Japanese

This course covers the CEFR A1 level of spoken and written Japanese. It focuses on interactive communication activities relevant to the learners themselves and their immediate surroundings. Students will develop overall language proficiency through listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities on various topics.

The course utilizes Hiragana and Katakana in class materials (slides, homework, class announcements, etc.) from the first week. Also, there will be Hiragana and Katakana quizzes within the first two weeks. Please check Hiragana and Katakana (read & write) before class starts.

By the end of this course, students will be able to get an idea of the content provided by very basic words and phrases on the most common everyday situations, speak and write simple phrases and sentences in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics, and interact in a simple way if delivered directly to him/her.

Students will develop critical reading skills necessary to study at the undergraduate level through reading news articles, official documents, and commentaries on the web.

Eligibility: B2 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N1 in the JLPT).

The objectives of this course are as follows:
1. Students will be able to understand the contents of texts on various topics and analyze the characteristics of their writing style.
2.Students will be able to paraphrase the main points of texts on various topics using concise expressions and figures.
3.Students will be able to select source materials by examining the reliability of the information.

<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.

<Oral Expression A>
Goal: To understand coherent speech and be able to express one’s own opinions in a clear and understandable manner.
Contents: Listening exercises of various materials. Learning expressions used for explaining and giving opinions and making a speech.

This advanced Japanese course choses a different theme concerning Japanese culture and society to discuss each week. Students are split into groups to engage in activities, discussion, and group work concerning the selected topic. The goal of the class is for students to widen their perspectives and deepen their knowledge regarding various issues related to Japan and Japanese society. The program offers various theme courses and students may take multiple sections. 

<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 designed for students who have had some experience learning Japanese. It focuses on the acquisition of grammar and sentence patterns based on the textbook, Elementary Japanese for Academic Purposes, Tomodachi Vol.1 (Lesson 7 to 12), and provides comprehensive practice in the four skills. 

<Level VI>
Target Students: Those who have completed intermediate level studies but are advised to review the contents at the same time with studying the advanced level.
Course Goals: To master the 200 important intermediate sentence patterns and develop understanding and command of the 50 most important advanced sentence patterns for further improvement of the four skills of reading, listening, speaking. To master the 8,000 basic words and 1,500 basic Chinese characters.

<Oral Expression B>
Goal: To develop oral expression skills for dialogues such as conversations or discussions.
Contents: Having conversations, discussions, and debates on various topics.

Target Students: Those who would like to improve Japanese proficiency in business.
Goal: To learn Japanese expressions and manners useful for problem solving in Japan.
Contents: Utterance exercises and role-plays to learn honorifics as well as acquisition of basic business manners and etiquette in Japan.

Students will practice discussing and presenting on various topics, acquiring the Japanese language skills necessary for studying and researching at the university. They will also learn proper pronunciation.

Eligibility: B2 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N1 in the JLPT).

The objectives of this course are as follows:
 

1. Students will learn the structure of a presentation and be able to make a proper presentation. They will elaborate on supporting matters, reasons, and relevant cases, as well as develop and substantiate arguments.
2. Students will be able to speak with clear pronunciation, paying attention to pauses and intonation.

This course provides the opportunity to study and practice sentence patterns, vocabulary, and listening comprehension in the first half of the intermediate level, which corresponds to the N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Therefore the goal of the course is for students to acquire the Japanese proficiency the need to pass the N3 level of the JLPT.