Japanese

Introduces the basic speech patterns and grammatical units, including casual, daily spoken style, and the polite speech used in formal occasions. Emphasizes speaking, listening, and reading. Writing hiragana, katakana, and 200 kanji are also introduced.

The second in a two-semester introduction to modern Japanese. Introduces the basic speech patterns and grammatical units, including casual, daily spoken style, and the polite speech used in formal occasions. Emphasizes speaking, listening, and reading. Writing hiragana, katakana, and 200 kanji are also introduced. Prerequisite: Must have earned a grade of C or above in JAPN 1010, OR have equivalent background approved by instructor through placement evaluation. Contact the Japanese language program director Prof. Mieko Kawai (mk5aj@virginia.edu) for information about the placement evaluation.

Continuation of Elementary Japanese introducing more complex sentence patterns, idioms, and vocabulary to prepare students for an intermediate-level communication. Reinforces spoken Japanese skills with writing and reading exercises, and 250 kanji are introduced. Prerequisite: Must have earned a grade of C or above in JAPN 1020, OR have equivalent background approved by instructor through placement evaluation. Contact the Japanese language program director Prof. Mieko Kawai (mk5aj@virginia.edu) for information about the placement evaluation.

Emphasizes comprehension and active reproduction of modern Japanese beyond the basic patterns of speech and writing. Various topics on current Japanese culture and society are introduced. Prerequisite: Must have earned a grade of C or above in JAPN 2020, OR have equivalent background approved by instructor through placement evaluation. Contact the Japanese language program director Prof. Mieko Kawai (mk5aj@virginia.edu) for information about the placement evaluation.

For students residing in the Japanese group in Shea House. Prerequisite: instructor permission.

This course focuses on establishing a foundation for advanced Japanese language study by introducing strategies for developing reading and listening comprehension on everyday topics, including skimming, scanning, and kanji-recognition. Students completing the course will be eligible to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at the N3 level. Prerequisite: Students must have taken JAPN 2020, OR get approval from the instructor through placement evaluation. Contact the Japanese language program director Prof. Mieko Kawai (mk5aj@virginia.edu) for information about the placement evaluation.

In this course, students will interpret, analyze, and discuss various media for education, business and entertainment--such as newspaper articles, blogs, and statistics--in order to gain a deeper linguistic and cultural understanding of contemporary Japan by comparing and contrasting different perspectives on current issues. Prerequisite: JAPN 3020 or equivalent background.