JAPN

This course focuses on learning spoken Japanese that is aimed at native speakers. The goals are getting accustomed to that sort of authentic Japanese and being able to speak with a high degree of fluency. To keep a balance, writing and reading materials are provided. Watching videos and practicing speaking are the keys to success in this course.

This is the first year of a three-year program designed to provide students with a thorough grounding in Modern Japanese. Grammar, idiomatic expressions, and vocabulary are learned through oral work, reading, and writing in and out of class. Daily practice in speaking, listening, reading and writing is crucial. Students should plan to continue their language study through at least the second-year level to make their skills practical. The class meets for five fifty-minute periods a week.

Open to both undergraduates and graduates. This course is designed to improve Japanese reading, speaking, writing and listening ability to the advanced high level as measured by the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Proficiency Guidelines. Weekly assignments will require students to tackle modern Japanese texts of varying length and difficulty. Organized around a range of thought-provoking themes (from brain death and organ transplants to Japanese values on work and religion), reading assignments will include academic theses in psychology and anthropology, literary texts, and popular journalism. After completing the readings, students will be encouraged to discuss each topic in class. Videos/DVDs will be used to improve listening comprehension skills. There will also be writing assignments.

The third year marks the end of the basic modern language study. Our goal is to help students learn to understand authentic written and spoken materials with reasonable ease. The texts are all authentic materials with some study aids. Classes conducted in Japanese. The class meets for three eighty-minute sessions a week. All courses in this sequence must be taken for a quality grade.

The emphasis on spoken language in the first half of the course gradually shifts toward reading and writing in the latter half. The course is conducted mostly in Japanese and meets for five fifty-minute periods a week.

This course focuses on learning spoken Japanese through full-length Japanese animated films. To ensure balance in learning, writing and reading materials are also provided. Students at this level are able to handle successfully a variety of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. The class meets for five fifty-minute sessions each week. All courses in this sequence must be taken for a quality grade. No auditors permitted.

Must be taken for a letter grade. No auditors permitted. This is the first year of a three-year program designed to provide students with a thorough grounding in Modern Japanese. Grammar, idiomatic expressions, and vocabulary are learned through oral work, reading, and writing in and out of class. Daily practice in speaking, listening, reading and writing is crucial. Students should plan to continue their language study through at least the second-year level to make their skills practical. The class meets for five fifty-minute periods a week.

This course is intended to improve Japanese reading, speaking, writing, and listening ability to the advanced low level as measured by the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Proficiency Guidelines. Weekly assignments require students to tackle modern Japanese texts of varying length and difficulty. Organized around a range of thought-provoking themes, reading assignments include academic theses, literary texts, and popular journalism. After each reading, students are encouraged to discuss the topic in class and are required to write their own thoughts on each reading along with a summary. The class meets for two eighty-minute sessions each week. All courses in this sequence must be taken for a quality grade.

The goal is to help students learn to understand authentic written and spoken materials with reasonable ease and to solidify the grammar, vocabulary and kanji foundation built during the students’ study at Elementary and Intermediate Modern Japanese levels. Students will expand their four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) as well as the socio-cultural knowledge they need for communication, thereby easing their transition into Advanced Japanese. The class meets for three eighty-minute sessions each week. All courses in this sequence must be taken for a quality grade. No auditors permitted.

JAPN 20100 continues to work on building a solid foundation for basic Japanese language skills while preparing students to progress to an Intermediate level. The emphasis on the spoken language gradually shifts toward reading and writing in JAPN 20200 and 20300, but spoken Japanese continues to be enriched throughout the sequence. Students at this level will be able to handle successfully a variety of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. The class meets for five fifty-minute sessions each week, conducted mostly in Japanese. All courses in this sequence must be taken for a quality grade. No auditors permitted.