Return to School of Language and Literature | Courses Index
[1] Courses in Japanese (JAPN)
1310 ELEMENTARY JAPANESE I Introductory study of modern Japanese. All four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) will be introduced, with emphasis on accurate pronunciation and intonation, fundamental grammar, culturally appropriate language use, and basic orthography (hiragana and kanji). Discussion/lecture.
1320 ELEMENTARY JAPANESE II Continuation of JAPN 1310. Emphasis on fundamental grammar, vocabulary building, accurate and appropriate language use, and orthography (katakana and additional kanji introduced). Prerequisite: C grade or better in JAPN 1310 or consent of school director. Discussion/lecture.
2310 INTERMEDIATE JAPANESE I Continuation of JAPN 1320. Introduces complex grammatical patterns and informal language, and emphasizes reading and writing skills, vocabulary building, authentic conversation, and kanji recognition and production. Prerequisite: C grade or better in JAPN 1320 or consent of school director. Discussion/lecture.
2320 INTERMEDIATE JAPANESE II Continuation of JAPN 2310.ย Seeks to strengthen students’ foundation in Japanese, enabling them to further acquire and develop intermediate listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.ย Students will expand their casual (direct) conversation skills, be introduced to honorific and humble language styles, and learn how and with whom to communicate at various levels in given contexts.ย Students will expand their kanji recognition and production, as well as their reading comprehension.ย They will also learn skills for writing opinion and informational responses in direct style, as well as, strategies for formatting and using honorific language in letter writing.ย Prerequisite: C grade or better in JAPN 2310 or consent of school director.ย Discussion / lecture.
2340 INTENSIVE ORAL PRACTICE ABROAD IN JAPANESE Intensive practice in speaking Japanese. Students must receive a minimum of 45 hours of classroom instruction, which may be supplemented by field experiences. Students must study in a program approved by the school director of the School of Language and Literature. Prerequisite: JAPN 1320.
3300 ADVANCED JAPANESE GRAMMAR Continuation of JAPN 2320. Students will further improve their skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing Japanese. Lecture, discussion, writing. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in JAPN 2320, placement by examination, or consent of school director.
3312 READINGS IN JAPANESE CULTURE: JAPANESE POPULAR CULTURE Specialized readings on a thematic or chronological topic in Japanese culture and literature. All readings and discussion are in English. Required viewings have English subtitles. Students with sufficient Japanese language training may engage with select course materials in Japanese. Lecture, discussion. Prerequisite: WRTG 1320 or ENGL 1320.
3320 MODERN JAPANESE LITERATURE Survey of modern Japanese literature from the Meiji period to the present with a focus on fiction writing. Analysis of major genres, themes, and authors such as Akutagawa, Mishima, and Murakami Haruki. All readings in English translation. Students with sufficient Japanese language training may engage with select course materials in Japanese. Lecture, discussion. Prerequisite: WRTG 1320 or ENGL 1320.