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Japanese Post Beginners (L83) - Not offered in 2018/19

Please note: this course will not be offered in 2018/19

Summary

Level:

This course is designed for students who completed the absolute beginners course. Students are expected to have fundamental knowledge of Japanese and be able to comprehend and produce simple statements. The ability to write and read Hiragana is essential.

Main Objectives:

This course is designed to develop the absolute minimum of Japanese skills to survive in Japan. Students will acquire the ability to comprehend and produce simple statements and develop the communicative skills to deal with essential everyday situations, including making a request, making plans with someone, accept or reject someone’s offer, and ask permission.

One of the writing systems; Katakana will be introduced.

Please read our Can-do Statements (link on the right of this page) to see the competences which you will be working towards and can achieve by the end of the year.

Teaching:

1 x 2 hour class per week plus some independent learning.

 

Course Text

The Revised 3rd Edition of JAPANESE FOR BUSY PEOPLE I (Kana version), The Association for Japanese-Language Training (AJALT); Kodansha International 2012, ISBN: 978-1568363851

A copy can be purchased from the University Bookshop.

Course Description

This course is designed to develop the absolute minimum of Japanese skills to survive in Japan. Students will acquire the ability to comprehend and produce simple statements and develop the communicative skills to deal with essential everyday situations, including making a request, making plans with someone, accept or reject someone’s offer, and ask permission.One of the writing systems; Katakana will be introduced.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes: By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1) Talk about the characteristics of things and people
2) Use basic greetings when visiting people and receiving guests
3) Express your thought about experiences
4) Make a telephone call
5) Talk about events
6) Invite someone to an event
7) Make plans with someone
8) Talk about one’s possession
9) Offer to help someone
10) Accept or reject someone’s offer
11) Talk about schedules in detail
12) Ask someone to do something for you
13) Give directions

14) Talk about means of transportation, departure and arrival times
15) Talk about lengths of stays and travel times
16) Talk about where you live, where you work
17) Talk about someone’s likes, skills and interest
18) Talk about what you want to do
19) Exchange information about mutual interest

Syllabus

Unit 6 to 11 of the textbook (Japanese for Busy People 1) covers the following.

Topics

  • receiving hospitality;
  • giving compliments;
  • expressing gratitude;
  • invitations;
  • participating in a festival;
  • talking about plans;
  • making a request;
  • going to an art museum;
  • at an art museum;
  • busy at the moment;
  • responding to an inquiry;
  • being introduced to someone;
  • at a party.

Grammar

  • nouns;
  • verbs conjugation (current and past tense);
  • adjectives conjugation (current and past tense);
  • particles;
  • interrogatives;
  • sentence patterns;
  • numbers and counters;
  • ko-so-a-do words;
  • countries, nationalities and languages;
  • extent, frequency, quantity;
  • time expressions;
  • Te form.

Skills

Because of the cumulative nature of language learning, it is essential that students attend all the sessions and keep up with the course work where possible. Students are required to do all assignments and homework on time.