Takako Kojima

This is the first half of a yearlong course that is designed for students who are beginning the study of Japanese. This course introduces basic Modern Standard Japanese and provides students with language skills through intensive practice and with knowledge of various aspects of the Japanese culture. Students also learn three types of Japanese orthography: hiragana, katakana and approximately 70 kanji. This course includes required practice sessions with a teaching assistant, which are scheduled at the beginning of the semester. Students enrolled in this course are automatically added to JAPN 112Y for the spring semester. No prerequisite. Offered every fall.

This second half of a yearlong course is a continuation of JAPN 111Y. The second semester continues to introduce basic Modern Standard Japanese and provides students with language skills through intensive practice and with knowledge of various aspects of the Japanese culture. Students are expected to build a solid foundation in the Japanese grammar while developing communicative skills in Japanese. Students also learn approximately 100 kanji. This course includes required practice sessions with a teaching assistant, which are scheduled at the beginning of the semester. Prerequisite: JAPN 111Y or equivalent with permission of the instructor. Offered every spring.

In this course, we explore a wide range of topics related to Japanese culture and society, such as food, religion, popular culture and performing arts. In addition to deepening students’ understanding of Japanese culture, this course seeks to further enhance reading, speaking, listening and writing proficiency in the Japanese language. Moreover, it helps students gain skills in research and presentation in Japanese. This course is conducted in Japanese. This course is repeatable for credit up to 1.0 unit. Prerequisite: JAPN 213Y–214Y or equivalent. Offered every year.