Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India and across the South Asian diaspora globally, including in Australia. In total, Hindi is spoken by nearly 500 million people. ‘Hindi 1’ is the introductory course for Hindi at ANU. For ANU students, this course has a strong emphasis for in-person learning, with the additional participation of online students coming through Open Universities Australia (OUA). This makes our classroom highly interactive and diverse. At the end of the semester, you will be able to read and write in the Hindi script (Devanagari) and speak comfortably in a variety of everyday scenarios. In addition to studying Hindi grammar in detail, you will also focus on speaking and listening skills through interactive roleplaying and online audio-video interactions for assignments. You’ll also be equipped with essential cultural knowledge to navigate Indian society. By the end of the course, you will be able to comfortably talk about yourself when meeting new friends, describe your home, town and country, shop for essentials and express your likes and dislikes about many things.  

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Recognise and pronounce all 52 Hindi sounds and the consonant and vowel combinations.
2. Read and write all basic Hindi characters and their combinations. 
3. Develop and demonstrate an active Hindi vocabulary of around 500 items and a passive Hindi vocabulary of 750 items. 
4. Understand and use a range of Hindi simple sentences and tenses for everyday Indian cultural situations as taught in the course. 
5. Communicate in everyday written and spoken contexts such as shopping, travel, and interacting with people. 
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of status, age, gender, and religion on communication. 

Required Resources

Course Textbook

Pien, Joshua H. 2014. Beginning Hindi: A Complete Course. 1st ed. With Fauzia Farooqui. Georgetown University Press. (Print Edition: ISBN: 9781626160224 & eBook: 9781647120689)

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Sound and Script 1Beginning Hindi - The Sound System & Script of Hindi (Lessons 8, 9, 10, 11)	Assessment(s): Homework 1 (3%), due Monday of Week 2 (next week) at 5:00pm
2	Sound and Script 1Beginning Hindi - The Sound System & Script of Hindi (Lessons 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)	Assessment(s): Homework 2 (3%), due Monday of Week 3 (next week) at 5:00pm
3	Beginning Hindi - Unit 1, Chapter 1	Assessment(s): Homework 3 (3%), due Monday of Week 4 (next week) at 5:00pm
4	Beginning Hindi - Unit 1, Chapters 2 & 3 (part 1)	Assessment(s): Homework 4 (3%), due Monday of Week 5 (next week) at 5:00pm
5	Beginning Hindi - Unit 1, Chapter 3	Assessment(s): Homework 5 (3%), due Monday of Week 6 (next week) at 5:00pm
6	Midsemester Assessments	Assessment(s): Mid-semester Oral Assessment (5-minute interview, 10%): during Class 1 of Week 6 Learning Portfolio, Part 1 (5%): due Monday of Week 6 (30 March 2026) at 5pm Mid-semester Written Assessment (in-class, 15%): during Class 2 of Week 6
7	Beginning Hindi - Unit 2, Chapter 4	Assessment(s): Homework 6 (3%), due Monday of Week 8 (next week) at 5:00pm
8	Beginning Hindi - Unit 2, Chapter 5	Assessment(s): Homework 7 (3%), due Monday of Week 9 (next week) at 5:00pm
9	Beginning Hindi - Unit 2, Chapter 6	Assessment(s): Homework 8 (3%), due Monday of Week 10 (next week) at 5:00pm
10	Beginning Hindi - Unit 2, Chapter 7 (part 1)	Assessment(s): Homework 9 (3%), due Monday of Week 11 (next week) at 5:00pm
11	Beginning Hindi - Unit 2, Chapter 7 (part 2)	Assessment(s): Homework 10 (3%), due Monday of Week 12 (next week) at 5:00pm
12	Oral Assessment Week	Assessment(s): Learning Portfolio, Part 2 (5%): due Monday of Week 12 (25 May 2026) at 5:00pm Final Oral Assessment (10%) - date: 27 May 2026
13	Final Exam Period	Assessment(s): Final Written Assessment (15%): date: 5 June 2026

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Language Learning Portfolio (Part 1)	5 %	30/03/2026	1,2,3,4
Language Learning Portfolio (Part 2)	5 %	25/05/2026	1,2,3,4
Homework	30 %	*	1,2,3,4
Oral Assessments	30 %	*	1,2,3,4,5,
Written Assessments	20 %	*	1,2,3,4,5,6
Participation	10 %	*	1,2,3,4,5,6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Participation and in-class performance are assessed through students’ sustained engagement with learning activities, preparation for classes, responsiveness to feedback, and reflective approaches to their own language development. Weekly evaluation focuses on evidence of progressive improvement in communicative competence, including speaking, listening, reading, vocabulary, and grammatical accuracy, as well as students’ willingness to take intellectual and linguistic risks in supportive learning environments. This framework recognises participation as an active, developmental process that integrates thoughtful academic engagement with ongoing linguistic growth.

Examination(s)

Mixture of In-Class and Take-home assessments as suits hybrid class delivery.

Assessment Task 1

Language Learning Portfolio (Part 1)

• A collection of self-reflective language learning activities and journal to encourage daily language practice habits to supplement other assessment items
• Submitted at the end of week 6
• worth 5% of the course
• Feedback will be provided on Part 1, due in week 6.

Assessment Task 2

Language Learning Portfolio (Part 2)

• A collection of self-reflective language learning activities and journal to encourage daily language practice habits to supplement other assessment items
• Submitted at the end of week 12
• worth 5% of the course
• Part 2 will receive a final grade only and no direct feedback

Assessment Task 3

Homework

• Ten weekly homework assignments (each 120-word equivalent, total 1200 words)
• Each homework assignment is worth 3% of the course, for a total of 30% overall.
• Written and recorded answers to a varying mixture of audio-visual and text questions
• Where feasible, students will receive feedback within one week of the due date.
• Note: Written portions of homework assignments must be submitted on the supplied answer-sheets which can be downloaded from Canvas, written work in other formats is not accepted.

Assessment Task 4

Oral Assessments

Two oral interviews:

• Mid-semester Oral Assessment (Week 6) - 5-min interview (30 March 2026) - worth 10%
• Final Oral Assessment (Week 12) - 10-min interview (27 May 2026) - worth 20%

Where feasible, students will receive feedback within one week of the due date, but the final oral mark is only released when the final results are released

Assessment Task 5

Written Assessments

Two written/aural assessment items:

• Mid-Semester In-Class Exam (1 April 2026) - worth 10% of marks
• Final take-home assessment, (Due: Friday, 5 June 2026) - worth 10% of marks

Where feasible, students will receive feedback within one week of the due date, but the final written mark is only released when the final results are released

Assessment Task 6

Participation

Participation (in spoken and written in-class activities throughout course)

• Based on performance and degree of involvement in class activities, as recorded in class recordings, and written activities presented in class
• Mark is based on each week of actual participation in class activities
• Ten marks are available for each of the ten instructional weeks

The final oral mark is only released when the final results are released

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned in Canvas.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Resubmission of assignments is not allowed

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students