Description of Course Goals and Curriculum
The first two years of Japanese focus on grammar and basic conversational skills, and the third year Japanese is a continuation of the fundamental skills. In this course, students study a mix of formal and informal language, and emphasis is placed on acquiring more Kanji (Chinese characters). Specifically, students learn how to introduce themselves and study larger geopolitical issues relevant to Japan.Learning From Classroom Instruction
The course is taught by two professors across three classes per week. Students have the option to take either a morning or an afternoon seminar during course selection. Seminars typically range between 5-10 students. Huge emphasis is placed on class participation, although grades are barely affected by participation. Professors will ask students directly to answer, and there’s ample opportunity to hone language skills. Every class, professors will also divide up the class based on partners or groups of three to discuss homework questions. A lot of the time is spent going over the homework, which is quite useful to comprehend understanding. There’s usually a one to two sheet homework every class, but at the beginning of the year, professors give a schedule listing every assignment, class plans, and test on a given day. Every week, there’s a Kanji test. During the semester, there’s two chapter tests, a midterm, and a final. Students taking this class have to keep on top of homework. No outside research is necessary: doing the homework takes one to two hours per day, and it’s more than enough to improve quickly in the language.Learning For and From Assignments
The daily homework (only three times a week) are graded for accuracy. But the professors are so keen on your learning that you will only develop better language skills in the process. Do the homework, memorize the kanji, and you will be fine. To hone in on Japanese speaking skills, attend the weekly Japanese language table dinners. Refresh kanji after each week because at the end of the semester, the work piles up.
Topics covered: chapters on technology development in vending machines; future of your own life; nuclear waste in Japan; politicians in Japan; education system in Japan EXTERNAL RESOURCES & HOW TO USE THEM Do the homework—that’s more than enough to keep you good at Japanese. Attend bi-weekly office hours to ask about corrections on homework, grammar questions, and practice speaking skills.