01:565:401 Advanced Readings in Japanese

This semester we will look at three topics in this course—music, environment, and food culture of Japan—as students develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in the Japanese language. Students will read essays, short stories, watch films and TV shows, and listen to music and presentations that will offer them the vocabulary, expressions, and grammar skills necessary to express their ideas and opinions. As a class, we will be creating a course website, for which the students will compose articles and posts). All readings and assignments will be posted on the Canvas course site. The course is designed for upper-level students who have completed Japanese 302 or the equivalent. Students who have taken (or is taking) 301 or have returned from study abroad may be considered.

Grading: Attendance & Class Participation 10%, Short Writing Assignments & Worksheets (5 pts. x 8) 40%, Vocabulary & Kanji Quizzes (5 pts. x 3) 15%, Projects (10 pts. x 2) 20%, Final Project (15 pts.) 15%

Participation counts (10%)! Come to class prepared for reading and discussions.

Short Writing Assignments (5 pts. X 8 = 40%). Post a comment (250-300 characters) on the course website.

Projects (10 pts. X 2 = 20%) requiring simple research, writing, and oral presentation on topics related to materials covered in class. These will be posted on the course website to be shared with the class. (300-500 characters)

For the Final Washoku Project, students will create and conduct a survey on a topic related to Japanese food culture in an attempt to define “washoku,” then create a web-page based on the results and analysis of the survey and present it to the class on the designated Final Exam day. Details will be discussed in class. (1000-1500 characters; 15 pts.)