Japanese Language Courses (Fall)
JAPN 201 Elementary Japanese I
Prerequisite: No Japanese language background
Textbook: Nakama 1 (3rd edition) w/ iLRN
A major purpose of our Japanese Language Program is to assist you in moving from a position of dependency on the instructor to one of self-reliance in learning. Our program gives you the ability to communicate with native speakers of Japanese in authentic Japanese both orally and in writing as well as opportunities to acquire culturally and linguistically appropriate behavior which will enable you to establish smooth communication with native speakers of Japanese.
In this course, you will learn not only basic vocabulary and structural patterns but also simple conversational skills such as: introducing yourself or someone else; describing and asking about a location; talking about your daily activities and what you did in the past; expressing your preferences; and making a request. Such conversational skills are practiced in the socio-cultural and context-dependent situations, which are carefully set up to be applicable and natural. In other words, they are normal social situations in which you actually would be involved in Japan or on campus. The course also offers you some basic strategies for reading authentic Japanese materials.
JAPN 203 Intermediate Japanese I
Prerequisite: JAPN 201/202 or equivalent, or as determined by a placement test/ instructor
Textbook: Nakama 2 w/ iLRN
In JAPN 203 you will continue to build on your linguistic knowledge through contexts and material which emphasize cultural appropriateness, thus aiming at developing skills that can be applied to real conversations and other forms of interaction with native speakers of Japanese. Daily in-class tasks will place focus on your speaking and writing skills, where new structures and useful expressions will be introduced in a variety of everyday practical situations such as giving directions, asking for favors, or thanking one for a favor, all of which are done in a culturally and linguistically specific manner. You will be expected to expand your language production from short and basic answers to longer, more elaborate and complete utterances. In addition, you will be introduced to different transitional and clause connective devices which will help take your spoken and written ability to the next level. The course will focus on actively using the language to further solidify and expand your knowledge in Japanese.
JAPN 305 Advanced Japanese I
Prerequisite: JAPN 204 or by placement test
Textbook: Tobira
Reading and Writing Section: The purpose of this course is to train students in academic reading and writing so that they can conduct research in Japanese. The course offers intensive reading and writing practices. Advanced knowledge of Kanji is required.
JAPN 440 Fouth-Year Japanese I
Further developments of skills in sophisticated Japanese language use, including readings in authentic materials in a wide variety of writing styles, writing for formal occasions, and speaking appropriately according to the situation while using precise vocabulary in correct level of speech. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: JAPN 306 or equivalent.
Syllabus
JAPN 499 Study Abroad
Japanese Language Courses (Spring)
JAPN 202 Elementary Japanese II
Prerequisite: JAPN 201 or as determined by a placement test / instructor
The goal of this course is to give you the ability to communicate with native speakers of Japanese in authentic Japanese both orally and in writing. The course focuses on your performance of spoken and written Japanese in class. You will acquire culturally and linguistically appropriate behavior which will enable you to establish smooth communication with native speakers of Japanese. In JAPN201, you studied fundamental grammatical structures of Japanese and practiced simple conversational skills such as introducing yourself or someone else, describing and asking about a location, and talking about your daily activities and your preferences. In this course, you will learn how to make a request or suggestion, order food at a restaurant, talk about family members, and many other things that are very useful in your daily life. You will learn approximately 150 kanji characters. At the end of the semester, you will be able to comfortably handle sentences written in combinations of hiragana, katakana and kanji.
JAPN 204 Intermediate Japanese II
Prerequisite: JAPN 203 or as determined by a placement / instructor
Transfer students and students who wish to take this course after a long absense of Japanese language study must take a placement test.
This course continues to promote ability to communicate with native speakers of Japanese in authentic Japanese while introducing more variety of everyday practical situations in which you would establish smooth communication with native speakers of Japanese. The reading and writing skills will be expanded into a discourse level where you will read / write longer texts as well as functional materials such as directions, thank-you letters and Japanese resumes.
JAPN 306 Advanced Japanese II
Prerequisite: JAPN 305 or by placement test
Reading and Writing Section: The purpose of this course is to train students in academic reading and writing so that they can conduct research in Japanese. The course offers intensive reading and writing practice.Advanced knowdge of Kanji is required.
JAPN 441 Fouth-Year Japanese II
Continuation of JAPN 440. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: JAPN 440 or equivalent. Prior knowledge of language requires a placement exam to be given. Call 244-1432 for date of exam and to register for the test.