Japanese

Target Students: Those who have partially completed elementary level studies.
Course Goals: To master the grammatical expressions learnt at the elementary level, as well as to develop understanding and command of upper elementary and intermediate level grammar and to improve the four skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. To master the 2,000 basic words and 500 basic Chinese characters.
Contents: Mastering the elementary level grammar and developing understanding and command of grammar using an upper elementary level textbook, followed by introduction of basic sentence patterns of the intermediate level using an intermediate level textbook. Improving the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing through various class activities designed for developing each skill. Mastering the 2,000 basic words and 500 basic Chinese characters.

This course is designed for students learning Japanese for the first time and aims to enhance basic listening and speaking skills. The course design is based on the sentence structures and grammatical patterns learned in the course “Essential Japanese 1H-1 & 1H-2." It is recommended to take “Essential Japanese 1H-1 & 1H-2” together with this course.

This course provides intermediate econometric techniques used in empirical analysis, including least square estimation, serial correlation, simultaneous equation, granger causality, panel data analysis, logit regression and difference-in-difference approach. We focus on practical training using personal computer and statistic package of either Stata or R. Grade is determined by the terminal paper test and a report of empirical analysis.

The purpose of this course is to enable students to analyze and create all kinds of stories, including modern literature, through the study of literary theory. The course focuses on poems, novels and dramas of leading authors and poets of the modern period, concentrating on the works of Meiji and Taisho period writers. 

This intermediate course is designed for students who have acquired an elementary level of Japanese. It develops an understanding of Japanese language through the introduction of new grammar patterns necessary for communication in Japanese. Approximately 150 new kanji are introduced at a rate of 10 per week. Students learn the correct stroke order of kanji, kanji compounds, and how to differentiate polite and casual forms of similar verbs based on kanji composition. Additionally, students have the chance to view various media in Japanese and discuss recent events in Japanese to further their Japanese proficiency and fluency. 

This course is considered a continuation of the course, "Special Topic in Japanese Culture A" and aims to deepen understanding of Shinto and Zen Buddhist traditional Japanese culture through three cultural experiences. The course provides an overview of Japanese religious culture and consider the religious consciousness of the Japanese people as seen in Oni and Mononoke, etc, in Japanese anime.
 

The course instructs on the origins of Shinto, as well as Shinto thought; the period of shrine establishment; histories of the shrine maiden; rituals; music; history, and development of Dance in Japan. This section also covers Shintoism and Kotodama (the philosophy of words and spirits) and Kodaimoji (ancient scripts.), as well as the philosophy of Budo (Martial arts). Then, the course provides a general overview of the development of Buddhism in Japan, including the development of Japanese Zen Buddhism and its wide range of cultural influence. It covers the history and thought of Zen Buddhism; its words; the relationship between Zen and Martial arts; Zen painting, as well as a Zazen experience. Through these studies and experiences, students will learn the characteristics of Japanese culture.

This course is for advanced learners who wish to build presentation and discussion skills in Japanese. The course instructs on the grammar, expressions, and vocabulary that are unique to such situations, and provides opportunities for students to learn and understand the points of discussion and present their findings or views about Japan and their own countries; social issues, or world events.

If a child born to Japanese parents were raised by a Chinese national in China, legal issues aside, could the child really be called Japanese? Also, if a child born to an American couple were raised in a Japanese family in Japan, would that child have American characteristics? Therefore it can be said that people shape themselves through culture, which includes family relationships, language, eating habits, bodily movements, annual events, weddings, and funerals. This course focuses on traditional Japanese culture from the perspective of education and human development.

This course provides an overview of the basics of international law, including its history and legal sources. The course examines issues and disputes between nations through the basic structure and perspective of international law.

The aim of this course is to help students acquire an understanding of the fundamental history of Japanese Language from the eighth century to modern times. The course predominately focuses on historical materials of Japanese language.