The prerequisite: minimum grade of 2.5 in JAPAN 303/334. If not fulfilled, please refer to our department website.
The fourth-year Japanese courses (Japan 401, 402, and 403) are not a sequence. Therefore, you may start any quarter although taking them in sequence is highly recommended. The courses adopt a method called Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL); thus, learning the content is equally important as learning the language. We will focus on two major themes each quarter. This will facilitate solid understanding of vocabulary, kanji, and grammatical expressions relevant to each theme. In Japan 401, we will focus on convenience and history. In addition to Chapters 10 and 11 of Tobira, authentic materials of related topics will be introduced.
For writing and speaking skills, students will work on a summary. Students will also work on speaking skills with an emphasis on taigu hyogen or attitudinal expressions (i.e. expressions that indicates the speaker's attitude--respect, contempt, etc--for the listener or the person being discussed), including keigo.
It is expected that by the end of this quarter, students are expected to be able to:
- read authentic (i.e., unedited) reading materials on a range of familiar topics;
- be aware of Japanese-specific ways to carry a conversation;
- give a short presentation using keigo; and
- write a summative text.