Chinese Studies and Mathematics BA (Hons)

Lancaster University

Lancaster’s joint Chinese Studies and Mathematics degree is taught by the Department of Languages and Cultures in conjunction with the Mathematics and Statistics Department.

Your Chinese Studies programme gives you the opportunity to acquire high-level language skills while gaining a thorough understanding of the country’s historical, cultural, social and political background in a global context. Chinese may be studied at either beginner or advanced level. You will learn language and culture in innovative and engaging ways. For example, students learn the Chinese language in its social and cultural context by participating in a wide range of activities through the Chinese Friendship Project. Recent activities have included a day trip to Manchester Chinatown, Chinese Food Corner, Chinese Film Night, Chinese festival celebration, and more.

In Maths, you’ll study in-depth mathematical theory and practice and have the option to specialise in pure mathematics or statistics.

Your first year comprises an exploration of the Chinese language and its cultural context, as well as core modules in mathematics, calculus, probability and optional modules in statistics and linear algebra. Alongside these, you will study a minor subject.

Building on your language skills in Year 2, you will study one Chinese oral skills module and one Chinese written skills module at the same level of proficiency. In addition, you will study the culture, politics and history of the Chinese-speaking world in more depth, as well as selecting one language and culture module which is international in scope and which promotes comparative understanding at a global level, such as Society on Screen: The Language of Film. Students combine these with several maths modules from a range of options, including Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra and Computational Mathematics.

Your third year - the International Placement Year - will deepen your intercultural sensitivity and your command of Chinese. You can study at a partner institution or carry out a work placement and practise your language skills in a real-world context. Staff members within the department will work with you to ensure that you are fully prepared before embarking on your placement in a Chinese-speaking country.

In your final year, you will consolidate your Chinese language skills, and choose from language specific or specialist culture and comparative modules, such as Translation as a Cultural Practice and Mirrors across the Media or a longer, supervised dissertation. You will also choose from a selection of maths modules such as Differential Equations, Combinatorics, or Geometry of Curves and Surfaces.

Beginners Languages

Studying a language from beginners level is somewhat intense in nature so we only allow students to study one language from beginners level. Please bear this in mind when looking at our first year module options. If you apply to study a degree with a language from beginners level, your optional modules will only include higher level languages and modules in other subject areas.