Japanese

This course provides essential skills to write college-level reports approximately 1,500 words in length in Japanese. It provides techniques for the efficient organization of Japanese compositions as well as the presentation and citation of different types of illustrative and descriptive information. The course examines the style, tone, and diction expected of Japanese academic papers and emphasizes developing self-sufficiency in the writing process to be able to outline, edit, and revise writings. 

This course is for students learning Japanese as a mother tongue, first language, or heritage language. Through this course, students will acquire such basic skills as vocabulary building, reading comprehension, writing passages, and oral expression necessary for university students. Prerequisite: “Introduction to Japanese for First/Heritage Language Speakers” or equivalent. Six class hours/week. 

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
read coherent sentences with consideration of keywords, the main points of paragraphs, and the overall structure,
summarize your own opinions about what one has read or heard and tell them to others,
summarize your own opinions and thoughts in writing using an appropriate style.

This course is designed for students at the advanced level. Based on reading assignments related to Japanese society and culture, students learn various ways to discuss and present their opinions. The course is offered in Spring and Fall semesters with different course content. 

This advanced course prepares students to take courses taught in Japanese. Given clear organization and a solid point of argument, students comprehend long conversations, lectures, debates, and spoken media language, students become able to understand long, abstract texts on a familiar field with the use of dictionaries, write clear and lucid sentences with consistency and coherence in compositions and reports, and firmly distinguish and express facts and opinions separate from each other. Students also improve their ability to speak and perform presentations without producing misunderstanding or bringing a sense of discomfort or tension to the audience.