DEPARTMENT OF ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

Japanese Language Courses

• Japanese Language
  • JAPANESE 111-1,2,3 – Japanese I
  • JAPANESE 121-1,2,3 – Japanese II
  • JAPANESE 211-1,2,3 – Japanese III
  • JAPANESE 310-0 – Special Topics in Reading Japanese Literature in Japanese
  • JAPANESE 314-1 – Japanese IV: Japanese Essay Writing

Japanese Language

JAPANESE 111-1,2,3 – Japanese I

Overview of class
Japanese I (JAPANESE 111-1, 2 and 3) is a yearlong course that covers the first half of college level elementary Japanese.  In Japanese I, students will build a solid foundation while developing the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.  Students will also learn various aspects of Japanese culture and society through in-class activities, written assignments, and video viewing.  Students are encouraged to identify and self-correct errors in their language use to become independent learners.  The instructor will assist in this learning process through oral and written feedback.  Careful and thorough review and preparation for each class session are required.

Registration Requirements
Except for JAPANESE 111-1, students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives  

The goal of Japanese I is to bring students’ overall Japanese proficiency to the Intermediate-Low level defined by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines.  Upon the satisfactory completion of the course, the students will be able to greet, introduce themselves, describe their families and friends, discuss their daily routines and experiences, and write letters to teachers and friends.  



Teaching Method  

This course is conducted mostly in Japanese, and class hours are spent mainly on oral proficiency development.  Written assignments are given for reading and writing proficiency development. 



Evaluation Method 
Class participation and performance; assignments; quizzes; oral and written examinations



Class Materials (Required) 
Hasegawa, Y. (2005). Elementary Japanese (Volume One) with CD-ROM. Tuttle Publishing.  ISBN: 978-4805313688; AJALT (2012). JAPANESE FOR BUSY PEOPLE: Kana Workbook (for the Revised 3rd Edition). ISBN: 978-1-56836-401-8; Course Packet



Class Materials (Suggested)

Endo-Hudson, M (1994). English Grammar for Students of Japanese. Ann Arbor: The Olivia and Hill Press. ISBN: 0-934034-16-8; Makino, S. & Tsutsui M. (1989). Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo: The Japan Times. ISBN 4-7890-0454-6; Kodansha (2002). Kodansha's Essential Kanji Dictionary. Tokyo: Kodansha. ISBN: 978-4-7700-2891-4 / 4-7700-2891-1. 

JAPANESE 121-1,2,3 – Japanese II

Overview of class
Japanese II (JAPANESE 121-1, 2 and 3) is a yearlong course that covers the second half of college level elementary Japanese and prepares students for intermediate Japanese (JAPANESE 211).  In this course, students continue developing the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) through readings, video viewing, written assignments, and in-class activities.  The emphasis will be on developing the skills necessary to use auxiliary verbs and complex sentences to express subtle differences in meaning and accuracy appropriate to the given contexts.   Student will also practice describing their experiences and summarizing a story that they heard, read, or watched in an organized manner.  Careful and thorough review and preparation for each class session are required. 

Registration Requirements
Students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives 
Upon the satisfactory completion of the course, students will be able to handle various types of more complex daily conversational situations and passages.  The year-end proficiency goal of Japanese II is for the students to reach the Intermediate-Mid level defined by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines.

Teaching Method
This course is conducted mostly in Japanese.  Class hours are spent mainly on oral proficiency development, and written assignments are given for reading and writing skills development.  Useful expressions in daily life and social and cultural aspects in modern Japan are introduced through a series of videos. 

Evaluation Method
Class participation and performance, assignments, quizzes, oral and written examinations, and essays

Class Materials (Required)
Hasegawa, Y. (2006) Elementary Japanese, Vol. 2. Vermont: Tuttle Language Library. ISBN 978-4805313695;
Course Packet will be made available in the PDF format through Canvas.

Class Materials (Suggested)
Kodansha's Essential Kanji Dictionary. Tokyo: Kodansha. ISBN 978-1568363974; Endo-Hudson, M. (1994). English Grammar for Students of Japanese. Ann Arbor: The Olivia and Hill Press. ISBN 978-0934034166; Makino, S. & Tsutsui, M. (1989). Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo: The Japan Times. ISBN 978-4789004541.

JAPANESE 211-1,2,3 – Japanese III

Overview of class
Japanese III (JAPANESE 211-1, 2, 3) is a yearlong course, sequel to Japanese II (JAPANESE 121-1, 2, 3), that covers college-level intermediate Japanese. In Japanese III, students will continue developing the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing,  and learning various aspects of Japanese culture and society through class discussions, written assignments, TV drama viewing, and a research-based interview project. The casual speech and formal writing styles are introduced, and students will become familiarized with different language use for different settings. With consistent oral and written feedback from the instructor, the students will also continue learning to identify and self-correct errors in their language use to become independent learners.

Registration Requirements
Students must pass the preceding course with C- or above, or must be placed into the course by the departmental placement test.

Learning Objectives
Upon the satisfactory completion of the course, the students will be able to 1) describe and narrate daily events and personal experiences in an organized manner, 2) summarize the main points of what is read, seen, or heard, 3) use approximately 500 basic kanji characters in context, 4) comfortably and appropriately handle daily situations 5) use various speech and written styles, and 6) communicate with native speakers on familiar topics in informal settings. The students are also expected to 7) deepen their understanding of customs, culture, and social phenomena of contemporary Japan, and 8) learn to study independently. The year-end proficiency goal of Japanese III is for the students to reach the Intermediate-High level defined by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines.

Teaching Method
In-class discussion.  Careful and thorough review and preparation for each class session are expected.  This course is conducted in Japanese.

Evaluation Method
Class participation and performance, assignments, quizzes, oral and written examinations, essays, and projects.

Class Materials (Required)
Miura, A. & Hanaoka McGloin, N. (2008). An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese, Revised Edition. Tokyo: The Japan Times. ISBN: 9784789013079; Miura, A. & Hanaoka McGloin, N. (2008). An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese Workbook. Tokyo: The Japan Times. ISBN: 9784789013086; Kano, et.al. (1989). Basic Kanji Book, Vol.2 (New Edition). Tokyo: Bonjinsha. ISBN: 9784893581198; a Course Packet.

Class Materials (Suggested)
Kodansha. (2002). Kodansha Essential Kanji Dictionary. Tokyo: Kodansha International. ISBN: 9781568363974; Makino, S. & Tsutsui, M. (1995). A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar. Tokyo: The Japan Times. ISBN: 9784789007757; Tomomatsu, E. & Wakuri, M (2004). Shokyuu Nihongo Sou-matome. Tokyo: 3A Corporation. ISBN: 9784883193288.

JAPANESE 310-0 – Special Topics in Reading Japanese Literature in Japanese

Overview of class
This is an advanced course in reading and translation of modern Japanese, focusing on representations of the city of Tokyo in materials from the early to mid-20th century. We will examine a range of different genres (short stories, essays, urban sociology) to ask what literary and linguistic forms have been used to render the social and sensory complexity of Tokyo’s different neighborhoods. Emphasis is on gaining facility in different literary styles and linguistic registers, and on developing techniques for parsing texts that demand rich contextual knowledge. Primary readings are in Japanese with discussion and theoretical readings in English.

Registration Requirements
Students must have completed JAPANESE 211-3 with C- or above, or must be placed into the class by the departmental placement test.

 Learning Objectives

• Accurately parse and interpret authentic prose writing from the early to mid-20^th century.
• Analyze and compare different literary styles, linguistic registers, and expressive choices as a basis for literary translation.
• Produce translations that reflect not only a literal understanding of linguistic meaning but an awareness of style, register, tone, theme, and other literary or stylistic concerns.
• Use reference sources for self-learning and independent reading, both for linguistic understanding (grammar references and dictionaries) and historical context (encyclopedias and other research tools).
• Describe conceptual problems surrounding the translation of cultural texts, and explain how their choices as translator address those problems.
• Describe the social and cultural associations surrounding different neighborhoods of modern Tokyo.

Teaching Method
Discussion, workshop

Evaluation Method
Attendance and participation, weekly writing assignments, midterm exam, final project

Class Materials (Required)
All other materials will be made available in PDF form.

Class Materials (Suggested)
The Compact Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary (softcover, abridged): ISBN 978-4805313978

JAPANESE 314-1 – Japanese IV: Japanese Essay Writing