JA 101

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

LANGUAGE COMPONENT

Texts: Genki, An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, Vol. 1, Banno et al.
Workbook

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This part of the course will introduce you to the fundamentals of modern standard Japanese, placing equal emphasis on listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. During the two blocks you will learn both the hiragana and katakana phonetic syllabaries (47 symbols each) and about 60 kanji. You will also participate directly in the language through dialogues and activities. Cultural aspects of the Japanese language will be an important element stressed throughout the course in the cultural component. We will cook at least one Japanese meal together and watch Japanese videos.

By the end of Block 2 you will be able to use greetings, carry on a simple conversation, count ask for directions, and make purchases at a store - all in Japanese.

CLASS FORMAT:
We will meet from 9:00 - 12:00. Before class you will be expected to review material we have already covered and study the next lesson. In class I will give further grammatical and cultural explanations. Be prepared to participate actively in dialogue recitation, exercises from the text, and other activities based on the material.

My goals as your instructor are to teach you how to study the Japanese language (which will be different from most other languages you have learned), to discover how to motivate you in your learning process, and to have fun along the way. I look forward to seeing your Japanese communicative skills unfold during the next two months. Sachie Manabe, the Cultural Language Coordinator of the Japanese-Chinese Languages House, will also have office hours when you may ask for help with Japanese. Please contact us if you need extra help!

**You will also sign up for 10" per week for individual pronunciation and writing practice.

GRADE DETERMINANTS:
a) Daily attendance, both morning and afternoon, is mandatory. Let me know IN ADVANCE if you will be absent for a college-related activity. If you are too ill to attend class, telephone me that morning before class begins to let me know. Of course you should seek medical attention if you are ill. A large percentage of the grade will be based on class participation, including a daily class participation grade.

b) During class period, you will be required to recite dialogues and to participate in exercises and activities. If you have an excused absence on a recitation day, you may make up the recitation (both parts of the dialogue).

c) Outside of class you will be expected to spend one hour daily listening to the language lab CDs which accompany the text. For your convenience, they are located through the internal CC website.  You will also check out a handheld PDA which will help you to review vocabulary words, exercises from the textbook, and writing hiragana, katakana, and kanji.  You will also use these to complete the exercises in the workbook.

d) Full credit will be given for written homework only if it is handed in on the designated day (homework will be checked but not graded unless otherwise noted). If you are ill and have contacted me that morning before class, you may hand in the homework the next day. If you are absent for a college-related activity, you need to hand in all homework in advance.

e) There will be no automatic make-up quizzes or tests. You may take a make-up quiz or test the day after your absence only if you have cleared your absence with me in advance.

f) You are expected to adhere to The Colorado College honor code.

Class participation (attendance, recitation, drills, tape/video) 20%
Written homework to hand in 10%
Hiragana, katakana, kanji, and vocabulary quizzes (10) 10%
Tests (4) 30%
Exams at the end of each block (2) (25% oral interview, 75% written) 30%