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Course Syllabus

Bachelor 2024/2025

Thai Language (Basic course)

Type: Elective course (HSE University and Kyung Hee University Double Degree Programme in Economics and Politics in Asia)
Area of studies: Foreign Regional Studies
Delivered by: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
Where: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
When: 1 year, 1-4 module
Mode of studies: offline
Open to: students of one campus
Language: English
ECTS credits: 18
Contact hours: 504

Course Syllabus

Full Syllabus

Abstract

This 2-year course is designed to provide students who have no background in Thai with the opportunities to develop sufficient competence in the Thai language to achieve numerous communicative objectives. The course aims at systematically building the students’ abilities in the four skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening in Thai, while also providing them with a deeper understanding of Thai culture and essential translation and interpretation skills. It is expected that by the end of the course students will reach B1 level according to CEFR. Pre-requisites To attend the course a student should have near-native command of the Russian language since one of the goals is to train fluent interpretation and translation from Russian to Thai and vice versa.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • Reading competence: Read articles and reports about common topics; recognize rhetorical patterns, determine the author’s purpose; summarize and paraphrase information in the text
  • Speaking competence: Discuss familiar topics in detail; describe experiences, events, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans; plan and deliver short oral presentations; show the improved pronunciation skills, including tones, stress, intonation, and reductions.
  • Writing competence: Write clearly and in detail about a wide range of subjects; write an essay or report, which are clearly focused, fully developed, and logically organized; write letters about events and personal experiences.
  • • Listening competence: Listen and comprehend coherent conversations in everyday situations, spoken at near-natural speed; understand long speech and lectures and follow complex arguments if the topic is reasonably familiar; make inference and predictions about spoken discourse.
  • Socio-cultural competence: Know general information about the history, culture and traditions of Thailand; present their country and its culture when communicating with foreigners.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • • identify the topic and main idea; make inferences and predictions about spoken discourse; understand and hold real-life conversation on topics covered in class.
  • • use grammatical structure accurately; compose both simple and complex sentences and texts; write well-developed and logical essays on topics covered within the course
  • • skim for a main idea; scan for details; summarize and paraphrase information in the text; deduce meaning from the context.
  • • translate texts from Thai and to Thai both in writing and orally.
  • • to conduct basic business and academic communication in oral and written forms.
  • • choose a communicatively acceptable style of communication in oral and written forms.
  • • demonstrate general knowledge in Thailand’s geography, history, culture, social life within topics covered during course.
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • 1st year: Introductory Phonetic Course I
  • Introductory Phonetic Course II
  • Introductory Phonetic Course III
  • Introductory Phonetic Course IV
  • Introductory Phonetic Course V
  • Introductory Phonetic Course VI
  • Introductory Phonetic Course VII
  • Introductory Phonetic Course VIII
  • Basic I
  • Basic I: Listening
  • 2nd year: Basic II
  • Basic II: Thai Studies
  • Basic II: Listening
  • Basic II: Reading
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Attendance
  • non-blocking Participation
  • non-blocking Unit test
    Description: The test consists of two parts: 1) Writing test (lexico-grammatical test, vocabulary test, sentences or texts for translation from Russian to Thai / from Thai to Russian); 2) Interview (students are required to talk to instructor on the topic of the Unit / read, retell text and answer questions). The format and the topics of the test are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
  • non-blocking In-class assignment
    Description: In-class assignment includes quizzes, dialogue practice, conversations, group discussions, translations etc. Quizzes can be given during the first 15 minutes of a class.
  • non-blocking Homework
    Description: After every class, you will receive a homework assignment to practice new grammar and vocabulary. It can include the following: 1 Grammar exercises; 2 Online activities for vocabulary practice; 3 Dialogue: You are required to listen to the dialogue and learn it by heart or repeat after audio not looking in the text or listen and fill in the blanks. 4 Text: You are required to read or retell a text using the phrases from the text, and answer questions. 5 Writing text using given vocabulary and grammar. 6 Translation from Thai to Russian/ from Russian to Thai
  • non-blocking Final exam
    Description: Exam consists of the writing test (writing an essay on one of the topics covered during the course, translation from Russian to Thai, translation from Thai to Russian, Lexical-Grammar test) and the oral part (Reading and interpreting text, translation from Thai or Russian and from Russian to Thai). Students are expected to use words, expressions & grammar learned in the class during the conversation.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2024/2025 2nd module
    0.4 * Final exam + 0.12 * Homework + 0.12 * In-class assignment + 0.36 * Unit test
  • 2024/2025 4th module
    0.4 * Final exam + 0.12 * Homework + 0.12 * In-class assignment + 0.36 * Unit test
  • 2025/2026 2nd module
    0.4 * Final exam + 0.12 * Homework + 0.12 * In-class assignment + 0.36 * Unit test
  • 2025/2026 4th module
    0.4 * Final exam + 0.12 * Homework + 0.12 * In-class assignment + 0.36 * Unit test
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Danvivathana, N. (1981). The Thai writing system. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsndl&AN=edsndl.oai.union.ndltd.org.bl.uk.oai.ethos.bl.uk.649106

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Moore, J., & Rodchue, S. (2014). Colloquial Thai : The Complete Course for Beginners (Vol. Second edition). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=869848