Japanese

This course provides students the opportunity to practice vocabulary and grammar at the JLPT N1–2 level, while reading and understanding texts related to Japanese society and specialized fields. The class also covers academic writing formats to enhance logical thinking; writes essays on textbook topics, and engages in presentations and discussions.

This course develops advanced competence in modern Japanese and builds a working knowledge of contemporary issues in Japanese society. Course materials draw from a variety of up-to-date, authentic sources, including television, film, podcasts, websites, and print media. Focusing on listening, speech-making, and presentation skills, the course supports the transition from intermediate to advanced language proficiency by moving beyond textbook-based learning to active engagement with real-world materials.

This course provides pratice in reading and understanding current materials such as newspaper articles and online news related to Japanese society and specialized fields of interest. The course provides students an opportunity to enhance their logical thinking and write approximately 4,000 characters on social issues in Japan of interest to them.

This course provides the opportunity for students to experience cultural interactions and conflicts in Japanese society, especially in universities, and simulate how to respond to them.  The class then reads and discusses examples of Japanese society and culture then responds to a social issue through a written essay.

The course is designed to enhance kanji and vocabulary knowledge and to develop practical skills reading, writing, listening, and speaking Japanese with the goal of reaching the intermediate level. 

It is recommended that the following courses are taken in addition to this course:

Beginner high  
・Comprehensive Japanese for Beginners

Intermediate low
・Intermediate Japanese Ⅰ
・Intermediate Japanese Ⅰ Reading
・Intermediate Japanese Ⅰ Writing
・Intermediate Japanese Ⅰ Speaking
・Intermediate Japanese Ⅰ Kanji and Vocabulary

Using newspapers, magazines, and books as materials, this course broadens and deepens knowledge through speed reading Japanese text. 
 

This is a listening and speaking course that improves conversational skills and listening comprehension by recreating daily social interactions. The course aims to provide opportunities to speak in lengthy sentences, and improve daily communication skills outside the classroom. 

This course teaches Japanese using honorific words, or keigo, used in everyday life and at work. Students practice and acquire contextual skills in conversation and listening.
 

Eligibility: A2.1 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N3 in the JLPT).
 

This is a beginning Japanese langauge course designed for students who have never studied Japanese before. The course teaches the basics of Japanese language and focuse on communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. 

By the end of the course, participants are expected to:

• Use common phrases in daily communication; 
• Exchange simple information and engage in familiar topics; 
• Talk about personal information, experiences, and simple comments in Japanese; 
• Read simple texts and notices written in hiragana, katakana and simple kanji, and
• Write phrases and sentences using simple expressions and words from model texts.

Demons, ghosts, and monsters have populated the cultural landscape in Japan for centuries. Appearing in anime, manga, games, and movies, mysterious creatures continue to form the core of contemporary popular culture, and have sparked a global obsession with Japanese monsters. This course explores the cultural history of the strange and supernatural in Japanese literary, visual, and performing arts. Engaging with primary and critical sources from the eighth century to the present, the course considers the social roles that representations of the "weird" have played in Japan.