Subjects, Credits and Languages used in the courses

The courses offered at the Center for Japanese Language and Culture are the Japanese Language Courses, the Japanese/English Language Seminars, and the Lecture Courses in Japanese Studies. The names and credits of each subject offered and languages used in the classes are as listed separately. The Center considers a class of the Japanese language Courses and the Japanese/English language Seminars that meets one hour once a week (x 15 weeks) as one credit, and a class of the Lecture Courses in Japanese Studies that meets two hours once a week (x 15 weeks) as two credits.

Japanese Language Courses, Japanese/English Language Seminars, and Lecture Courses in Japanese Studies

The Japanese Language Courses are divided into eight different levels – elementary level, upper elementary level, pre-intermediate level, intermediate level, upper intermediate level, pre-advanced level, advanced level and high advanced level – according to each student’s Japanese ability. The program at the Center for Japanese Language and Culture is for students who have studied Japanese for more than one year. (The Center does not offer beginners’ courses.) At each level, the courses feature the Japanese classes designed to comprehensively develop the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, and those other courses which specifically emphasize reading comprehension, written expressions and oral expressions. The entire program attempts to efficiently reinforce what students have studied by frequent exercises and to develop it so as to allow the students’ campus life and studies to run smoothly. The level each student starts at is assigned on the basis of their scores on the placement test, which is conducted at the beginning of each semester.

The Japanese Language Seminars mainly help students prepare for the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students, and Japanese Language Proficiency Test, and others, at the level suited to each student’s Japanese language ability. By the same token, the English Language Seminars mainly help students prepare for university entrance examinations and others, according to their English language skills.

The Lecture Courses in Japanese Studies contribute to student’s understanding of the Japanese language, culture and society, both present and past, in their entirety. Several subjects are offered to help students get accustomed to their life in Japan as quickly as possible and pursue a successful academic career. Learning about Japanese traditions and culture through extracurricular activities and field trips will be an invaluable experience for better understanding of Japan.

Furthermore, it is planned to offer a series of new courses from 2009 on, the “Lecture Courses in International Studies”.

The above curriculum allows students to study modern Japanese language and other general subjects related to Japan through various courses that cover a wide a range of topics.

Japanese Language Courses

• Level I (Elementary Level)

This course is designed to help students master the minimum essentials of conversational and written expressions and phrases necessary in daily life. It is aimed at mastering the 1,500 basic words and 300 basic kanji.

• Level II (Upper Elementary Level)

This course is to develop students’ understanding of basic grammar and usage through use of a general textbook for elementary Japanese. It is also designed to develop the well-balanced four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, conducting listening practice using videos and audio cassettes. This course is aimed at mastering the 2,000 basic words and 500 basic kanji.

• Level III (Pre-Intermediate Level)

After reviewing the elementary-level Japanese for the first 4 to 6 weeks with the original course materials, students start learning about 50 most important sentence patterns through use of a general textbook for intermediate level. This course is aimed at helping students gain the ability to read short written passages on various topics using previously studied grammar, and to make speeches on topics familiar to the students. It is also designed to improve the command of writing well-organized passages using both kanji and kana, and to master the 3,000 basic words and 600 to 750 basic kanji. The course also includes listening practice using videos and audio cassettes.

• Level IV (Intermediate Level)

This course is designed to master the 100 most important sentence patterns for intermediate students through close reading of the textbook and listening practice, and also to improve the students’ understanding and command of kanji and vocabulary. In this course, the students are expected to read passages from intermediate-level texts, such as simple newspaper articles and stories. They are also required to write letters and simple reports on topics familiar to them, and to have conversation practices based on role-playing, and to present their opinions individually and in groups. This course is aimed at mastering the 4,000 basic words and 800 basic kanji.

• Level V (Upper Intermediate Level)

This course is aimed to master the 200 most important sentence patterns for intermediate-level students, understand fairly complicated sentence structures, and improve the ability to read written pieces on various topics. It is designed to improve students’ command of general Japanese by learning how to present opinions individually and in groups, how to use conversational expressions necessary to deal with situations in daily life, and how to write simple reports and letters. This course is also aimed at mastering the 6,000 basic words and 1,000 to 1,200 basic kanji.

• Level VI (Pre-Advanced Level)

This course is designed to further improve the command of intermediate-level sentence patterns and to master the 50 most important sentence patterns for advanced-level students. It is aimed at developing the students’ ability to understand long reading passages through the analysis of grammar and sentence structures, and to participate in debates or make speeches. In this course, the students are expected to learn how to research and write reports and essays, and to acquire the command of practical Japanese necessary for study and research in a Japanese university. This course is also aimed at mastering the 8,000 basic words and 1,500 basic kanji.

• Level VII (Advanced Level)

This course is designed to further improve the command of intermediate-level sentence patterns and to master the 100 most important sentence patterns for advanced-level students. It is aimed at improving the students’ command of practical Japanese necessary for study and research. This course is also aimed at mastering the 10,000 basic words and 2,000 basic kanji.

• Level VIII (High Advanced Level)

This course is for those students who have completed advanced-level studies, to acquire a high-level proficiency in Japanese. It is designed to further improve the advanced-level proficiency in reading through use of literary texts, magazine and newspaper articles as main course materials. It is also aimed at cultivating the students’ ability to appreciate works of literature, using their knowledge of natural and advanced-level expressions in writing and speaking, and to express their opinions freely on various topics.

Japanese/English Language Seminars

• Japanese Language Seminars A to E

These seminars are aimed at improving students’ academic performance based on their individual abilities, ranging from reinforcing the individual ability of elementary and intermediate level students, to helping students prepare for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students.

• Intermediate Japanese Grammar Overview A， B

This course is designed for those who want to learn intermediate（N2~N3 Level in JLPT）Japanese grammar overview. The goal of this class is to master grammar, vocabulary, and Chinese characters in Intermediate Japanese through reviewing exercises.

• Advanced Japanese Grammar Overview A， B

This course is designed for those who want to learn advanced Japanese grammar overview. The goals of this class are to understand typical functional words in advanced Japanese grammar, and to establish a learning strategy in advanced Japanese grammar in practical usageg.

• Summer Intensive Japanese Language Seminar

This seminar is designed for those in Level Ⅱto Level Ⅳ（Level Ⅰ students are negotiable）. It aims to enable students to intensively review the whole contents of studies given during the Spring Semester so that they will be fully prepared for the Fall Semester. This helps the students gain a firm foothold for the next step they will be taking.

• English Language Seminars A， B

These seminars, providing guidance based on their individual abilities, aim to improve the students’ English proficiency to the level required for entrance examinations to universities or graduate schools in Japan.

Lecture Courses in Japanese Studies

These courses offer the students the opportunities to study and analyze Japan from various perspectives, such as its language, arts, philosophy, religion, law, politics, economy, history, life and society. A wide variety of courses, including extracurricular activities, are offered to deepen students’ understanding of Japan. Some of these courses are conducted in languages other than Japanese, such as English, German, Spanish and Chinese.

In addition to the above courses, it is planned to offer the “Lecture Courses in International Studies” from 2009 on, a new series of courses covering a wide range of topics.

*For students hoping to enter the intensive Japanese language program, please see the Admission orientation for international students and read the information on entering the language program.

Lecture Courses in International Studies

Lecture Courses in International Studies have been designed to deepen the student’s knowledge about international education and understanding. These courses teach world history, -culture, - business and -media.