Japanese II: Language Proficiency 1

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• communicate in modern Japanese on everyday topics
• engage in conversations in real-life situations
• apply phonetics so that they can speak in an easily comprehensible manner
• describe some aspects of Japanese social etiquette
• explain complex grammatical structures and the emotional content of longer paragraphs and narratives about familiar topics
• demonstrate a basic ability to use dictionaries
• write coherent texts using vocabulary and grammar studied in the course
• use new vocabulary correctly
• use about 230 kanji in a relevant manner
• write texts on everyday topics in an appropriate format.

The course includes exercises in the formulation of long sentences and the use of more nuanced language. This includes potential and volitional forms, some basic conjunctions, some conditional forms, expressions for offering and receiving and some presumptive expressions. Using both prepared and unprepared practical activities, students will apply their knowledge of Japanese grammar and phonetics and increase their vocabulary.
Students will analyse different types of texts and use them as the subjects of discussion. The course also includes exercises in writing longer texts. Students will practise their use of kanji characters by writing by hand and reading texts that are written with a fairly large number of kanji. Students will practise their ability to use dictionaries in conjunction with these reading and writing exercises. The course also provides opprtunity for students to learn about basic Japanese linguistics by way of group and individual analytical tasks.

Students will be assessed on a continuous basis. Grades will be based on written assignments, computerised online tests, recording tasks, participation in seminars, and final oral and written examinations.

Obligatory seminars and group work. Japanese is the language of instruction, with English or Swedish when needed.

The Swedish grades U–VG.

To achieve the grade of VG in the whole course, students must achieve VG in all modules.

Reporting of grades:
Module 1: Oral Language Proficiency - 5 cr
Module 2: Written Language Proficiency - 5 cr
Module 3: Language Proficiency and Kanji - 5 cr

This course is designed for students who have skills in Japanese equivalent to the JLPT level N5. This corresponds to an ability to read and write hiragana and katakana scripts as well as at least 150 kanji, and a knowledge of basic Japanese grammar and approximately 800 words and phrases.

Replaces JP1047.