Japanese JA400

NISHIGUCHI, Koichi (Center for International Education and Exchange)

Cource Objective
   The purpose of JA400 is three fold. One is to enable students to engage in conversations normally held when they meet Japanese friends. Second is to build substantial knowledge of practical grammar and vocabulary so that students can deal with different topics in both oral and written mode. Thirdly, the course aims at developing practical reading and writing skills with the knowledge of 600 to 1000 kanjis, basing on which students will be able to acquire necessary Japanese skills particular to their own needs.

Learning Goals
   At the end of the course students will be able to;

• understand the main points of clearly spoken Japanese on familiar matters normally encountered in conversations with Japanese friends.
• deal with most situations likely to arise in their campus life.
• produce simple connected text on topic which are familiar or of personal interest.
• describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. Students are expected to acquire Japanese proficiency which is equivalent to B2 (independent user) in CEFR scale or N2 in JLPT scale.

Requirement / Prerequisite
   Students should have completed Japanese JA300 or an elementary Japanese course at other institution. Please get a estimate of your current knowledge of Japanese using Japanese Proficiency Level Check available at http://nava.isc.osaka-u.ac.jp/sim_levelcheck/. If you can get 51 points to 100 points out of 150 in the 400 level check test, you may assume that this level is suitable for you.

Class Plan
   The contents of the class is divided into three parts. One is different language acutivities based on "Sanchoome no Yuuhi" a Japanese film produced in 1995 and won the Japanese Academy award. Students will view the film. And also students will read relevant reading materials, collect favorite expressions in the film, and learn different expressions and grammars used in the film and in the reading materials. Another part is activities around students oral presentations. Each student is required to give two presentations during the semester. Following are the some of the topics students selected for their presentations in tha past class.
   (1) my country, my university
   (2) scenic and historic spots, tourist spots, festivals, etc.
   (3) four seasons and yearly events
   (4) foods and diet
   (5) customs and habits
   (6) end of the year and the New Year
   (7) my future (job/profession, marriage, family, etc.)
   (8) leisure time activities and hobbies (sports, music, cooking, fashion, movies, etc.)
   (9) happy event, trouble, etc.
   (10) trips, vacation, etc.
   (11) Tokyo and Osaka
   (12) pop culture (manga, anime, TV games, pop idols, costume play, etc.)
   (13) Nihongo (loan words, onomatopoeia, politeness expressions, Osaka dialect, etc.)
   (14) aspects of Japan (economy, society, education, technology, etc.)
   (15) gender issues
   (16) environment and ecological movement

	Theme	Content
Week 1	Orientation	Explanation of the syllabus and "how to study Nihongo" in this course
Week 2	Beginning of the story(Mutsuko and Jun-nosuke)	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 3	Breaking of the dream	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 4	Living with Chagawa-san	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 5	Chagawa-san, the great author	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 6	"Fraud" 1	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 7	"Fraud" 2	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 8	Jun-nosuke's novel	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 9	Arrival of TV	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 10	Chagawa-san proposes Hiromi-san to marry	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 11	A ticket to Aomori	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 12	Visit of the Jun-nosuke's "real father"	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 13	Going home 1	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 14	Return of Jun-nosuke	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities
Week 15	Going home 2	Text, grammar, and vocabulary that expresse the theme and related classroom activities

Independent Study Outside of Class
   Students are expected to study one to two hours before and after each class.

Textbooks

1. "Perfect Master Kanji　N2"（Bonjinsha　Publisher）
2. Audio-visual material: Movie『Always 三丁目の夕日』（to be given in the class）
3. Transcription and "The Diary of the Characters" in 『Always 三丁目の夕日』（to be given in the class）
4. Grammar summary of "The Diary of the Characters" of 『Always 三丁目の夕日』（to be given in the class)

Grading Policy
   Lecture Guideline and Attendance Policy
   One lecture and two sessions (90 minutes each) will be given in a week for 15 weeks. Regular attendance to all classes is required. Being absent for one third or more of the classes will be considered as withdrawal from the course.
   Grading:
   Class attendance and participation 22.5% / Assignments 17.5% / First Show & Tell 5% /
   Second Show & Tell (Final presentation)　5% / Written exam in the Report of Show & Tell　10% /
   Kanji quizs 10% / Final written exam 30%