Japanese

This course is designed for students who have some experience learning Japanese. The course aims to enhance listening and speaking skills through teaching and practice of vocabulary and expressions needed for everyday conversation. 

This course is designed for pre-advanced students to explore sentence structures, vocabulary, and kanji via newspaper articles and a textbook. After reading articles, students discuss topics related to the text and write an essay which is revised numerous times as to grasp the Japanese style of essay-writing. Students explicate the articles read in class, dissecting various grammar-points and creating example sentences and sharing them with the class. The various topics covered in the textbook provides students means to expand their Japanese abilities and enables them to think critically about such topics with newfound abilities. 

This course is designed for students learning Japanese for the first time. The course focuses on the acquisition of grammar and sentence patterns based on the textbook Elementary Japanese for Academic Purposes Vol.1 (Lesson 1 to 6). Students must understand hiragana before taking this course.

This course is designed for students learning Japanese for the first time. The course focuses on the acquisition of grammar and sentence patterns based on the textbook Elementary Japanese for Academic Purposes Vol.1 (Lesson 1 to 6). Students must understand hiragana before taking this course.

This course deals with the basics of mathematical finance. The goals are to understand Option Trading and Portfolio Theory.

Prerequisite: Calculus I, II, Linear Algebra I, II, Sets and Topology I, and Probability Theory.

In this class, two instructors, Paie and Takagishi, will teach "Japanese culture" in an omnibus format.　
　
Paie’s classes introduce Shinto and Zen Buddhism, the foundation of the Japanese way of thinking and spirituality. The course provides an overview of Shinto; its origin; relationship with Japanese lifestyle, and tradition of festivals. In addition, the course makes the connection between Shinto and martial arts, introducing Sumo and Aikido as Shinto martial arts. Furthermore, the course provides an overview of Japanese Zen Buddhism – the culture, the history and thought of Zen words and Zen paintings. Students will have a zazen experience with a priest from Rinzai and learn the characteristics of Japanese culture through these experiences.　

Takagishi's classes focus on the themes, "Japanese culture around me," "pop culture," and "language." The life of the founder of Doshisha, Jo Nijima, is traced through the themes, “Japanese culture around me,” “Kyoto festivals and events,” “Japanese kimono and culture,” and the “founding spirit of Doshisha.” "Pop Culture" deals with "Japanese Manga and Anime" and "Japanese Popular Songs" traces the history of popular songs from the post-war era to the present. By studying the Kansai dialect and young people's language, which are used in the city and on campus as "languages," students will notice the differences from the standard language; learn about the mechanism by which young people's words are created, and the way of thinking of young people in Japan. Through the introduction to various aspects of Japanese culture previously mentioned, students will deepen their understanding of modern Japanese culture.

This course teaches Aikido, one of the Japanese martial arts, to international students. The purpose is to learn the techniques and get in touch with the spirit of Aikido. The course also teaches Aikido as a self-defense technique that can relieve stress.

This course is for students with at least one year of prior study of Japanese. The goal of this course is for students to acquire well-balanced basic proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and to develop an understanding and command of basic grammar and its usage. Students practice listening comprehension and pronunciation using videotapes and CDs. They learn conversational expressions and phrases necessary in daily life, fundamentals of written expression, and how to read and write short passages on topics familiar to them using previously learned sentence patterns and vocabulary. By the end of term, students master 1500 basic words and 300 basic kanji.

This course is for students with at least one year of prior study of Japanese. The goal of this course is for students to acquire well-balanced basic proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and to develop an understanding and command of basic grammar and its usage. Students practice listening comprehension and pronunciation using videotapes and CDs. They learn conversational expressions and phrases necessary in daily life, fundamentals of written expression, and how to read and write short passages on topics familiar to them using previously learned sentence patterns and vocabulary. By the end of term, students master 1500 basic words and 300 basic kanji. 

This course provides an avenue for Japanese and international students to exchange opinions and cooperate on projects to gain an understanding of modern Japanese history and culture from a variety of perspectives. The class also aims to provide students with an understanding of the differences in historical and cultural backgrounds that create various values/worldviews and diverse intercultural communication skills.

The course begins with an overview of Japanese cultural and intellectual history from the 19th century onward. After initial lectures on cultural research methodology, students will conduct presentations, introducing historical events that occurred in modern Japan during the era to which they are assigned. There will also be lectures on the contents of presentations. 

Eligibility: This class will be conducted in Japanese. B2 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N1 in the JLPT).