Chinesisch studieren Ergebnisse einer Erhebung zu Ausstattung, Lehrzielen und Umfang von Sprachunterricht in chinawissenschaftlichen Bachelor- und Master-Studiengängen

Abstract

Institutes of Chinese studies are still the only institutions in Germany where Chinese language skills can be acquired to an extent that enables learners to deal with authentic Chinese language material and corresponding texts. At the same time, Chinese is considered one of the most difficult languages to master, especially because of its complex writing system. This paper documents the results of an extensive survey of teaching in institutes of Chinese studies/sinology in German-speaking countries, with a focus on target competences, size of courses, number and background of teaching staff, and information on the workload estimated via ECTS in relation to the scope of the language courses. In addition, the integration into curricula of semesters abroad, the relevance of standardized examinations from the PRC and Taiwan as well as language training in master’s programs for Chinese studies and courses in pre-modern/classical Chinese were also included in the survey. The results show that education in Chinese language, even in an academic context, is a complex task, which can by no means be considered complete within the framework of three-year BA programs, which are still under-resourced at many institutes.