Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Language and Speech Sciences

Starting from September 2012 with the commencement of the new 4-year curriculum, all PolyU undergraduate students need to fulfill the comprehensive General University Requirements (GUR):

a. Language and Communication Requirements (LCR)

The LCR is normally not required. Only those students not meeting the equivalent standard of the Undergraduate Degree LCR (based on their previous studies in AD/HD programmes and their academic performance) will be required to take degree LCR subjects on top of the normal curriculum requirement. CBS will refer to the guidelines provided by the Language Centres (ELC and CLC) to determine whether a new student has met the equivalent standard, with special reference to the ability for academic writing.

English
All students must successfully complete two 3-credit English language subjects as stipulated by the University.
The default LCR English replacement subjects for BALSS students are:
ENGL2000 English for Effective Communication; and
ENGL2001 English for Professional Communication

Chinese

All students must successfully complete one 3-credit Chinese language subject as stipulated by the University.
The default LCR Chinese replacement subject for BALSS students is:
CBS2901 Chinese for Language Professionals

b. Cluster Areas Requirement (CAR)

To expand students’ intellectual capacity beyond their disciplinary domain and to enable them to tackle professional and global issues from a multidisciplinary perspective, BALSS students are required to successfully complete 6 credits in TWO of the following Cluster Areas:

• Human Nature, Relations and Development (CAR A)
• Chinese History and Culture (CAR M)

A list of CAR subjects under each of the four Cluster Areas is available at: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ous/GURSubjects/CAR_2021.php

Students are required to take a specially designed CAR(A) – English Language Subject with embedded English Reading and Writing Requirements starting from 2022/23.

Chinese Reading Requirement (CR)
All students must, among the CAR (M) subjects they take, pass one subject with the requirement for the reading of an extensive text in Chinese. A list of approved CAR subjects for meeting the Writing Requirement (with a “W” designation) and for meeting the Reading Requirement (with an “R” designation) is shown at:
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ous/GURSubjects/CAR_2021.php

Chinese Writing Requirement (CW)

In additional to the LCR in Chinese explained above, all students must also, among the Cluster Areas Requirement (CAR M) subjects they take (see section (b) above), pass one subject with the requirement for a substantial piece of writing in Chinese.

Applications for waiver of CR/CW

Any applications for waiver of Chinese Reading and Writing Requirements (CR/CW) should be submitted to the programme host department for approval with supporting documents which demonstrate the level of accomplishment for the requirements as follows:

Reading and Writing Requirements (R/W)
In order to fulfil the “Reading” requirement, a subject must include the reading of an extensive text (100,000 words or 200 pages). In order to fulfil the “Writing” requirement, a subject must include an extensive piece of writing (2000-3,000 characters for Chinese).

c.  Service-Learning (SL)

 All BALSS students can take “CBS3S01 Service Learning through Helping Primary Students with Specific Reading Difficulties” to fulfil the service-learning requirement of the University. In the subject, students are required to (1) participate in substantial community service or civic engagement activities that will benefit the service users or the community at large in a meaningful way; (2) apply the knowledge and skills acquired from their Major or other learning experiences at the University to the community service activities; and (3) reflect on their service-learning experience in order to link theory with practice for the development of a stronger sense of ethical, social and national responsibility.

Students can also take other service-learning subjects that are offered by other departments of the University to fulfil the service-learning requirement of the University.

A list of eligible subjects for meeting the service-learning requirement is available at:
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ogur/GURSubjects/

d.  Essential Components of General Education (GE)

The non-credit-bearing Essential Components of General Education includes four modules namely Academic Integrity; AI and Data Analytics; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and National Education.

Academic Integrity (AI) – 2 hours
Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA) – 3 hours
Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE)- 3 hours of e-lectures plus 7 hours of self-study
National Education (NE) – 3 hours of e-lectures plus 7 hours of self-study