Japanese

Introductory Japanese welcomes Japan enthusiasts and curious minds who are ready to learn basic Japanese language and develop cultural awareness while gaining fundamental linguistic knowledge and oral communication skills at the Novice level. The course is designed for beginners with no or minimal exposure to Japanese. No prerequisite.

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.

New course in Japanese.

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.

JAPN 2020 is the continuation of JAPN 2010. Prerequisite: Must have earned a grade of C or above in JAPN 2010, 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.

Designed for students who wish to improve their oral conversation skills beyond the beginning level through online conversation with college students in Japan. Students generate conversations examining their own and their partners' cultural values, perceptions, perspectives, and attitudes. Prerequisite: JAPN 1020

New course in Japanese.

Using short stories, manga, and other materials selected in consultation with the instructor, students in this course will develop the ability to experience reading for pleasure in Japanese with ease and at a comfortable pace primarily employing grammar and vocabulary they are already familiar with. Prerequisite: JAPN 1020.

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.

Continuation of Third-Year Japanese, emphasizing comprehension and active reproduction of modern Japanese beyond the basic patterns of speech and writing. Continued introduction of topics on current Japanese culture and society. Prerequisite: Must have earned a grade of C or above in JAPN 3010, 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.

Food connects people; it is a vehicle for lives, and a facet of humanity. Investigating the social phenomena of Japanese food culture, students engage in active learning activities to stimulate discussions on the global context including cultural expressions, innovation, equity, and community. They also design a product to illustrate their reflective inquiry in further developing their culture and linguistic competency. Prerequisite: JAPN 3010.

New course in Japanese.

An introduction to the Japanese language as it was written from earliest times up until the mid-twentieth century. In addition to familiarizing students with grammatical fundamentals of literary Japanese and their differences from the modern language, the course will introduce students to representative writing styles from a wide variety of genres and historical periods. Prerequisite: JAPN 3010 or equivalent background.

This course is an advanced language seminar of Japanese and aims to enhance students' skills to think and communicate in Japanese. With a specific focus on the theory and practice of translation, students translate a wide range of Japanese materials into English, while reading about and discussing the concept of "translation" itself. Prerequisite: JAPN 3020 or instructor's permission.

This advanced Japanese language course aims to cultivate future professionals who will acquire awareness of cross-cultural differences that enable them to operate effectively in the global world. Critical thinking and communication skills will be emphasized.

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.

Independent Study in Japanese.