Catalog Description

Prerequisite: Completion of JPN 1 or two years of high school Japanese with grade of "C" or better
Hours: 72 lecture
Description: Continuation of JPN 1 with increased emphasis on reading, writing and grammatical forms. Stresses vocabulary, idioms, postpositions, and grammar. Study of more complex subordinate phrases and clauses. Includes Hiragana, as well as, Katakana and simple Kanji ideographs. Further study of geography, customs, and culture of Japan. (CSU, UC)

Course Student Learning Outcomes

  • CSLO #1: Recognize and paraphrase elementary Japanese spoken in present and past tenses at moderate conversational speed.
  • CSLO #2: Produce accurate pronunciation with grammatically correct sentences in Novice High level conversations.
  • CSLO #3: Recognize and explain what is read in present and past tenses from any elementary reading passage.
  • CSLO #4: Write short sentences and paragraphs in present and past tenses using appropriate syntax with hiragana and katakana/kanji.
  • CSLO #5: Compare and contrast cultural perspectives based on reading, discussions and videos.

Effective Term

Fall 2020

Course Type

Credit - Degree-applicable

Contact Hours

72

Outside of Class Hours

144

Total Student Learning Hours

216

Course Objectives

1. Read 46 hiragana and katakana syllables and recognize 145 kanji characters.
2. Demonstrate the use of informal and formal speech and employ these speech levels correctly.
3. Express a desire politely.
4.Express both written and orally the year, date, the days of the week and one's academic year.
5. Describe symptoms and illnesses.
6. Describe the weather forecast.
7. Formulate gerund form using nominalizers "no" and "koto".
8. Express, both orally and in written form, one's past experience using "shita koto ga arimasu".
9. Give permission and express prohibition.
10. Compare objects using comparative and superlative.
11. Qualify to become a candidate to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, Level 4 (minimum mastery of 100 Kan'ji) administered by the Japan Foundation.
12. Describe a tangible object by employing a verb.
13. Express planned activities and purposeful action by using motion verbs.
14. Count small items, people, money, books, animals, cups, stamps and shoes using the appropriate counters.
15. In both oral and written form, express an ongoing action in the present and in the past.
16. Express the change of one's status by employing the pattern of '-NI narimasu'.
17. Discuss the cultural tradition of Japanese flower viewing.
18. Locate on a map of Japan its geographic regions and provinces.
19. Discuss the history and culture of important regions in Japan.
20. Compare and contrast Japanese and American classrooms.

General Education Information

  • Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability
    • AA/AS - Literature & Language
    • AA/AS - Multicultural Studies
  • CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval)
    • CSUGE - C2 Humanities
  • Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval)
    • IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval)
      • IGETC - 3B Humanities
      • IGETC - 6A Lang other than Eng

    Articulation Information

    • CSU Transferable
    • UC Transferable

    Methods of Evaluation

    • Classroom Discussions
      • Example: Read the article about Japanese office workers and discuss the working environment (overtime work, stress, and holidays etc) in Japan.
    • Essay Examinations
      • Example: Write a questionnaire and ask the questions to several students. Then, write a report based on the results.
    • Objective Examinations
      • Example: Sue wrote a letter to her friend, Tomoko, who is in London. Read the letter and answer the questions. Tomoko san he. ogenki desuka. London wa samuidesuka. nihon wa totemo samuidesu. ima watashi wa hoomustei o shiteimasu. nihonno kazoku to daigakuno chikaku ni sundeimasu. kokoha ookikute totemo nigiyaka desu. Write "T" if the statement is true. Write "F" is the statement is false. 1. ( ) Sue lives with her host family and their house is near the college. 2. ( ) The city where Sue lives is small but lively. 3. ( ) Sue's host father works for a post office. 4. ( ) Sue's host mother said that her work is tough.
    • Projects
      • Example: With a partner, students prepare several slides about an upcoming trip in Japan and present them to the class.
    • Skill Demonstrations
      • Example: Rewrite the following words in quotes in Kan'ji script (Grade based on accuracy). 1. Kyoo wa "ni" "gatsu" "juu" "go" "nichi", "getsu" yoo "bi" desu. 2. Yoshi"ko" san no "suki' na "hana" wa chuurippu desu. 3. Ima, "Nihon" no Fuji"san" ga totemo "mi"tai desu ne.

    Repeatable

    No

    Methods of Instruction

    • Lecture/Discussion
    • Distance Learning

    Lecture:

    1. The instructor will write and explain vocabulary words and verbs related to the lesson on the board. Students will practice copying them in their notebook. The instructor will use visuals to help students memorize the new words. Examples: verb te-form conjugation: あう(au)、まつ(matsu)、とる(toru)　→　って(tte) よむ(yomu)、あそぶ(asobu)、しぬ(shinu)　　→　んで(nde) かく(kaku)　→　いて(ite) およぐ(oyogu)　→　いで(ide) す(su)　→　して(shite) くる(kuru)　→　きて(kite) する(suru)　→　して(shite) いく(iku)　→　いって(itte)
    2. The instructor will play the CD for the lesson while the students do the "Listening Practice" in the textbook. The instructor will pause and repeat as necessary while the students answer questions. After the listening practice is over, the instructor will go over important concepts related to grammar or vocabulary with the students.

    Distance Learning

    1. The instructor provides weekly summaries (in Japanese) of the material to be covered during the upcoming week. At the beginning of each week, the instructor also provides PowerPoint video lectures covering the relevant grammar, writing (including kanji) and reading material both in Japanese and English. After watching the videos, the students will have to complete several assigned reading and writing exercises from the textbook. The instructor gives students feedbacks about their work through LMS. The instructor also arranges optional weekly video conferencing meetings to discuss with students their assessments. For example, in lesson 8, the students will learn casual forms and have to watch the video about short form conjugation. After watching it, they have to fill in the form table in the workbook (it’s used as homework). In the table, there are dictionary, short negative, long affirmative and te forms (they learned the latter two in Japanese 1). So, the instructor can check not only if the students have learned the new formats, but also if they remember the formats from Japanese
    2. The instructor gives the feedback through SpeedGrader in LMS, emails them, or talks with students through video conferencing about their work. (Objective 4)
    3. The instructor provides a topic for self-introduction videos, which the students have to prepare and upload to the discussion board at the begging of the semester. In these videos the students have to speak in Japanese and use grammar, which they have learned the previous semester during Japanese
    4. The students have to comment on at least two of the videos prepared by their classmates. In the self-introduction, students have to include an opening phrase (normally, a greeting like “hello”), their names, year of study, major, and describe their favorite or disliked things. Then they have to make a closing phrase (e.g. “good-bye”) and bow (Japanese people do it customarily). They use polite forms. They have to comment on their classmates’ self-introductions, e.g. by saying “good” or “I like it too,” or use even longer phrases if they can in Japanese. The instructor will give them comments through the discussion board, but the feedback should be positive. Since this exercise is at the beginning of the semester, and the students are still adjusting to use Japanese, giving them positive feedbacks is encouraging. The instructor provides feedback on the discussion board.

    Typical Out of Class Assignments

    Reading Assignments

    1. Read the dialogue presented in each lesson to learn vocabulary and useful expressions related to the theme or situation developed in each lesson. Prepare to answer questions in class about the dialogue. Example: Read the Sue's journal and answer the questions. 十一月二十五日（土）雨 今日は朝から雨がふっていた。午前中は友だちにメールを書いて、１時間ぐらい音楽を聞いた。昼ごろメアリーの家へ行った。白くて大きい家だった。メアリーのホストファミリーの山本さんに会った。(continue) It has been raining since the morning. I e-mailed my friend in the morning and listened to music for about an hour. Around noon, I went to Mary's house. Her house was white and big. I met Mary's host family, the Yamamoto family, there. Sample questions: Mark ◯ if the following statements are true. Mark × if not true. 1. ( ) Sue received an old kimono. 2. ( ) The host father was short and thin. 3. ( ) The weather was not good. 4. ( ) Mary's host family's name is Yamada. 2. Read questions in Hiragana and Kan'ji characters in the workbook and be prepared to answer them accordingly.

    Writing, Problem Solving or Performance

    1. Students practice reading and writing 145 kanji characters with 116 different readings using kanji (character). Students practice speaking with a kanji practice sheet. 2. Students write responses in Hiragana and Kanji (characters) to questions related to the calendar (days, months...) in the workbook.

    Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.)

    1. Introduce yourself orally in front of the class in Japanese. Make sure to use vocabulary pertaining to the lesson.

    Required Materials

    • Genki, An integrated course in elementary Japanese
      • Author: Eri Banno, Yoko Ikeda, Yutaka Ohno
      • Publisher: Japan Times/Tsai Fong Books
      • Publication Date: 2011
      • Text Edition: 2nd
      • Classic Textbook?:
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • Workbook. Genki, An integrated course in elementary Japanese
      • Author: Eri Banno, Yoko Ikeda, Yutaka Ohno
      • Publisher: Japan Times/Tsai Fong Books
      • Publication Date: 2011
      • Text Edition: 2nd
      • Classic Textbook?:
      • OER Link:
      • OER:

    Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.