Japanese

This course is designed for beginners and covers basic Japanese grammar and vocabulary. Japanese language is practiced through listening, speaking, reading, and writing exercises. Students are expected to prepare for each class by memorizing words and reading the grammar notes, which takes approximately 40-60 min. 

This course highlights the development of Buddhist thought in Japan. Founded in India in the fifth century BCE, Buddhism was brought to Japan via China and Korea in the sixth century CE. Due to the influence of local structures and beliefs, Buddhism in Japan acquired some features which make it distinct from other forms of Buddhism in East and Southeast Asia. Concretely, this course examines the Buddhist teachings that had been influential in Japan at one time in the past; trace the interaction of Buddhism with other religions such as Shinto during the premodern period and shed light on the process of its development and transformation into the modern age.

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 at the advanced levels to acquire comprehensive Japanese language proficiency. The purpose of the course is to increase student knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and kanji and to improve their reading and writing ability through close-reading of textbooks. In addition, students will develop speech techniques necessary to participate in discussions and to explain content that they have understood.

<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.

Inviting leading poets, novelists, and other guests who have contributed to the literary magazine Mita Bungaku, participants will learn how to create literary works in a workshop format. Poet Hiroyuki Kasai, novelist Anna Ogino, and critic writer Maiko Kodaira will be featured guest speakers. This course welcomes future writers as well as those interested in literary creation. The class is considering applying for newcomer awards and submitting to literary magazines. The order of the workshops may differ from the schedule listed, depending on the interval between creative submissions and instructor discretion.

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 designed for students who passed the Beginner High level of the Japanese language exam or equivalent. Students will increase vocabulary knowledge through reading Japanese texts, integrating new ideas with existing ones and communicating their own opinion in Japanese. Students will be expected to describe and summarize what they can comprehend from Japanese texts.

This course instructs on skills and styles needed to write on various themes. Upon completion of the course, students will be :

1. Able to write sentences while paying attention to style, expressions, and vocabulary;

2. Able to use conjunctions well, and,

3. Able to write persuasive sentences.

<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.