Japanese 1-A Course Syllabus


This is the first semester of the two-semester sequence of elementary modern Japanese language. The class is intended for students with either no or very minimal background in Japanese. Those who have some background in Japanese (from high school, in another college, through a stay in Japan or through their families) are not allowed to enroll in this class unless they have been placed in the class through a placement exam or have the permission of the instructor. Those who were directed to Japanese 1-A on the basis of the placement exam may enroll without the instructor's permission. If you have some background in Japanese and have not taken the placement exam, please contact the instructor to arrange the time to take the exam.

There are three sections in Japanese 1-A:

Section Class Hours
1
 MWF 8,TTH 9:40
2
 MWF 9,TTH 8:20
3
 MWF 10,TTH 9:40

Course Objectives

The main objective of the one-year elementary Japanese is the introduction of the basic grammatical structures and vocabulary of present-day spoken Japanese. You are expected, during the full year's course, to learn the Japanese writing system of Hiragana, Katakana, and about 275 of the Chinese characters known in Japanese as Kanji, and to develop speaking and listening ability in Japanese. We have three main objectives for this semester:
  1. full mastery of the Hiragana and Katakana phonetic writing conventions of Japanese
  2. development of the ability to recognize and reproduce approximately 100 Kanji characters
  3. acquisition of the most basic grammatical structures of Japanese, along with the vocabulary necessary to use such structures.

Textbooks & Study Materials

  1. Mizutani Osamu & Mizutani Nobuko. An Introduction to Modern Japanese. [IMJ] The Japan Times, 1990
  2. Mitsuko Endo Simon. Supplementary Grammar Notes to An Introduction to Modern Japanese: Part I. [SGN] University of Michigan Press, 1986.
  3. Drills and Kanji Packet
  4. Homework and Tasks Packet

Class Participation, Required Work, & Other Regulations

Absolutely no late homework will be accepted and no make-up quizzes or exams will be given except in a case of illness, for which an official note from a doctor or the student health service at Baxter Medical Center will be required. (If you're sick enough to miss class, you're sick enough to check at the medical center.) If you know in advance that you will miss a class, you may make an appointment with the instructor to take the quiz/exam PRIOR TO the scheduled date of the quiz/exam. In addition to attending the class regularly, you are required to listen to audio materials available on line.

Grades

Grades will be given for all quizzes, exams, and homework. Class attendance and participation will also count in determining your final grades. Grades weights are as follows:

final exam 25%
mid-term exam 15%
quizzes 25%
homework 20%
homework based on audio mateiral 5%
class attendance/participation 10%

We are always ready and willing to help you outside of class if you need it. Feel free to come by during office hours or arrange some other time if that is necessary. You may get in touch with us at:

Stanleigh Jones, Mason 114A, (62)1-8936, shj04747@pomona.edu

Kazumi Takahashi, Mason 215B, (62)1-8928, kt004747@pomona.edu

Tamaki Terada-Landis, Mason 205C (62)1-8938 tamaki@pacbell.net


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Please email questions or suggestions regarding this page to: Kazumi Takahashi