Degree Options

Students have the option of minoring in Japanese

JAPANESE — Requirements for Minor
Twenty semester hours distributed as follows:

Japanese 211, 212, 311, and 312.

Japanese 430 or one four-semester-hour course in Japanese communication, linguistics, or literature

Recommended in Other Departments
Students are encouraged to broaden their understanding of Japan through East Asian Studies classes offered in many departments.

2007-2008 Course Listings

112F. Beginning Japanese II. 5 semester hours.

Continued introduction of fundamental listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, together with the relevant sociolinguistic information. Prerequisite: Japanese III or placement. Every year.

130. Japanese Topics. 4 semester hours.

Topics, chosen by the instructor, designed to be of interest to the entire campus community. Taught in English, readings in English. Some sections writing intensive. Offered as need arises. This course may be repeated for credit.

111. Beginning Japanese I. 5 semester hours.

Introduces the fundamental communication skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as sociolinguistic information necessary for effective communication with Japanese natives. Every year.

150A/C. Survey of Japanese Literature. 4 semester hours.

Introduction to major literary works written in Japan between the year 900 and the present. Designed to be of interest to the entire campus community. Taught in English, readings in English. Every year.

211. Intermediate Japanese I. 4 semester hours.

Further development of the fundamental communication skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as the sociolinguistic information necessary for effective communication with Japanese natives. Prerequisite: Japanese 112 or placement. Every year.

212. Intermediate Japanese II. 4 semester hours.

Continued development of the fundamental communication skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as the sociolinguistic information necessary for effective communication with Japanese natives. Prerequisite: Japanese 211 or placement. Every year.

230. Japanese Topics. 4 semester hours.

Topics, chosen by the instructor, designed to be of interest to the entire campus community.  Taught in English, readings in English.  Some sections may be writing intensive.  Offered as need arises.  This course may be repeated for credit.  Examples of courses that might be offered include:

230 A/C. Japanese Women Writers of the 20th Century.  4 semester hours.

In the Western imagination, Japanese women have been cast as gentle, voiceless creatures living in shadows of their husbands.  But the fiction written by Japanese women presents a female image that is as vibrant as it is varied.  This course will examine the various manifestations of the female image in the female-authored modern Japanese fiction from the turn of the twentieth century to the present. 

230 S.  Language in Society.  4 semester hours.

This course will look at language as it creates and responds to its cultural and social environments.  Our main focus will be on the variation in one language, which results from different social statuses and purposes.  We will seek to explain as well as describe such facts.  Why do regional varieties of U.S. English continue to exist after years of mass media influence?  Why does one variety of a languge gain and maintain great prestige (the so-called standard variety)?  Why are we prejudiced against some varieties of language, and what reasons do we offer for those prejudices?  Why do men and women speak differently?  Is English a sexist language?  If so, what linguistics facts support such an interpretation?  These are some of the questions we will be asking in this course.  We will focus on language variation in English but will also read some articles on Japanese language variation to see if these variation patterns hold among different languages. 

230 S.  Introduction to Linguistics.  4 semester hours.

Have you studied a foreign language before?  Have you wondered why it is so different from English?  For example, why does Japanese have ways in the grammar to show respect for elders and superiors while English does not?  Have you wondered why Russian does not have articles like "a" and "the" while English does?  Have you wondered why your Spanish does not sound like your teacher's?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, this class is for you.  We will discuss the different levels of language (their sound systems, vocabularies, inflections, and grammars) and the role these languages and their units play in their respective societies.

250 A/C. Japanese Literature and Aesthetics. 4 semester hours.

Interdisciplinary study of contemporary and pre-modern literature, visual and performing arts in Japan. Discussions of the intellectual, emotional and aesthetic conflicts arising from the encounter of the traditional Japanese world view with modern industrial civilization. Taught in English, texts in English. Alternate years.

311. Advanced Japanese I. 4 semester hours.

The goal of the course is to develop culturally and socially appropriate proficiency in the four language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Prerequisite: 212 or placement. Every year.

312. Advanced Japanese II. 4 semester hours.

A continuation of 311, the goal of the course is to develop culturally and socially appropriate proficiency in the four language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.Prerequisite: 311 or placement. Every year.

330. Japanese Topics. 4 semester hours.

Topics, chosen by the instructor, designed to be of interest to the entire campus community. Taught in English, readings in English. May be writing intensive. Offered as need arises. This course may be repeated for credit.

380. Methods for Teaching Foreign Language (K-12). 4 semester hours.

Course to acquire an understanding of the history and rationale for foreign language instruction and of the relationship between theories of language learning and classroom practice. The student learns to plan, implement, and evaluate language instruction for students at the elementary and secondary school levels, and to enrich curriculum content to promote appreciation of the customs, values and history of other cultures. Field experience is included. Prerequisite: Completion of two 200-level courses in the target language or by permission of the instructor. Alternate years.

430. Topics in Japanese Language and Literature. 4 semester hours.

This course is designed to meet the needs of Japanese language students who have surpassed the highest levels of Japanese language study available in existing courses at the university.  Course design will vary in accordance with student need, and may include select readings and conversation activities.  Prerequisite: Japanese 312 or permission of the instructor.

490. Independent Study. Variable credit.

This course may be repeated for credit.

491. Internship. Variable credit.