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Languages (1 Viewer)

g_dob

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anybody doing/has done any language?? How much do you get out of it after a year of uni (especially beginner units)?
 
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xeuyrawp

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I'm doing GMN104 next year, and possibly FRN122 (ugh). Want to do the introducturoy Italian unit, but I definitely won't have room. I was considering doing Japanese simply because I did it in high school (Extension 1), but it just lost all appeal to me.

Anyway, beginner units will finish their course package in the first year - but note the course will usually be more challenging than what you get in the HSC 'Beginners' unit. This means that people who have done any language 'Beginners' subject in the HSC can still do the introductory unit in order to get a step up to the Intermediate units.

I suppose it's hard to quantify how 'much' this is - I mean, it's a year of university language, which is a lot. If you apply yourself, you'll learn more in a year than an HSC student would have learnt in an Extension unit.

Which language were you looking at?
 

g_dob

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I also wonna do GMN104. Basically I'd like to know how well you'd know the language after the year or uni...
 

Peartie

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I did GMN 287 last semester and GMN 288 this semester

GMN287 was basically covering what Id done in Year 12 then started doing new stuff in the 2nd half of the semester - GMN 288 is totally new stuff mostly (well not new but actually doing it in depth for the first time)

From what the people in my class said, that came through GMN 100 level was that over the 1 year they did what I did in 4 years at school - so They were up to scratch and knew a fair bit of German...so you'd know the language well enough to be able to go there and hold conversations with people (especially if u take up the short course thats offered)....

that being said in order to be good at any language you need to make sure you do LOTS of work outside the class - like 30 mins a day MINIMUM to ensure you keep up to scratch and retain the information...a fact which i fail to do most of the time :$

So yea, i reccomend doing a language because it offers you heaps of things in life - when ur going for a job or something and someone with the same degree and experience is fighting you for it the fact that you are able to speak a second language should really help!
 
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xeuyrawp

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Yeah, I'm looking to speed through GMN104, and will be allocating about an hour a day to it five or six days a week. Looking at the course and other material that I'm interested in (Egyptian history books), etc, I'd hope to be at a reasonable level after a year - definitely above the Extension German HSC level.

How it's going to fit in with honours, I do not know... =/
 

Kegs

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PwarYuex said:
How it's going to fit in with honours, I do not know... =/
You'll never get into honours with your shit gpa. Tell him he's dreaming...
 
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xeuyrawp

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Kegs said:
You'll never get into honours with your shit gpa. Tell him he's dreaming...
:'(

My marks are rad. They're going straigh to the pool room! *Batman hussle noise* :bomb:


Woooop wooop wooop woop *Zoidberg*:santa:
 

alfonso22

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hey

i have just wanted to know how the languages work at macquarie..
like ... is it a whole year thing or what?>?>..and what laguages can we pick from>>??..

and how detailed are the courses???
 
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xeuyrawp

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alfonso22 said:
hey

i have just wanted to know how the languages work at macquarie..
like ... is it a whole year thing or what?>?>..and what laguages can we pick from>>??..

and how detailed are the courses???
Languages at Macquarie are split into two departments; Asian and European.

Under Asian, you can study Chinese and Japanese. Under European, you can study: Croatian, French, German, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian.

All of these languages, you can study from the beginning (100 level, first year) to the end (300 level, third year). In most of the languages, you could also elect to do honours.

If you already have a proficiency in any of the languages, say if you did one in the HSC or you speak it at home, you would then start at a higher level. This is easy to deal with and just requires that you speak with one of the academics.

With regards to detail, language study at uni is pretty intense. After around a year, a dedicated university student will have about the same language proficiency as an average 3U HSC student, who's been studying for a few years.

The languages all 'start' at the beginning of the year; so if you want to start with German, you take German 104 (Introduction to German I) in semester 1 and German 105 (Introduction to German II) in semester 2. Ie, generally, you can't start a new language in the middle of the year. Like I said, though, the subjects are only for a semester; so you can chose to only do a semester if that's what you want to do.

Generally speaking, most students will figure out early on if they want to do the subject, and if they don't, they drop out of that subject no dramas.

Most students doing a language will be in 'artsy' degrees; eg a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Science, etc, but there is no problem with taking a language as an elective in, say, an economics degree. Ie, you don't have to be in any sort of degree to study the languages; you just need to have room for them in your degree. If you want to do a full major in a language, though, generally you'll have to be in a degree which has lots of room for electives.

You should also note that Macquarie has extensive international travel opportunities. :)

Which language and what kind of degree were you looking at?
 
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AsyLum

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Depends on whether you're taking a specific diploma/certificate in languages or doing languages as part of another course, or taking it as a major in arts.

What he said
 

reddevil89

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Is it easy to get D or HD in 100lv language unit, say, like Chinese 104 ?
 

Peartie

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I wouldn't say easy

it depends on how much effort you put in - with languages you actually have to work and learn you cant just try cramming everything the day before the exam...
 

reddevil89

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I wouldn't say easy

it depends on how much effort you put in - with languages you actually have to work and learn you cant just try cramming everything the day before the exam...
Well, I'm pretty much a hard working student, since I had 96% overall in my Foundation year and a scholarship to study in Mq
I'm intending to study Chinese, CHN104, and I've had a little background about Chinese already
In comparison to Marketing MKTG101, which one is easier to score a high grade, say like HD?
And one more thing, it says on the website that I need Permission of Executive Dean of Faculty to enrol in CHN104, where could I get that permission?
Here's the link

Unit - 2009 Course Handbook - Macquarie University


Thank you so much :)
 

Peartie

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cant compare to marketing because ive never done any marketing

you need to go see the secretary @ asian languages and ask her if you can see professor kane for the permission...
 

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