JPN 1 - First Semester Japanese

Transfer Status

CSU/UC

Unit(s)

4.00

• Lecture: 68.00 Contact hours/136.00 Out of class hours/204.00 Total hours/4.00 Unit(s)
• Total: 68.00 Contact hours/136.00 Out of class hours/204.00 Total hours/4.00 Unit(s)

Course Description: This course is a study of beginning Japanese emphasizing reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension. It also introduces the student to various aspects of Japanese culture. Students who have completed at least one, but fewer than two years of high school Japanese (or equivalent) with a letter grade of "A" or "B" within one year of the present date, should register for Second Semester Japanese.

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. recognize and begin to imitate Japanese pronunciation
2. comprehend basic Japanese at the introductory level
3. speak basic Japanese at the introductory level
4. write basic Japanese at the introductory level, specifically the letters of 'Hiragana' and 'Katakana'
5. formulate arguments supporting the importance of second language acquisition
6. describe elements of the Japanese culture

Topic Titles / Suggested Time Topic

Lecture

1. Collaborative Group Work
2. Discussion
3. Homework: Students are required to complete two hours of outside-of-class homework for each hour of lecture
4. Lecture
5. Multimedia Presentations
6. Reading Assignments
7. The class will be conducted in Japanese except when English is needed to explain structural elements and to give other important explanations

1. Quizzes
2. Oral Presentation
3. Class participation
4. Exams

Reading Assignments

1. Read a series of brief descriptions about Japanese culture including Japanese bowing, Japanese names, Japanese currency, Japanese houses, and Japanese festivals. Additional reading resources will be provided in class.
2. Read a text that describes the geography and climate of Japan, and discuss and compare them with native geography and climate. Consider how the geography and climate influence Japanese language and cultural practices.

Writing Assignments

1. Create a half-page written dialogue in Japanese between a customer and a waiter in a restaurant, using appropriate expressions including greetings, asking what things are, asking for prices, and expressing gratitude.
2. Write a half-page essay in Japanese to introduce your hometown, including size of the town, weather, things to do, places to go, food to eat, and what you like about the town.

Out-of-Class Assignments

1. Create a portfolio (paper or digital) to keep track of learning progress. It includes learning outcomes for each lesson (provided by instructor), personal goals, studying journals, and self-evaluation and reflection. The goal is to complete a half-page per week.
2. Research a particular part of Japan where you would be interested in traveling. Using regionally specific information, develop a one-page list of questions (and possible answers) that you might ask a local resident of that area.

Banno Eri. (2020). Genki Volume 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese. Japan Times, 3rd. 978-4789017305.

Banno Eri. (2020). Genki Workbook Volume 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese. Japan Times, 3rd. 978-4789017312.

Mayumi Satoru. (2021). Tobira 1: Beginning Japanese. Kuroshioshuppan, Bilingual. 978-4874248706.

Other Learning Materials

Benno, E.,Ohno, Y., Sakane, Y., & Shinagawa, C.. An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese GENKI workbook, ed. The Japan Time, 1999

Foreign Languages (Masters Required)