Japanese

This course provides students with Japanese pronunciation and listening practice so they become familiar with Japanese tones and intonation rules. 

This course is for students learning Japanese as their mother tongue, first language, or heritage language. Through this course, students will acquire the foundation of Kanji learning and master reading and writing of about 600 Kanji and expand their vocabulary. Those who have completed " Japanese 6" may take this course with the approval of the JLP director.  

This course is designed for students who have some experience learning Japanese, aiming to enhance one's reading and writing skills as well as to acquire the skills to use elementary-level vocabulary and grammar. The course design is based on sentence structures and grammatical
patterns learned in the textbook, "Elementary Japanese for Academic Purposes Vol. 1". 

Textbook: Elementary Japanese for Academic Purposes Vol. 1 (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Press).

This course reads canonical works of great Japanese literature from the early twentieth century, with a focus on their perceptions of modernity. Thematically, the course is divided into two parts. The first half explores works written during the Meiji period to understand how they conceptualized 'modernity,' 'the West,' and their own identities. The writers discussed in this section include Higuchi Ichiyo, Natsume Soseki, Mori Ogai, and Nagai Kafu. The second half of the course addresses works by modernist and Marxist writers, examining how their concepts of 'modernity' and their relationships with 'the West' evolved as Japan expanded its influence into Asia. This part includes an analysis of the literary representation of modernity in the works of Tanizaki Junichiro, Yokomitsu Riichi, Hayashi Fumiko, Kobayashi Takiji, Edogawa Rampo, and Kawabata Yasunari.

All readings course are in English translation therefore the ability to read the Japanese original work is not required. Knowledge of modern Japanese history and culture is recommended.