BA English Language and Japanese / Course details

This is an intermediate learners’ level language course which teaches the skills of reception (reading and listening) and production (speaking and writing) in Japanese, and translation of the material learned into English. There is a pre-requisite of post-Intermediate skills (such as those taught on JAPA51031).

Alongside classroom-based study, independent study is also key. Students will be required to reflect on their own learning and to improve their language learning skills with the help and support of their teachers. Working with a Japanese language partner or partners is strongly encouraged.

Available on: BA Japanese Studies and Combinations involving Japanese with other languages and area studies degrees and BA Modern Language with Business and Management etc. 

Not available as a free choice – but if the level is appropriate the convenor may exceptionally admit an external student.

Building on students’ prior learning, it aims to broaden students’ vocabulary (both spoken and written), hone their translation skills and deepen their understanding of grammar. There will also be speaking exercises to acquire communication strategies, and translation exercises between English and Japanese.

This is a course based around a textbook supplemented with additional material and supported by independent study. 

8 hours of tutorials per week (a combination of formal grammar teaching, writing skills, reading, and in-class practice and tests of reading, writing, listening and speaking with exercises (including group and pair-work)). There will be weekly assignments.  

There are timetabled office hours for all staff teaching this unit who are available for consultation.  

All students have access to the Language Centre and should use its resources regularly. All students are strongly encouraged to participate in learning partnerships with Japanese students where possible.

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• demonstrate a sure grasp of approximately 650 characters and 3500 vocabulary items, and know the standard grammatical patterns of intermediate Japanese.

By the end of this course students should be able to: 

• understand themselves as developing learners and be able to engage effectively with the appropriate resources to negotiate understanding.

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• express themselves orally in more advanced role-plays and dialogues on everyday matters and on a wide range of topics relating to Japanese society
• show developing proficiency in reading Japanese texts and viewing and hearing TV and other audio and video material in standard Japanese
• write stylistically appropriate Japanese prose, as well as translate Japanese into appropriate English
• make a presentation and engage in discussion on a topic of interest
• use dictionaries (including monolingual dictionaries) effectively.

By the end of this course students should be able to:  

• show developing confidence in interacting with native speakers.

Resit Assessment

Set texts:

The set textbook is Tobira Gateway to Advanced Japanese, along with its two accompanying workbooks, Grammar Power and Power Up Your Kanji.  

1. Tobira Gateway to Advanced Japanese: Learning Through Content and Multimedia (Tokyo: Kurosio 20092010) (ISBN-10: 4874244475 / ISBN-13: 978-4874244470)
2. Grammar Power: Exercises for Mastery (Tokyo: Kurosio 2012) ISBN 978-4-87424-570-5  
3. Power Up your Kanji: 800 Basic Kanji as a Gateway to Advanced Japanese (Tokyo) (ISBN-10: 4874244874 / ISBN-13: 978-4874244876)

Recommended texts:  

Makino and Tsutsui, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (The Japan Times, 1992), ISBN: 978-4789004541.

Group Jamashii, Nihongo Bunkei Jiten (Kuroshio Shuppan) グループ・ジャマシイ（編著）『日本語文型辞典』くろしお出版 (Japanese, English, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese versions are available).