Japanese II: Language Proficiency 2

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

• communicate unhindered in modern Japanese on everyday topics
• convey suggestions, commands, respectful advice, offers and requests
• carry on conversations with socially superior people, thereby using the appropriate polite expressions in given situations
• describe aspects of Japanese culture and society that closely relate to the way one is expected to talk
• apply syntactic structures to produce sentences that are fairly grammatically and semantically complex
• interpret texts using dictionaries and well-considered assumptions regarding unknown words, unknown loan words, and compound words
• with the help of dictionaries find relevant vocabulary on various subjects and use the vocabulary correctly
• write texts using vocabulary and grammar corresponding to the upper basic level of Japanese
• read and write about 300 kanji
• write longer texts with a coherent disposition.

The course offers students practice in the use of sentences of greater complexity and the use of a more nuanced language, especially different forms of polite language. Prepared and unprepared practical activities will help to deepen students‘ understanding of the cultural and social role of Japanese.
Texts are analysed and used as the subjects of discussion. Exercises in writing relatively long texts are included. Students will practise their use of kanji characters by writing by hand and by reading texts that are written with a relatively large number of kanji. Students will further practise their ability to use dictionaries. In addition, the course offers students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of 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

Replaces GJP23T.