Goals of the Japanese Language Program

JAPN 1102 Elementary Japanese II

ACTFL Intermediate Low

Basic Japanese grammar except passive, causative, and causative-passive forms

Speaking
  • the skill to talk about familiar topics related to daily life, such as one's self, family and school
Writing
  • the skills to write personal letters, notes, personal journals, e-mails, etc.
  • thorough skills in basic writing rules and penmanship
Reading
  • the skills to read personal letters, e-mails, short essays, simple stories, etc.
  • the ability to recognize the difference between spoken Japanese and written Japanese
Listening
  • the skill to understand daily conversation in basic personal and social contexts
Other outcomes
  • acquire survival skills in Japanese

 

JAPN 2202 Intermediate Japanese II

ACTFL Intermediate Mid Solid understanding and command of basic Japanese grammar including causative, passive, causative-passive, giving and receiving and transitive/intransitive verbs
Accurate use of intermediate-level vocabulary and expressions
Speaking
  • the skill to express familiar topics related to daily life smoothly and with appropriate usage that reflects the social hierarchy
  • the skill to create multiple-sentence narratives
Writing
  • the skill to distinguish written styles from speaking styles
  • the writing skill to use conjunctions and organize one's own idea and thought
Reading
  • the skills to read personal letters, e-mails, essays, etc.
Listening
  • the skill to understand paragraph-length speech and explanations, in addition to daily conversations
Other outcomes
  • gain appreciation and enthusiasm for cross-cultural understanding

 

JAPN 3302 Continuing Intermediate Japanese II

ACTFL Intermediate High-Advanced Low JLPT N2 Accurate use of intermediate/advanced-level vocabulary and expressions
Speaking
  • the skill to present one's opinion in paragraph form
  • the skill to use conjunctions appropriately, and to combine learned and new material to accurately express oneself
  • the skill to conduct presentations and interviews, and to participate in discussions
  • the strategies to deal with social situations with unexpected complications
Writing
  • the skill to summarize ideas and stories, etc.
  • the writing skill to use conjunctions and newly introduced expressions accurately
  • the writing skill to express one's own ideas and thoughts in organized paragraphs, including response essays
Reading
  • the skill to thoroughly read instructional materials written for Japanese language learners, e.g. essays and short stories
  • transitional strategies to go from careful/attentive reading to skimming, analyzing the structures of the materials
Listening
  • the skill to grasp the general idea and content of movies, dramas, interviews, videos, news on the internet, etc.
Other outcomes
  • deepen one's understand of other cultures
  • learn Japanese communicative skills in order to be comprehensible to native speakers unaccustomed to dealing with non-natives

 

JAPN 4402 Advanced Japanese II

ACTFL Advanced Mid JLPT N1 Accurate use of advanced-level vocabulary and expressions
The skills to organize thoughts and opinions on various topics, including abstract matters, and convey them accurately
Vocabulary and kanji for the level of JLPT N1
Speaking
  • the skill to summarize one's opinion and to present it accurately
  • to have sufficient control of the vocabulary for the JLPT N1 level
  • the skill to conduct presentations and participate and lead discussions with accuracy and fluency
  • the skill to express abstract concepts and describe scenes and one's feelings concretely
Writing
  • an understanding of grammatical structures necessary for an academic thesis and how to structure one's own thesis
  • the skill to summarize ideas and express them accurately
  • vocabulary and kanji for the JLPT N1 level
Reading
  • the skill to critically read various genres of published work, such as newspapers, essays, and short stories
  • vocabulary and kanji for the JLPT N1 level
Listening
  • the skill to develop a deeper understanding of video news on the internet, movies, dramas, interviews, documentaries, etc.
  • the skill to comprehend speech and announcements even in a noisy environment or crowded area (for example, announcements at an airport)
Other outcomes
  • further deepen understanding of other cultures
  • increase interest in international relations (Japan-US relations) and social issues

 

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