Japanese

This advanced intermediate Japanese language course is a continuation of Japanese V and is the equivalent level of UC fifth year language study. It prepares students for advanced-level courses by establishing a solid base for students to fully utilize Japanese in academic as well as social contexts. Students learn skills necessary for academic life, such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. New kanji are introduced, as well as new vocabulary expressions and grammatical structures.

This course is designed to cultivate the basic skills of intermediate-level kanji and vocabulary. Students learn a variety of vocabulary by theme and study the characteristics of kanji, utilizing them to learn new kanji and words. The focus is placed on understanding the meaning of the vocabulary in sentences and accurately understanding the meaning of sentences. Achievable goals for the course include acquisition of N3 level kanji and vocabulary and skills to be discern the reading and meaning of new kanji.

While deepening exchanges between Japanese students and international students, this lecture provides a comprehensive overview of the relationship between Japan, China, and other Asian countries from both historical and contemporary perspectives. It aims to provide an understanding of global society in the 21st century. Among them, as clues for thinking about how two countries face each other; real-life culture shock experiences; misunderstandings due to expressions in Japanese, Chinese, and other foreign languages, and social and cultural differences.  This course aims to think of international relations based on misunderstandings and grassroots forces that are not the logic of international politics, but ta the individual level, such as what can a person living between Japan and China do?  The main format of spring semester classes is expected to be (1) group discussion, (2) group work for research assignments, and (3) group activities for reading. The language used is a combination of Chinese and Japanese, and the Chinese level of Japanese students does not matter. The main topics for the spring semester are cultural diversity and recognition of others.

Students will acquire knowledge of Japanese economics and business and of the Japanese terms used in these fields by reading articles and watching TV programs suitable for advanced-level learners.

Studying history does not mean merely memorizing historical trivia or accumulating knowledge as an intellectual competition. It means gaining an understanding of the past by learning how to scrutinize historical documents.

This course explores the Edo period, Japan’s early modern era. Many cultural and social phenomena emerged during this period and remain relevant today. At the same time, many aspects of early modern Japan, including its politics, society, and people's values and behaviors, are profoundly different from those of the modern era. This course examines a selection of sources to gain an understanding of Edo-period Japan. In addition, it also discusses recent scholarly trends in the field of early modern Japanese history.

Utilizing Irish films, this course looks at the culture, history, and society of Ireland.  Various Irish films, including "The Quiet Man," "The Fight of the Doves," and "Bloody Sunday" will be reviewed and discussed in class.

This basic Japanese course is designed to improve speaking skills. A different theme concerning Japanese culture and society is chosen for each course and students are split into groups to engage in activities, discussion, and group work concerning the selected topic. The overall goal of the class is for students to widen their perspectives and deepen their knowledge regarding various issues related to Japan and Japanese society. The program offers various theme courses and students may take multiple sections. 

This advanced Japanese course is designed to improve speaking skills. A theme concerning Japanese culture and society is chosen for each course and students are split into groups to engage in activities, discussion, and group work concerning the selected topic. The goal of the class is for students to widen their perspectives and deepen their knowledge regarding various issues related to Japan and Japanese society.The program offers various theme courses and students may take multiple sections. 

This course is designed for students who are able to write around 100 basic kanji characters to study around 100 kanji characters and to practice reading and writing sentences using these characters.

The course is designed for students who have already learned the first half of elementary-level grammar. The aim of this course is to enhance reading and writing skills as well as to acquire the ability to use elementary-level vocabulary and grammar. The course is designed based on the sentence structures and grammatical patterns learned in the textbook, Elementary Japanese for Academic Purposes Vol. 2 (Lesson 13 to 18).

<Level IV>
Target Students: Those who have completed and mastered elementary level studies.
Course Goals: To develop understanding and command of the 100 important intermediate sentence patterns for further improvement of the four skills of reading, listening, speaking, and writing. To master the 4,000 basic words and 800 basic Chinese characters.
<Reading Comprehension A>
Goal: To understand slightly complex passages and sentence structures.
Contents: Reading of passages on current topics such as simple newspaper articles.