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This course is designed for students with little or no previous knowledge of the Japanese language. Teaching will focus on the four basic language skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. At the end of the course, students should be able to read and write the kana scripts, know a range of Japanese vocabulary, and understand and actively use some elements of basic modern grammar. They will be able to conduct simple conversations in Japanese and will be familiar with key cultural aspects.
This course is designed for students with little or no previous knowledge of the Japanese language. Teaching will focus on the four basic language skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. At the end of the course, students should be able to read and write the kana scripts, know a range of Japanese vocabulary, and understand and actively use some elements of basic modern grammar. They will be able to conduct simple conversations in Japanese and will be familiar with key cultural aspects.The course consists of three classroom hours per week, with one ‘flipped lesson’ where students will, in their own time, watch two or more short videos on the week’s grammar and kanji characters. Interaction, participation and collaboration with classmates in Japanese all play an important part in classroom lessons, as well as in learning vocabulary, grammar and kanji characters.ExpectationsStudents in this course are expected to attend three classes per week – on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They are expected to complete all assignments and all homework. Students should be aware that this course is fast-paced and quite intensive. While it is designed in such a way that the workload is manageable, it requires continued and focused learning in class and consistent learning outside class time.Note on attendance/Te Tae-ā-tinana: Languages are learned by doing, and the tutorial-style sessions in this course are designed to create an atmosphere in which students can try out their language skills on each other. If you do not attend regularly and do not keep up with the work, you will therefore not only be hindering your own progress, but you will also be holding back the other students with whom you are working.Students may not record the lectures without the permission of the lecturer. Students are expected to purchase the prescribed textbooks. Students should feel free to ask questions and seek clarification of points they might not have fully grasped from the lectures, either during class, at the end of class, or from the lecturer in person during office hours, or by phone or email outside of office hours.
As a student in this course, you will:Acquire skills in all four areas of the language (reading, writing, speaking and listening), which will become the foundation for developing strategies and skills needed to interact in Japanese.By the end of the course students should:Be able to understand and actively use approximately 300 Japanese words and phrases;Be able to actively apply basic Japanese grammar and expressions used in simple everyday situations (e.g., greetings, shopping, telling the time and ordering at a restaurant);Be able to read and write the kana syllabaries (hiragana and katakana);Be able to read and write 58 kanji characters;Have developed learner autonomy and reflective skills;Have acquired skills and competencies transferrable to a variety of disciplines;Have some intercultural awareness and sensitivity.(Image "View of Shinjuku skyscrapers and Mount Fuji as seen from the Bunkyo Civic Center in Tokyo" by Morio, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence.)
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:
Employable, innovative and enterprising
Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.
Biculturally competent and confident
Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.
Engaged with the community
Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.
Globally aware
Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.
JAPA141, JAPA115, JAPA127
Masayoshi Ogino
Eri Kojima
Eri Banno, Yoko Ikeda et al; Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 1 ; 3rd Edition; Japan Times, 2020.
Eri Banno, Yoko Ikeda et al; Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese Workbook 1 ; 3rd Edition; Japan Times, 2020.
There is an AKO|LEARN component to this course. Other material, which may be helpful, can be found in the Library Subject Guides
Library portalAKO|LEARN
Domestic fee $821.00
International fee $3,750.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .