Undergraduate Course: Japanese Language Beginner (ASST08059)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | An integrated introduction to spoken and written Japanese for those with little or no previous knowledge of the language. The course will include kana writing (Japanese phonetic writing), and an introduction to some kanji (Japanese Characters), approximately 90-100.
Teaching will be aimed at enabling students to speak, read and write Modern Japanese at a post beginner level, equivalent to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages level A1.
The course provides essential grounding for the continuation course Japanese Language Post Beginner and subsequent Japanese language study.
A good deal of private study is necessary to meet the requirements of the course.
This course is intended primarily for students taking Japanese honours and priority will be given to those students when spaces are limited. Students wishing to enrol on the course as an outside subject are invited to email the course administrator to be placed on the waiting list.
This course is not available to native or near-native speakers of Japanese. If in doubt, contact the Course Organiser.
A placement test and questionnaire on students' background in Japanese language studies will be conducted in the induction session. |
| Course description |
Japanese Language Beginner will cover all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing). It will introduce the three sets of Japanese characters, grammar and vocabulary at the elementary level of Japanese language, such as numbers, location words, verbs in present and past tenses, adjectives etc through a lot of fun communicative activities in class. It also covers useful expressions for daily life such as shopping, ordering at a restaurant, asking for directions, talking about weather etc.
Japanese Language Beginner is taught through a series of classes focused on different aspects of language learning. These classes are expected to be supplemented by individual study. The teaching activities will follow this pattern on a weekly basis:
- The Conversation and Grammar class covers the Conversation and Grammar section of the textbooks.
- The Reading and Writing class covers the Reading and Writing section of the textbooks, including kanji characters.
- The Tutorial covers the Workbooks of the textbooks.
- The Oral Tutorial focuses on developing speaking skills including pronunciation and useful phrases in real situations.
There will be class tests and regular homework throughout the year, as well as oral activities (e.g. presentations and role plays) and composition assignments. Formative feedback to support your learning will be given orally in class or in written form. You are also expected to do a set of group work with peer feedback element.
Be sure to read the additional class delivery information before enrolling on this course.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Textbooks (approximate costs: Genki 1 textbook: £45.50; Genki 1 Workbook: £20.50. Supplemental textbook for self-study for kanji characters: Kanji Look and Learn Textbook: £23.50; Kanji Look and Learn workbook) |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 66,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
128 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
40 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
20 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Degree exams (60%): 2 hour written paper (40%) in December/May diet, Practical exams (20%)«br /»
Course work (40%): class activities and tests, writing assignments and group project. |
| Feedback |
Feedback is an essential element of all aspects of the course. You will receive timely and detailed feedback on your formal homework assignments and class tests. You will also receive informal feedback throughout each semester on your performance in classes. You should make use of both forms of feedback to help you see where you are doing well, as well as areas which need improvement. Effective use of feedback will help you improve on your performance in final and degree examinations. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- use very basic Japanese grammar, vocabulary and expressions, at Common European Framework of Reference for Languages level A1.
- read and write very simple messages and personal letters with hiragana, katakana and about up to 100 kanji characters.
- understand and to use familiar and simple everyday expressions and very basic phrases such as introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, likes/dislikes, and things he/she has.
- interact in a simple way provided the other person talks very slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
- utilise basic skills of self-study of the language especially with technology such as use of online dictionaries, and master the basic writing skills of Japanese text on computer / mobile devices.
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Reading List
Essential textbooks:
1. GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I [Second Edition]
[ With a CD-ROM for Win & Mac ]
Author: Eri Banno, Yoko Ikeda, Yutaka Ohno, Chikako Shinagawa, Kyoko Tokashiki,
ISBN 978-4-7890-1440-3, Publisher: The Japan Times, Published: 11/02/2011.
2. GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese II [Second Edition]
[ With a CD-ROM for Win & Mac ]
Authors: Eri Banno, Yoko Ikeda, Yutaka Ohno, Chikako Shinagawa, Kyoko Tokashiki
Publisher: The Japan Times
ISBN: 978-4-7890-1443-4, Published: 30/11/2011.
Useful textbooks for kanji study (recommended):
1. Kanji Look And Learn Textbook:
Authors: Eri Banno, Yoko Ikeda, Chikako Shinagawa, Kaori Tajima, Kyoko Tokashiki
ISBN: 9784789013499, Publisher: Japan Times Published: May 2009.
2. Kanji Look And Learn Workbook:
Authors: Eri Banno, Yoko Ikeda, Chikako Shinagawa, Kaori Tajima, Kyoko Tokashiki
ISBN: 9784789013505, Publisher: Japan Times, Published: June 2009.
3. Basic Kanji Book I, Chieko Kano et al., (Tokyo: Bonjinsha, 1989)
Dictionaries (recommended):
1. The Japan Foundation Basic Japanese-English Dictionary (Tokyo/Oxford: Bonjinsha & Oxford U.P., 1986)
2. Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English and English-Japanese Dictionaries
3. Haig, John W. ed., The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary, based on the classical edition by Andrew N Nelson (Tokyo: Tuttle 1997)
4. Hadamitzy, Wolfgang and Mark Spahn eds., Japanese Character Dictionary with compound lookup via any kanji (Boston: Cheng and Tsui 1991)
Other recommendations will be provided in the course handbook. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Personal and intellectual autonomy: Self-awareness and reflection; independent learning and development; creative and inventive thinking, knowledge integration and application
Personal effectiveness: Planning, organising and time management; team working; assertiveness and confidence; flexibility.
Communication: Interpersonal skills, verbal and written communication, presentation. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Fumiko Narumi-Munro
Tel: (0131 6)50 6971
Email: F.Narumi-Munro@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Vivien MacNish Porter
Tel: (0131 6)50 3528
Email: vivien.macnish-porter@ed.ac.uk |
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