Course description
This course is designed for students who have some knowledge of Japanese, or who have completed MODL 1171. It is aimed at developing basic oral and written communicative skills, through the study of vocabulary, grammar, and culture. Japanese is spoken in class as much as possible.
Course content
Systematic introduction of:
- Basic syntactic structures
- Basic lexicon
- Elements of hiragana, katakana, and kanji
- The phonological system of Japanese
- Some aspects of Japanese culture
Learning activities
The communicative approach is used.
Classroom activities may include:
- presentation of material by the instructor, in person or online synchronously or asynchronously;
- practice in pairs and small groups;
- listening comprehension;
- audio-visual activities;
- task-based conversation practice;
- student presentations;
- conversation labs in small groups.
Means of assessment
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student's record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as a part of the student's graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation must be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
Example of Evaluation Scheme:
Written Evaluations
(May include but not limited to writing and reading exercises, lesson quizzes, paragraph writing, written homework, preparation, final written exam) |
60% |
Oral Evaluations
(May include but not limited to oral tests, oral presentations, listening comprehension, conversation lab, attendance, preparation, class participation, final oral exam) |
40% |
No single evaluation will be worth more than 20%.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of simple spoken discourse (formal and informal styles of speech);
- Demonstrate understanding of simple written texts (hiragana, katakana, and a minimum of 145 kanji);
- Conduct simple communicative tasks and conversations (using formal and informal styles of speech), such as expressing thoughts and opinions, quoting someone's speech, expressing needs and wants, and giving advice;
- Construct simple written expressions, such as short paragraphs and diaries, using hiragana, katakana and kanji;
- Articulate understanding of target cultures.
Textbook materials
Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester.
Example texts may include a beginner level Japanese textbook such as:
- Banno et al. GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I. The Japan Times. (current edition)