Module: Perspectives on Chinese Culture

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Perspectives on Chinese Culture
Module Code	CHN1014 (ITS: ZH421)
Faculty	SALIS	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

The module aims to introduce students to selected perspectives in the comparative study of Chinese and Western cultures through reading Chinese and English texts. It will enhance their understanding of Chinese culture and Chinese people’s way of life and belief through its past and present, in an interdisciplinary manner. Students will express their findings in spoken and written Chinese, in classroom presentations and in essays. The module will provide a foundation for students to develop their interests more fully in subsequent work.

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the value and methods of comparing civilizations through exposure to Chinese and English texts, taking into account the importance of ethnocentrism as a human universal;
2. Lead an advanced discussion on the topical issues in contemporary Chinese society by extracting information from a variety of written material;
3. Identify the ideas behind dominant worldviews that have the most enduring effects on life in China and the West through textual analyses;
4. Appreciate how most Chinese people look at the world and how that perspective differs from that of most people in the West;
5. Evaluate critically the thinking that lies behind Chinese actions in today’s world – how our Western questions often miss the perspective behind Chinese policy;
6. Demonstrate research capabilities in the topic of ongoing conflicts between China and Western nations in the target language.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	Intereactive group sessions
Independent Study	101	Study of language and reading prescribed text and assignment work
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	10284	Part of Term	Semester 1
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Qi Zhang	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Presentation	n/a	50%	n/a
In Class Test	n/a	50%	Week 1

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Lectures
Topics include: Chinese and Western ways of life, both traditional and modern. Learning, inside school and out, as transmission of cultural values. Families, traditional patriarchies as they evolve into the present. Defining Humans, comparing ideas of human nature, the self and bodies. Humans and their Surroundings: competing claims of economics and ecology. Values and Worldviews, the commitments people take most seriously.

Audio/Visual Presentations
Audio/visual materials, including selected Chinese films and TV programmes, will be used and analysed.

Seminars
In addition to the lectures, a series of seminars will provide the opportunities to students to discuss the selected topics and deepen the understanding of Chinese culture.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

John G. Blair & Jerusha Hull McCormack: 2010, Western Civilization with Chinese Comparisons, 3rd Edition, Fudan University Press, Shanghai, 9787309075434
Liu, Xun: 2010, New Practical Chinese Reader (Textbook, Workbook), 5, Beijing Language and Culture University Press, Beijing,
De Mente, Boye: 2009, The Chinese Mind: Understanding Traditional Chinese Beliefs and their influence on Contemporary Culture., Tuttle Publishing., Tokyo/Vermont/Singapore,

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None