Doshisha University

This course is taught by three instructors, Takagishi, Harada, and Daikuhara, in an omnibus format. The purpose of the course is to deepen one's understanding of Japanese life, society and culture, gaining a multifaceted perspective. 
 

Takagishi's class covers 'Kyoto festivals;' 'Doshisha's founding spirit and the life of its founder, Jo Niijima;'' 'Kansai dialect;' 'Kyoto companies;' 'Kyoto-machiya,' and 'Japanese manga and anime'.　

Harada's classes focus on 'Japanese onomatopoeia;' 'ceramics and Japanese life;' 'tea ceremony and daily life,' and 'Japanese meals and table culture.' 

Daikuhara's section revolves around 'Nintendo's history and philosophy;' 'Japanese intonation,' and 'Japanese monsters and gods.'

This course provides the opportunity for students to listen and speak elementary level Japanese (A2 level in JF Standard or CEFR), while practicing conversation and presentation. The course covers topics such as family, seasons, weather, town, outings, foreign countries, health, etc., with the purpose of comprehending sentences and commonly used expressions relevant to immediate needs and engage in basic and routine communication tasks.
 

For efficient improvement of Japanese ability, it is recommended to enroll in "Japanese 1 (Grammar II)-51" simultaneously.
 

This course covers the first half of the A2 level; the latter half of the A2 level is covered in the next semester. 

This course is designed for students who are planning to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level N2. Students enhance their understanding of grammar and sentence patterns and improve their reading and listening skills necessary to pass the N2 test. Mock exams are held at the beginning of the semester and immediately before the exam date so that students can grasp their own Japanese language ability and become familiar with the format of the test. In addition, mock exercises are held in each area: "characters and vocabulary," "grammar," "reading comprehension," and "listening comprehension."

The course provides a strong foundation in Japanese not only to pass the proficiency test but also to develop well-balanced listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. 

Note: Intermediate Japanese language levels at the host university are comparable to UC upper-division language courses.

This course considers the thoughts and way of life during the Edo period, focusing on the ideas of the samurai. The course provides an opportunity for students to improve their Japanese reading ability by reading classical Japanese literature.

This course enhances communication skills focusing on interview, discussions and debate. The goal is "to communicate without reading," and by summarizing each activity in a conversational format, students are trained to listen carefully to what the other person is saying; confirm what they are saying, and naturally respond by agree or disagreeing.  The second half of the course develops the ability to speak at paragraph level with reasons and specific examples, while expanding vocabulary, to state one's opinions.

Note: Intermediate Japanese language levels at the host university are comparable to UC upper-division language courses.

How can Japanese culture be better known across the world? This simple question lies at the heart of many Japanese governmental policies, local revitalization efforts, tourism initiatives, and artistic projects. In particular, the goal of preserving Japanese traditions through global transmission — and to encourage other nations to similarly preserve their own traditions — often guides foreign policy discussions. But why is this goal so prevalent today, and what ways of thinking about culture does it encourage? Who decides what is defined as ‘Japanese culture’, or which traditions should be transmitted? This course discusses common understandings (and countercultural re-imaginings) of tradition in contemporary Japanese culture. The course explores media texts that both decry and extol the potential for global exchange to alter tradition and classes focus particularly on the political implications of rhetoric used to talk about the spread of culture today. Through class discussion and independent projects, the course re-thinks common ideas about culture and its global spread.

This course focuses on explaining social and cultural phenomena to accurately understand Japanese society today. It focuses on topics such as family, gender, education, friendships, work/labor, and political/social movements. Audiovisual materials will be utilized. 

To understand the complex and multifaceted reality unique to Japanese society, students will broaden their horizons and acquire a comprehensive and comparative perspective on society as a whole.

This course introduces the culture of Japanese gardens, focusing on the main philosophical values, styles, aesthetics, and landscape design principles through history. By doing specific activities, writing assignments and oral presentations, the course increases knowledge and the meaning of what has been learned from interactions and shared experiences. Comparisons with historical gardens examples in other cultures and a study-tour to relevant Japanese gardens located inside or around Kyoto City are planned to strengthen final debates and discussions as well as to help the formation of group research projects for final evaluation. 

Hangul is the name of the alphabet used to write the Korean language.  This course begins by learning the letters and pronunciation of modern Korean, as well as grammar points such as polite expressions that correspond to "desu, masu" in Japanese; designates that are roughly equivalent to the English be verb; existential verbs that express presence or absence of objects; interjections; proper number words; negative expressions, and past tense. 

No prior knowledge is required to take the course, but students are recommended to study the letters and pronunciation thoroughly, especially during the first month. 

By the end of this course, students are expected to write a simple diary during summer vacation.

This course is taught by three instructors, Takahashi, Nakato, and Kajiwara, in an omnibus format. 
 

Takahashi's class introduces the themes, 'Japanese culture around oneself' and 'language.' This covers topics such as 'temples and shrines in Kyoto;' 'food culture,' 'Japanese houses; 'Japanese people and animals,' etc. In the 'language' section, students learn about 'onomatopoeia,' 'kanji, tongue twisters, and proverbs,' as well as 'Folktales,'  aiming to deepen their understanding of Japanese culture and language.　

Nakato's class focuses on 'Japanese makeup culture and color sense' and 'Japanese innovation and pop culture,' deepening one's understanding of Japanese culture through a comparison of past and present. 

Kajiwara's section revolves around the instructor's own experience revolving around 'Japanese rice,' 'the charm of the countryside,' and 'hot springs.' Additionally, the class aims to enhance understanding of Japanese culture through comparisons with other countries.