos, TV programs, readings and music.

Prerequisite: JPN 2020 Japanese IV or equivalent

This course is a continuation of Japanese IV (JPN2020). It helps students to develop their interpersonal and intercultural communication skills and to understand current issues in Japan. Through intensive training, such as role-play, group work, oral presentation and reading of texts, students will learn sentence structures, expressions, communication skills and interaction strategies at the upper intermediate level of Japanese language proficiency. Students are encouraged to express their viewpoints on topical issues, giving reasons and explanations for opinions. Japanese culture and life style will be explored with the aid of videos, TV programs, readings and music.

Prerequisite: JPN 2010 Japanese III or equivalent

This course is designed to develop students' interpersonal, interpretive and presentation skills in business communication in Japanese. Topics covered include typical and essential expressions for various business communicative situations in reading and written contexts. Through studying the communication patterns in Japanese business contexts, this course prepares students to work in Japanese companies and/or communicate with Japanese clients. Formal and informal expressions and honorific expressions in Japanese will be taught. Students are required to conduct oral presentations on Japanese business, commercial and economic issues. Students are strongly encouraged to develop their own understanding of the language and Japanese social system from both inside and outside of class.

The aim of this course is to introduce complete beginners to the Spanish language working on the four language skills: speaking, reading, writing and listening to Spanish. Students will also learn about Spanish culture and customs.

Prerequisite: SPAN 1010 Spanish I or equivalent

The aim of this course is to further develop students' knowledge of the Spanish language and continue working on their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills at a beginner's level. Through the study of culture students will better understand the peoples of the Spanish speaking world.

Prerequisite: SPAN 1020 Spanish II or equivalent

This course aims to increase students' knowledge and skills in the use of Spanish (acquired in prerequisite course) to a lower-intermediate level, and further develop their knowledge of Spanish & Latin-American culture.

Prerequisite: SPAN 2010 Spanish III or equivalent

This course aims to bring student's Spanish language knowledge and skills to an intermediate level and enable them to continue to learn about Spanish culture through the media and class discussions.

Prerequisite: SPAN 2020 Spanish IV or equivalent

This course aims to bring student's Spanish language knowledge and skills to an intermediate-advanced level and enable them to continue to learn about Spanish culture, geography of the Spanish speaking world and prominent Spanish persons from the present and past.

This course aims at giving students a basic and pragmatic introduction to the French language, through interactive and communicative activities.

By the end of the course, students should be able to :
(1) hold a short conversation in French (e.g. greet people and introduce themselves);
(2) demonstrate knowledge and understanding of very basic concepts of French grammar.

Prerequisite: SUPF1010 French I (Part 1)

This course builds on the acquisitions of French I (Part 1) and aims at giving students a basic and pragmatic introduction to the French language, through interactive and communicative activities.
By the end of the course, students should be able to :

(1) hold a short conversation in French (e.g. discuss about a piece of clothing one intends to buy);
(2) demonstrate knowledge and understanding of very basic concepts of French grammar.

The main objective of this course is to give students a practical introduction to French pronunciation, as well as to give them tools to correctly pronounce new words. Students will do systematic oral-aural exercises on a selection of phonemes that may present some difficulties for Cantonese and Mandarin speakers. Students will also be able to get acquainted with the French letter-to-sound correspondences and learn the basic International Phonetic Alphabet signs (IPA) needed to transcribe French. By the end of the course, students should :

(1) be able to produce French sounds with greater clarity and accuracy;
(2) be able to read aloud isolated words and short sentences with accurate pronunciation and intonation;
(3) be able to use the IPA to read and transcribe simple French words.

The language of instruction will be English.

This course is designed for complete beginners, who wish to study for enjoyment or out of curiosity about another culture. It provides students with the essential vocabulary, pronunciation, useful phrases and basic elements of German grammar. Simple but useful everyday conversations will be taught. There will be many opportunities to practice during the lessons. While enjoying the course, students will become familiar with the German language and will learn more about Germany, German people's living habits, their ways of thinking and customs. A variety of materials such as videos, songs, role-plays etc. will be used and selected German cultural topics will be covered.

Prerequisite: SUPG1010 German I (Part 1)

This course is designed for intermediate beginners who have completed German I (Part 1) or equivalent. Topics include talking about hobbies, likes and dislikes, shopping, ordering food and drinks in a restaurant, body and health, etc. Communicative teaching and learning methods are used and students are expected to participate in oral work and role-play. Selected German cultural topics will be covered.

A short introduction to German pronunciation (rhythm and sounds). An introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet as well as using spelling as a guide to pronunciation will be included. A basic knowledge of the language (German I or more) is recommended though not compulsory.

This course is not for absolute beginners. You should have taken 20-30 hours of German beforehand. This is an intensive course which will prepare you for the Start test. We will use a multi-media program in combination with the course book Themen. Everyday, there will be a dictation and a short progress test for new words. This course will raise your level of understanding and listening. PowerPoint presentations in English and German will give you a good inside view of modern Germany. You also learn how to write in a good style.

Content: Basic pronunciation, basic grammar, basic writing like MSNs, e-mails and postcards for friends, good reading skills.

This 20-hour course will introduce you to the Italian culture and language in a highly interactive way. You will learn some basic survival Italian related to food, shopping, travelling and accommodation in Italy. You will also be able to introduce yourself and talk about your hobbies!

Prerequisite: SUPI1010 Italian I (Part 1)

This 20-hour course is a continuation of Italian I (Part 1) introducing you to the Italian culture and language in a highly interactive way. You will learn to conduct basic conversations in Italian related to food, shopping, entertainment, your university life and other topics. You will also be able to master the pronunciation of Italian and be introduced to basic Italian grammar. You will be engaged in communicative activities that resemble real life situations in pairs or groups.

This introductory course is designed for absolute beginners. Students will acquire basic knowledge on the systems of Japanese writing and phonetics, simple sentence structures and commonly used vocabulary such as words for daily greetings. This course also provides great opportunities for students to have a basic understanding on the Japanese linguistic structures as well as the Japanese culture. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to engage in simple conversations with native Japanese on topics such as introduction of oneself and discussions of university lives.

Prerequisite: SUPJ 1010 Japanese I (Part 1) or having studied Japanese for at least 20 hours

This foundation course is designed for students who have completed Japanese I (Part 1) (SUPJ1010) or have studied the language for at least 20 hours. Students' language skills and their knowledge of the Japanese culture and society will be further enhanced through this course. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to communicate with native Japanese on a wider range of topics such as shopping, dining, family, daily routines and campus life.

This course is designed for absolute beginners who wish to engage in simple dialogue with native Japanese during their short trips to Japan. Only selected practical and frequently used common expressions, vocabulary and sentence structures will be introduced and practised in class to ensure immediate application upon arrival in Japan.

Prerequisite: SUPJ1020 Japanese I (Part 2) or JPN1010 Japanese I or having studied Japanese for at least 40 hours

This continuation course is designed for students who have completed Japanese I (Part 2) (SUPJ1020) or Japanese I (JPN1010) or who have studied the language for at least 40 hours. Students will further develop their speaking, listening, writing and reading skills. They will also gain more thorough understanding on the Japanese culture and society. By the end of the course, students are expected to communicate at ease with native Japanese speakers on a wider range of topics such as sharing personal feelings and plans/goals, asking for information, as well as making detailed descriptions of things, people and places with a wide range of vocabulary of adjectives.

Prerequisite: Achieved JLPT N5 or equivalent

This is an intensive course of preparation for the Japanese Proficiency Test (JLPT) level N4 for students those who have achieved JLPT Level N5. The main aim is to help students to develop their listening skills and to expand their range of vocabulary of the Japanese language. Japanese Proficiency Test strategies will also be taught.

Pre-requisite: SUPJ1020 Japanese I (Part 2) or JPN1010 Japanese I or having studied Japanese for at least 40 hours

This course is designed for students who are wishing to acquire substantial knowledge and ability to communicate in Japanese. Students' language skills (such as speaking, listening, writing and reading) and their knowledge of the basic Japanese culture will be further developed and enhanced. By the end of the course, students are expected to communicate with native Japanese on topics (such as sharing of personal feelings, plans and goals) with much more confidence.

Prerequisite: SUPJ1020 Japanese I (Part 2) or JPN1010 Japanese I or having studied Japanese for at least 40 hours

This course is designed for students who wish to acquire substantial knowledge of Japanese food culture. Japanese table manners, ways of cooking simple Japanese food and how to enjoy Japanese seasonal food will be introduced. At the end of the course, students will have a thorough understanding of basic Japanese food culture and manner along with a good knowledge of certain food related vocabulary and grammar features.

Prerequisite: SUPJ1020 Japanese I (Part 2) or JPN1010 Japanese I or having studied Japanese for at least 40 hours

Music is akin to language learning. In this course, you will learn the Japanese language through songs in an enjoyable way to improve your listening comprehension, pronunciation and build up your vocabulary.

The TV commercials introduced in the course will also offer you great opportunities to learn the Japanese language and enable you to explore the Japanese society through critical thinking. Visual clues of these TV commercials will be discussed to help you understand their linguistic meanings.

Prerequisite: SUPJ1020 Japanese I (Part 2) or JPN1010 Japanese I or having studied Japanese for at least 40 hours.

This subject is designed for students who wish to improve their accuracy of pronunciation and fluency in Japanese as well as their knowledge of the sound system of Japanese. Students will systematically learn the accent and intonation of standard Japanese, as well as various forms of contractions, euphonic changes in different styles of spoken Japanese.

The classroom activities are mainly recitation and exercises on accent rules, end-phrase intonations and position of putting prominence. Oral-aural drill in class, work by shadowing method from the small video clip in the language laboratory will be the main activities in this course.

Recorded speech will be evaluated by the instructor for each class.

At the end of this course, student will be able to:
- produce the Japanese speech sounds with greater clarity and accuracy;
- speak Japanese phrases fluently and accurately with appropriate accent patters;
- make use of rhythm and intonation to enhance their speech

This 20-hour course offers great opportunities for elementary and intermediate Japanese speakers to practice formal expressions commonly used in workplace (e.g. formal greetings, telephone conversation ... etc). Students will also be able to understand the acceptable manner in Japanese social and business contexts.

This course introduces both the language and culture of the Spanish language and the Hispanic world. Along with the basic grammar points and phonetic system, students will also be able to experience the beauty and passion of the language through history, arts and music. By the end of the course, students will be able to conduct simple dialogues in Spanish such as greeting and introducing oneself in the Spanish manner, asking for and giving information about family and friends, and describing people and places.

Prerequisite: SUPS1010 Spanish I (Part 1)

This course is a continuation of Spanish I (Part 1). By the end of the course students will be able to maintain simple dialogues on a range of practical topics: talking about personal interests, shopping, ordering food in a restaurant, asking for directions in a city etc. A wide range of interactive activities are included to practice all language skills. The course also introduces the food, music and traditions of Spanish and Latin American countries.