Japanese

This course examines the history and culture of education in Japan, emphasizing how human relationships and behavioral patterns influence educational practices. Additionally, it addresses contemporary issues facing Japanese education.

This course explores contemporary Japanese short stories, focusing on the works Seicho Matsumoto and Masao Yamakawa.

This course introduces experimental approaches to the study of language for students with a background in introductory linguistics. Students learn how linguistic hypotheses can be tested using behavioral methods such as acceptability judgments and reading-time measures. Through hands-on activities and a small-scale research project, they gain experience in designing experiments, analyzing data, and interpreting results in relation to current theoretical issues.

Required Prerequisites: Introduction to Linguistics I or II, or instructor consent.

Founded in the mid-18th century by the German philosopher Baumgarten, aesthetics is the study of sensibility, art, and beauty from a philosophical perspective. This course provides a historical overview of the development of Western aesthetics, from antiquity to the early 19th century. It explores how sensibility, art, and beauty have been discussed and theorized in Western philosophy, and the historical context in which they were formed.

This course is tailored to students' Japanese language proficiency levels and is intended for students who have been assessed as being at levels VI or VII in the Japanese Language and Culture Education Center's placement test. It is conducted in a lecture format and is designed for students who wish to work in Japan in the future. 

The course provides an opportunity to learn about and discuss the customs and important aspects of Japanese business communication, including acquiring the Japanese language skills necessary for business settings and job hunting (honorifics, interjections, useful business expressions, etc.), Japanese business etiquette, an understanding of the latest business trends in Japan, and basic professional skills (problem-solving ability, teamwork). 

 Language topics covered will differ between the spring and fall semesters.　

This course is taught by two instructors - one instructor connects Senryu with Japanese culture. Senryu is a short form of poetry based on the same 5-7-5 syllable structure as the haiku, and has been widely enjoyed in Japan since the Edo period. This course introduces Edo-period senryu, explaining its differences from haiku, and then explores modern senryu. Many of the everyday vocabulary, colloquial expressions, slang, and company jargon found in senryu are not found in Japanese textbooks. 

The second instructor clarifies the characteristics of kami worship (so-called Shinto), Buddhism, the Emperor, festivals, and traditional culture (tea ceremony, flower arrangement, etc.) through history. The course can include field trips to temples, shrines, and festivals to allow the class to experience Japanese culture firsthand and further their understanding.　

This course teaches the fundamentals of archery form (stance, set, setup, drawing, full draw, aiming, release, and follow-through), learning the movements, mental control, and sighting techniques necessary to hit the center of the target. Initially, the class will shoot arrows at close range, focusing on proper form, while gradually increasing the distance as the class becomes more comfortable. By the end of the course, the class will engage in competitive match-style shooting at a distance of approximately 15 meters. 

This course covers fundamental concepts for ensuring nuclear safety; the roles of regulatory authorities, and issues related to the Fukushima incident. It emphasizes the technical essentials of nuclear safety regulation, including the roles of nuclear regulatory administration and safety research; deterministic safety assessment; probabilistic safety assessment, and risk quantification. 

This course teaches fundamental aspects of vocabulary and meaning in modern Japanese.

This course aims to help students learn Japanese for academic purposes through various familiar topics about society and culture. The target level is CEFR B1.1.

The course requires students to complete various tasks using Japanese, so they can acquire the language skills necessary to perform the tasks and also increase their knowledge of Japanese language (vocabulary, grammar patterns and expressions, Kanji).

The course includes an elective component, "Expand your World in Japanese."