General Course Outlines and/or Objectives

BEGINNING CONVERSATION -- Textbook: Japanese For Busy People (Lessons 1-10) by Kodansha International. Introduction to conversational Japanese. The development of survival listening and speaking skills, and basic vocabulary.  Upon completion of this course, you should be able to: talk about nationalities and occupations; introduce yourself and others; talk about a nearby object and its owner; ask for telephone numbers; talk about the times of meetings and parties; ask the hours of services in stores and hotels; ask the prices of items in a store and make a purchase; ask what the size, color, and country of origin of an item is, and buy them; buy items telling the clerk how many you need; talk about where you will go, when, and with whom; talk about traveling destinations, places and people to visit, dates and times, and means of transportation; talk about tourist destinations; describe what is inside a building; talk about numbers of things or people that exist in a particular place; talk about the whereabouts of things and people; talk about everyday doings--what you will do, when and where. NO WRITING IS TAUGHT IN THIS CLASS.

INTERMEDIATE CONVERSATION -- Textbook: Japanese For Busy People (Lessons 11-20) by Kodansha International.  (Prerequisite:  45  contact hours of Japanese or  its  equivalent).  Continuation of BEGINNING CONVERSATION. Upon completion of this course, you should be able to: say how frequently you do something and give a brief reason for why you do it, order food at a restaurant; talk about characteristics of things and people, use basic greetings when visiting people and receiving guests; talk about giving and receiving gifts, praise someone's possessions; express your thoughts about experiences, gratitudes, make telephone calls; talk about events, invite someone or be invited to an event; make plans with someone; talk about what you own, offer to help someone or accept or reject someone's offer, give reasons for offering someone something, invite someone to do something, or refuse someone's invitation; talk about weekend plans and travel plans, say what you will do in what order; ask to have something delivered by a specific means from a store or office, ask someone to do something for you, give discretions to a taxi driver; talk about going to a museum, length of stay, ask about travel times; ask for permission, grant or refuse permission.  NO WRITING IS TAUGHT IN THIS CLASS.

BEGINNING 1 -- Textbook: Basic Functional Japanese (Lessons 1-8) by the Japan Times. Workbook: Handy Katakana Workbook by Pearson Custom Publishing. Introduction to elementary Japanese writing (i.e., HIRAGANA) and sentence structures. Emphasis, however, will be on development of conversational skills. Upon completion of this level, the student will be able to: introduce himself or herself and others; greet and take leave; give information about self; express apologies; make requests; use numbers; ask, tell, and confirm prices; attract someone's attention; make offers; express gratitude; give orders using numbers; count objects; take taxis; give directions; make purchases; recommend something in Japanese. Computer software program may also be introduced.

BEGINNING 2 -- Textbook: Basic Functional Japanese (Lessons 9-15). Workbook: Handy Katakana Workbook. Continuation of BEGINNING 1. Introduction to KATAKANA characters, used for telegrams and foreign names or places and people, will be introduced. Upon completion of this level, the student will be able to: ask and tell time, express specific time and periods of time; ask and make comments on places; things, and events; express agreement and disagreement, uncertainty, intention and purpose; give reasons; express what one does, express likes and dislikes; compliment; combine nouns; make comments about something; express the action of going, coming and returning.

BEGINNING 3 -- Textbook: Basic Functional Japanese (Lessons 16-24). Some essential KANJI, Chinese characters, will be introduced. Upon completion of this level, the student will be able to: ask for and give locations; express probability; interrupt someone; state a decision; make requests using the verb-TE form; confirm information; ask and give destinations and routes; ask for suggestions and recommendations when going somewhere; learn the use of iie in Japanese; invite someone to join in making decisions; reiterate an accepted plan; accept or decline an invitation or offer; ask for permission; give permission or prohibit; ask for a preference; offer to do something for someone; use quantity expressions.

INTERMEDIATE 1 -- Textbooks: Situational Functional Japanese (Lessons 1-4, Vol. 1: Notes & Drills) by Bonjinsha. Continuation of BEGINNING 3. More KANJI will be introduced. Upon completion of this level, the student will be able to: introduce himself or herself and others, start and end a conversation, buy things and send mail at the post office, order meals and pay at the restaurant, ask whereabouts of things and people, confirm information.

INTERMEDIATE 2 -- Textbooks: Situational Functional Japanese (Lessons 5-8, Vol. 1: Notes & Drills). Continuation of INTERMEDIATE 1. All sentences are written in Japanese. Upon completion of this level, the student will be able to: ask information about a word, confirm understanding, ask for instructions, give an alternative, ask for telephone numbers, make an appointment, ask permission, and give a warning.

INTERMEDIATE 3 -- Textbooks: Situational Functional Japanese (Lessons 9-12, Vol. 2: Notes & Drills). Continuation of INTERMEDIATE 2 . Upon completion of this level, the student will be able to: consult a doctor, ask for advice, decline politely, cancel your order, ask for and give directions, confirm information, and express capability, and use levels of speech with great facility.

INTERMEDIATE 4 -- Textbooks: Situational Functional Japanese (Lessons 13-16, Vol. 2: Notes & Drills). Continuation of INTERMEDIATE 3 . Upon completion of this level, the student will be able to: apologize and give an excuse, make and accept an offer, describe things, thank or decline offers of help, propose a joint course of action, substantiate a point with reasons, phone a taxi and give directions to the driver.

INTERMEDIATE 5 -- Textbooks: Situational Functional Japanese (Lessons 17-20, Vol. 3: Notes & Drills). Continuation of INTERMEDIATE 4 . Upon completion of this level, the student will be able to: invite someone, accept or decline an invitation, ask to speak to someone, arrange to call again, leave a message, express praise, start a conversation, explain a procedure, express an opinion. Various aspects of Japanese culture will be introduced and discussed in class.

INTERMEDIATE 6 -- Textbooks: Situational Functional Japanese (Lessons 21-24, Vol. 3: Notes & Drills). Continuation of INTERMEDIATE 5 . Upon completion of this level, the student will be able to: complain, express anger, apologize, ask about the patient's condition, symptom, progress;  make a request, accept someone's request, make a proposal, voice disagreement, support someone else's view, ask for someone else's approval, avoid a definite statement.

INTERMEDIATE COMPOSITION -- Textbook(s): TBA. (Prerequisite: 150 contact hours of Japanese or its equivalent). After a few quarters of this course, the student will be able to: meet a number of practical writing needs; write short, simple letters involving personal preferences, daily routines, everyday events, brief synopses and paraphrases, summaries of biographical data, work and school experience, write a number of frequently-encountered Kanji, demonstrate a basic control of both simple and complex sentence structures; distinguish formal and informal styles.  [Currently Not Offered]

KANJI 1 & READING -- Textbook: Basic KANJI Book (Lessons 1-18, Vol. 1) by Bonjinsha and teacher-made materials. (Prerequisite: 150 contact hours of Japanese or its equivalent). Introduction to basic reading and writing of KANJI (Chinese characters). Acquisition of survival skills through reading modern Japanese. Approximately 200 essential KANJI characters will be introduced and taught through reading.  Through reading Kanji in Japanese sentences and paragraphs, the students will increase their knowledge of Kanji and sentence patterns.

KANJI 2 & READING -- Textbooks: Basic KANJI Book (Lessons 19-32, Vols. 1&2) and teacher-made materials. (Prerequisite: KANJI 1 or its equivalent). Continuation of KANJI 1. Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to: know and use in sentences the ON-KUN readings for approximately 370 KANJI characters. Through reading Kanji in Japanese sentences and paragraphs, the students will increase their knowledge of Kanji.  Fifty plus percent of class time will be spent on reading short stories and essays to increase your knowledge of word collocation and sentence patterns.

KANJI 3 & READING -- Textbook: Basic KANJI Book (Lessons 33-45, Vol. 2) and teacher-made materials. (Prerequisite: KANJI 2 or its equivalent). Continuation of KANJI 2. Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to: know and use in sentences the ON-KUN readings for approximately 500 KANJI characters. Through reading Kanji in Japanese sentences and paragraphs, the students will increase their knowledge of Kanji.  Fifty plus percent of class time will be spent on reading short stories and essays to increase your knowledge of word collocation and sentence patterns.

PRACTICAL COMMUNICATION -- Textbook(s): Nihongo Journal by ALC. (Prerequisites: 300 contact hours of Japanese or its equivalent & PT300). After several quarters of this course, the student will be able to: (a) expand vocabulary, comprehension, and other communication skills; (b) develop linguistic and communicative competence, understand "Speaking Rules" and the relation between linguistic form and function in Japanese; and (c) recognize degree of formality, uses of silence, appropriateness of questions, types of questions, gender and age-related restrictions depending on to whom and when he or she talks. The contents of this course will not be repeated from quarter to quarter.

JLPT Prep. Course -- Textbook(s): Nihongo Noryoku Shiken by Bonjinsha.  Students develop Japanese language proficiency (NIHONGO NORYOKU).  Acquire vocabulary, advanced grammar, and idioms to increase comprehension. Improve Kanji reading and writing skills.   Get to know the real NIHONGO NORYOKU SHIKEN's format, question types, and scoring.  Practice and learn key test-taking strategies for the Nihongo Noryoku Shiken.  Gain experience and confidence with practice tests, exercises, and essays.

READING FOR COMPREHENSION -- Textbook(s): TBA (high interest selections such as short stories, essays, newspaper & magazine articles, general stories, etc.). (Prerequisites: 350 contact hours of Japanese or its equivalent, & PT300). The instructor will help students analyze, synthesize and interpret general reading materials including some with abstract concepts; increase speed and comprehension in silent reading; develop the skill to deduce the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary from context; read for enjoyment; and at the same time gain new vocabulary words and sentence structures.

READING JAPANESE ONLINE -- Textbook(s): Not required. (Prerequisites: 2 years college Japanese, equivalent, or instructor consent). This course will provide an opportunity for students to develop intermediate level Japanese reading skills without commuting. Students log on and do their course work (reading assignments) online any time of the day. They interact with the instructor via email and eBulletin boards to do assigned tasks. Students also learn cultural information via various web links. Online sound wave is also available for the development of listening skills. Minimum (system) requirements: must have computers with audio and movie capabilities. [Currently Not Offered]

BEN YOSHIKAWA SCHOLARSHIP  Founded 2003
 

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