Japanese Language and Culture - Major and Minor

Introduction and development of the four basic language skills: comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Acquisition of two native scripts, Hiragana and Katakana, is emphasized in 101. Emphasis is on basic sentence patterns with basic vocabulary and development of communicative skills in everyday situations.

Japanese animation (anime) has exploded in popularity over the last thirty years as more people around the world have grown to appreciate not only the technical skill of the filmmakers but also the complex narratives that often tackle difficult questions of identity in nuanced ways. Many anime films feature adolescent characters whose bodies have magical powers or go through some form of metamorphosis. The changes these characters experience may or may not be welcome, but they clearly reflect the difficulties of the passage from adolescence to adulthood, and also raise questions about identity, technology and authority in a rapidly changing world. In this course, students will study several anime films that feature magic and metamorphosis and examine the ways that those changes both reflect and construct adolescent, gendered and national identities.

This course examines popular culture and society through sources such as manga, animated films, and feature films. These form the basis for reading, writing, and discussion. Special emphasis is placed on speech levels, male/female speech, formal/informal speech levels, informal speech, and slang and regional dialects.

This course is designed for students who wish to further improve their language skills in all areas: oral, aural, reading, and writing. The first half of the semester places special emphasis on writing and the second half of the semester on speaking, so that students will further develop their proficiency in these two areas as a preparation for advanced level courses. The course goal is to enable students to obtain intermediate to high intermediate level communication skills in both written and spoken Japanese. Students will be trained to write letters, messages, resumes, 2-4 page long compositions, reports, speeches, and to carry on longer and more natural conversations and participate in group discussion in Japanese.

This course is designed to further advance high intermediate Japanese learners' listening skills and to improve their vocabulary, sentence patterns and expressions as well as deepen their understanding of Japanese culture. Students explore contemporary Japanese usage and culture through Japanese TV dramas including animation and everyday listening materials. Although the focus is on listening, exposure to authentic Japanese materials will enhance students' communicative competence in their four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing).