Tok Pisin is an official language of Papua New Guinea, and the most commonly and widely used language in the country with approximately 4 million speakers. By learning Tok Pisin, students will gain a deeper understanding of the rich cultures, histories and societies of the people of Papua New Guinea and surrounding areas of the Pacific. Links between Australia and Papua New Guinea have grown through shared stakes in industry, regional security, political issues, climate change and tertiary education. Students completing a specialisation in Tok Pisin will be uniquely placed to engage with this important partner and adjacent areas through trade, diplomacy and cultural collaboration. Tok Pisin is one of the prime vehicles of communication in the Pacific. Other closely related languages such as Pijin and Bislama, can be relatively easily acquired with a knowledge of Tok Pisin.
International students who are studying all or part of their program on a student visa are advised that this specialisation is only available for online study. Under the Education Services for Overseas Student Act 2000 (ESOS Act), international students on a student visa cannot do more than 33% of their study online. International students interested in enrolling in these courses should contact the CAP Student Centre (cap.student@anu.edu.au) for advice prior to enrolling.
Learning Outcomes
- Read and understandauthentic written texts with the help of a dictionary.
- Understand,use and translate a broad range of sentence structures in extended texts on arange of non-technical topics such as the history and society of Papua NewGuinea, regional politics, health education and development policies.
- Communicatein speaking and debate relevant issues with spontaneity and confidence ontopics including current affairs of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific, Papua NewGuinea-Australia relations, and regional economies; write passages onnon-technical topics with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
- Demonstrate an understanding of culturalissues and current affairs in Papua New Guinea and the extended areas,including such topics as law and order, the politics of language and culture,climate change and the geography of Papua New Guinea.
Other Information
Students with previous “language experience or exposure” are required to take a language placement test to ensure enrolment at the most appropriate level.
Relevant past experience includes:
- Previous study of the language (both formal and informal, for example but not limited to, at school, or, home, or through online activities, etc.)
- Being exposed to the language in childhood via a family member or friend
- Travel or living in a country where the language is spoken
- The language being spoken in your home (even if you do not speak it yourself)
Students who are not sure if they need to take a placement test should seek advice from the course or language convenor.
Students who intentionally misrepresent their language proficiency level may be investigated under the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 as having failed to comply with assessment directions and having sought unfair advantage. This may results in a penalty such as reduced grades or failure of the course.
Students are not permitted to enrol in a language course below one that they have already successfully completed, except with permission of the language and/or course convenor.
Relevant Degrees
Requirements
This specialisation requires the completion of 24 units, which must consist of:
TOKP6002 Tok Pisin 1
TOKP6003 Tok Pisin 2
TOKP6101 Tok Pisin 3
TOKP6102 Tok Pisin 4
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