Japanese

Students will learn kanji and vocabulary necessary to read and write texts such as reports and academic articles by doing practical exercises. 

Eligibility: A2.2 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N3 in the JLPT). 

Learning Objectives: 

・ Acquire a wide vocabulary and read texts containing frequently used common expressions.

・ Read specialized articles outside of one's own field using a dictionary.

・ Write messages explaining questions or problems.

・ Use appropriate kanji in e-mail, reports, and presentations.

The course covers basic grammar and vocabulary needed for everyday life and attending university classes in Japan, learning listening and writing skills. 

Eligibility: A2.1 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N4 in the JLPT). 

Learning Objectives: A2.2 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education. Review the expressions/sentence structures learned at the basic level (A1-A2.1); learn new expressions/sentence structures, and when, where, and how to use them, to achieve the below goals:  

・ Comprehend concise conversations and monologues about familiar topics in everyday and classroom situations (listening). 

・ If one prepares in advance, they can enumerate events; briefly describe them; tell stories, and express their thoughts and feelings (spoken production). 

・ Interact with other people with little difficulty within everyday situations (spoken interaction). 

This course provides an overview of Japan's history from the late Middle Ages to the present day. It aims to deepen one's understanding of the process by which the current Japanese society was established and understand historical events seen in current Japanese society.

In addition, students learn expressions in Japanese language  that have historical background.

This course provides the opportunity for students to listen and speak elementary level Japanese (A2 level in JF Standard or CEFR), while practicing conversation and presentation. The course covers topics such as family, seasons, weather, town, outings, foreign countries, health, etc., with the purpose of comprehending sentences and commonly used expressions relevant to immediate needs and engage in basic and routine communication tasks.
 

For efficient improvement of Japanese ability, it is recommended to enroll in "Japanese 1 (Grammar II)-51" simultaneously.
 

This course covers the first half of the A2 level; the latter half of the A2 level is covered in the next semester. 

This course is designed for students who are planning to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level N2. Students enhance their understanding of grammar and sentence patterns and improve their reading and listening skills necessary to pass the N2 test. Mock exams are held at the beginning of the semester and immediately before the exam date so that students can grasp their own Japanese language ability and become familiar with the format of the test. In addition, mock exercises are held in each area: "characters and vocabulary," "grammar," "reading comprehension," and "listening comprehension."

The course provides a strong foundation in Japanese not only to pass the proficiency test but also to develop well-balanced listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. 

Note: Intermediate Japanese language levels at the host university are comparable to UC upper-division language courses.

This class provides students with the necessary kanji and vocabulary to read books and newspaper articles as well as read and write reports and academic papers. The course aims to increase their comprehensive vocabulary and reading skills by converting this vocabulary into spoken language. 

Eligibility: B1 level in the CEFR/JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education (N2 in the JLPT). 

Learning Objectives:

• Acquire a wide vocabulary and read texts containing frequently used common expressions.
• Convert between spoken and written language, and use each as appropriate to the situation.
• Recognize kanji and vocabulary when spoken during lectures and classes.

This advanced Japanese course is designed to improve writing skills, particularly writing a life story based on interviews.  The course also provides opportunities for writing, reading and speaking, thus facilitating the process of reflection towards the past and future in writing one's own life story. 

This basic Japanese course chooses 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. 

The course is designed to expand kanji and vocabulary at low intermediate level and increase vocabulary written in kanji.

This course enhances communication skills focusing on interview, discussions and debate. The goal is "to communicate without reading," and by summarizing each activity in a conversational format, students are trained to listen carefully to what the other person is saying; confirm what they are saying, and naturally respond by agree or disagreeing.  The second half of the course develops the ability to speak at paragraph level with reasons and specific examples, while expanding vocabulary, to state one's opinions.

Note: Intermediate Japanese language levels at the host university are comparable to UC upper-division language courses.