Doshisha University

<Level V>
Target Students: Those who have partially completed intermediate level studies.
Course Goals: To develop understanding and command of the 200 important intermediate sentence patterns for further improvement of the four skills of reading, listening, speaking, and writing. To master the 6,000 basic words and 1,000 to 1,200 basic Chinese characters.

<General 1-5>
Goal: To develop balanced, intermediate-level proficiency in reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
Contents: Learning the 100 important intermediate sentence patterns and vocabulary and improving reading comprehension with an upper intermediate level textbook. Developing command of intermediate Japanese through short sentence composition exercises. Mastering the points learnt at the intermediate level to proceed to the advanced level smoothly. Increasing vocabulary by learning both the words introduced in the textbook as well as additional related words.
Improving the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing by understanding the textbook and exchanging opinions on it.

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 a continuation of the course, Critical Social Issues I. This course is focused on the social issues facing contemporary Japan, covering topics such as war responsibility and memory; nuclear energy and waste; issues involving 3/11; media, the imperial family; yakuza, and education. As the course progresses, student interests are expected to generate additional topics for discussion.

Students will be required to do background reading for the class and come to class prepared to discuss a particular issue (or set of issues) each week in the first part of the course. In the second part of the course, students will suggest and present on topics on contemporary Japan for presentation. Each student must participate in these discussions and the assessment will be based on the discussions and written reflections on the issues after each class.

<Level VII>

Target Students: Those who have completed and mastered intermediate-level studies.

Course Goals: To master the 200 important intermediate sentence patterns and develop understanding and command of the 100 important advanced sentence patterns for further improvement of the four skills of reading, listening, speaking, and writing. To master the 10,000 basic words and 2,000 basic Chinese characters.

<General 1-5>

Goal: To develop a balanced, advanced level of proficiency in reading, listening, speaking, and writing.

Contents: Mastery of intermediate sentence patterns and introduction of 100 important advanced sentence patterns, using Doshisha University’s original textbook and support materials. For students to be able to use all the expressions in an appropriate manner, exercises will be of typical situations where each expression is used, without categorizing them into grammar or vocabulary issues. Vocabulary building with an emphasis on collocation. Improving the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing through summarizing, reading, and listening comprehension of the materials; role-play using expressions learned in class, and composition exercises.

<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.

<Oral Expression A>
Goal: To understand daily conversation and be able to express one’s own opinions properly.
Contents: Exercises on pronunciation, rhythm, accent and intonation. Understanding oral expressions used in daily conversation. Learning expressions used for explaining and giving opinions and making a short speech.

<Level VII>
Target Students: Those who have completed and mastered intermediate level studies.
Course Goals: To master the 200 important intermediate sentence patterns and develop understanding and command of the 100 important advanced sentence patterns for further improvement of the four skills of reading, listening, speaking, and writing. To master the 10,000 basic words and 2,000 basic Chinese characters.

<General 1-5>
Goal: To develop a balanced, advanced level of proficiency in reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
Contents: Mastery of intermediate sentence patterns and introduction of 100 important advanced sentence patterns, using Doshisha University’s original textbook and support materials based on our own teaching method, which contains exercises of sentence patterns and grammar, vocabulary and Chinese characters. In order for students to be able to use all the expressions in an appropriate manner, exercises will be of typical situations where each expression is used, without categorizing them into grammar or vocabulary issues. Vocabulary building with an emphasis on collocation. Improving the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing through summarizing, reading and listening comprehension of the materials, role-play using expressions learned in class, and composition exercises.

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.

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.

Two teachers, Takagishi and Paie, teach this course in an omnibus format.　
　
In Takagishi's classes, "Japanese culture around me," "pop culture," and "language" are the main pillars. "Festivals and events in Kyoto" as "Japanese culture around me", "The founding spirit of Doshisha" while tracing the life of Jo Niijima, the founder of Doshisha, "Japanese kimono culture" to learn about the history and patterns of kimono ” is discussed. "Pop culture" deals with "Japanese manga/anime" that considers Japan's manga and anime culture, and "Japan's popular songs" that traces the history of popular songs from the postwar 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 of young people's words and the way of thinking of young people in Japan. By learning the various aspects of Japanese culture mentioned above, the course aims to deepen understanding of modern Japanese culture.　
 

In Paie's classes, the class revolves around Shinto and Zen Buddhism, which are the background of the Japanese way of thinking and spirituality and learn them as one of the entrances to those cultures. The course instructs on the Shinto religion – its origin, relationship with Japanese lifestyle, and tradition of festivals as its characteristics. In addition, the course connects Shinto and the martial arts, teaching Sumo and Aikido as Shinto martial arts. Next, the class provides an overview of Japanese Zen Buddhism and its culture: the history and thought of Zen words and Zen paintings. Students will be exposed to a zen experience with a priest from Rinzai, and learn the characteristics of Japanese culture through these experiences.

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.